Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez has achieved a heck of a lot in the sport and he is without any doubt a future Hall of Famer as a result. Canelo is also financially secure, he has endeared himself to millions of fans around the world, and he is soon to turn 35. Now, going into his big September fight with fellow modern great Terence Crawford, promoter Eddie Hearn feels Canelo will be ready to call it a career after the fight – whether he wins or loses.
Speaking with The Ring, Hearn says his gut feeling tells him Canelo, a fighter who has pretty much done it all, will retire from the sport whatever happens in the Crawford fight.
Eddie Hearn sees the end coming—win or lose, Canelo may walk away
“I believe the deal with His Excellency is for three [more] fights,” Hearn said with regards to the deal Canelo signed with Turki Alalshikh. “I think the Crawford fight will be his last. There’s no intel there and I’ve not had any conversations with him. But after watching that Scull fight – and don’t get me wrong, Scull was unbelievably negative – after Crawford, what else is there for him to do? Do you wanna go to England for a fight? Yeah, I guess that could appeal to [him]. But I don’t know. I just think Father Time, the body, the mojo, I don’t know. I actually thought during the Scull fight, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he just didn’t fight Crawford.’”
Is September 13 the final ring walk for Canelo?
Hearn added that, as unattractive as the Crawford fight was to Canelo, the sheer amount of money the super middleweight champ was offered for the Crawford fight proved irresistible. So, the Canelo-Crawford fight is happening, but could it really prove to be the Mexican star’s swansong? If so, Canelo will exit his Riyadh Season deal having fought just two of the agreed four fights. But if Hearn is correct, and Canelo has pretty much had enough, and feels he has more than done enough, then maybe we will see his final ring entrance on September 13.
It might be tough for some to believe that Canelo, 63-2-2(39) would exit the sport on the back of a loss to Crawford, that the rematch would likely be put into place if Crawford, 41-0(31) pulled it off at the end of summer. But who knows? One thing’s for sure, although he may have his critics, Canelo is a great fighter who will be missed when he’s gone.