Canelo Alvarez was 20 years old when he fought for the first time on a big pay-per-view card in Las Vegas, one that featured Floyd Mayweather’s fight with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand. The red-headed Mexican prospect stopped Jose Cotto, Miguel’s brother, in nine rounds.

The fact young Alvarez had talent was no secret. Golden Boy, his then-promoter, made sure everyone knew it. And no one believed in Alvarez more than Alvarez himself, something that has remained a constant. He just never imagined at that time, a decade ago, that he would one day become an icon.

“I always visualized being the best,” he told Boxing Junkie through a translator Wednesday. “I never really knew the magnitude, though, what it would mean to be where I am now.”

Well, we all know where Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) is: He’s the brightest star in the sport, a four-division titleholder, on top of many credible pound-for-pound lists and arguably the greatest Mexican fighter ever or on his way there.

Callum Smith, his latest victim, gave him the ultimate compliment: “I don’t think anyone beats him.”

The reigning super middleweight champion, who defends his titles against Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 in Miami, was asked to assess his accomplishments but he wouldn’t boast to the degree others in a similar position might.

An interview with Alvarez has always been a low-energy exercise, in which he answers questions in short, well-thought-out sentences at low volume. That’s his nature. He’s as passionate as anyone in the ring but subdued, even taciturn outside it. And he’s humble.

He believes he’s the best fighter in the world but conveys it in a way that doesn’t come across as arrogant, as if he’s saying, “I think my accomplishments suggest ….” And he wouldn’t bite when he was asked about the notion he has become the best ever from his boxing-crazy country.

Eddy Reynoso, his longtime trainer, said he’s on his way to surpassing the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares and Salvardor Sanchez. Mexican-American trainer Robert Garcia, who has been in boxing for more than three decades and has no affiliation with Alvarez, says he’s already No. 1.

Alvarez? He was diplomatic when that topic came up.

“The truth is that there have been many, many great champions from Mexico,” he said. “My goal is to be one of the best at the end of my career. The only thing I can guarantee is that I’ll be among the best.”

No doubt about that. How did he get into that position?

It started with the aforementioned talent. He was born with athleticism and a mind – as well as a temperament — that evidently is perfectly suited for hand-to-hand combat. He’s calm, cool, methodical until that passion — in the form of ferocity — takes over and one of the smartest active boxers.

And no one currently in the sport has a resume that compares to his, with the possible exception of Manny Pacquiao. He’s never been afraid to challenge himself, to take risks, which is one of many traits that have endeared him to fans.

For example, his handlers were nervous about the prospect of Alvarez fighting slick veterans Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara when he was in his early 20s. However, he demanded those fights, got them and had his hand raised both times.

Consider his last six fights. He fought in succession Gennadiy Golovkin, Golovkin again, Rocky Fielding, Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev and Callum Smith. Say what you want about Fielding and Smith. That was an imposing, risky gantlet, one most fighters with Alvarez’s leverage would never have run.

And, at 30, he has no plans to pad his resume with pushovers. Yildirim isn’t a significant threat but he’s the mandatory challenger to his WBC title, meaning Alvarez must face the Turk to retain his belt and remain in position to realize his goal of become undisputed 168-pound champion.

After that comes the other two super middleweight titleholders, Billy Joe Saunders (probably in May) and Caleb Plant. And eventually he’ll end up as a 175-pounder, he told Boxing Junkie. That means the likes of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol might share a ring with him in the near future.

Indeed, there is no sign whatsoever of slowing down. Alvarez turned pro at 15 years old. Fifteen years later – and in spite of the significant fortune he has amassed — he seems to be as hungry as ever.

Where does that drive come from?

“I love what I do,” he said. “When you’re doing something you love, it’s not hard to give 100 percent of yourself. That’s what it is, that’s why I’ve been successful.”

Alvarez was asked how much longer he will fight. He said he doesn’t know but then added, “I think around 36, 37, at the max.” At the moment, he said, his primary focus is Yildirim and unifying those 168-pound titles. Or as he put, “making history.” One step at a time.

And he has other things on his mind. He split with Golden Boy in November after what became a contentious relationship. He’s his own promoter now. And on Tuesday morning he was granted a promoter’s license in Nevada, a hub of big-time boxing. That means he’ll almost certainly fight in Las Vegas around Cinco de Mayo, with his fledgling company front and center.

Yes, Alvarez’s post-boxing career has begun. He said his primary objective at the moment is to promote his fights and perhaps those of a few other boxers he handles without losing focus on his own boxing career. However, eventually, the plan is to build a robust company that will allow Alvarez to have a significant impact on the sport long after he retires.

Alvarez’s path hasn’t always been perfectly smooth. In the ring, he lost a one-sided decision to Mayweather when he was 23. He drew with Golovkin in their first fight, which most observers thought Triple-G won.

Outside the ring, he was suspended for six months in April 2018 for testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol. He blamed it on tainted meat. And the strained relationship with Golden Boy ended only after he filed a lawsuit seeking his freedom, which ultimately led to just that.

With that in mind, Alvarez was asked whether he would’ve done anything differently if he could go back in time. He gave his shortest answer of the interview: “Nothing.”

Alvarez is a happy man. He has a beautiful young family, great wealth, the admiration of many and a career in which he has thrived like few before him. And there’s more to come. At least that’s what he wants. And Canelo Alvarez, through God’s gifts, hard work and determination, has always gotten what he wants.

Perhaps a quote on his website – CaneloTeam.com – sums up his approach to life best:

“Destiny is not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice. Life is hard but never give up. Keep on fighting and always believe in yourself to achieve your dreams.”

[lawrence-related id=17558,17549,17532,17520,17422,17363,17354]

Canelo Alvarez was 20 years old when he fought for the first time on a big pay-per-view card in Las Vegas, one that featured Floyd Mayweather’s fight with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand. The red-headed Mexican prospect stopped Jose Cotto, Miguel’s brother, in nine rounds.

The fact young Alvarez had talent was no secret. Golden Boy, his then-promoter, made sure everyone knew it. And no one believed in Alvarez more than Alvarez himself, something that has remained a constant. He just never imagined at that time, a decade ago, that he would one day become an icon.

“I always visualized being the best,” he told Boxing Junkie through a translator Wednesday. “I never really knew the magnitude, though, what it would mean to be where I am now.”

Well, we all know where Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) is: He’s the brightest star in the sport, a four-division titleholder, on top of many credible pound-for-pound lists and arguably the greatest Mexican fighter ever or on his way there.

Callum Smith, his latest victim, gave him the ultimate compliment: “I don’t think anyone beats him.”

The reigning super middleweight champion, who defends his titles against Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 in Miami, was asked to assess his accomplishments but he wouldn’t boast to the degree others in a similar position might.

An interview with Alvarez has always been a low-energy exercise, in which he answers questions in short, well-thought-out sentences at low volume. That’s his nature. He’s as passionate as anyone in the ring but subdued, even taciturn outside it. And he’s humble.

He believes he’s the best fighter in the world but conveys it in a way that doesn’t come across as arrogant, as if he’s saying, “I think my accomplishments suggest ….” And he wouldn’t bite when he was asked about the notion he has become the best ever from his boxing-crazy country.

Eddy Reynoso, his longtime trainer, said he’s on his way to surpassing the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares and Salvardor Sanchez. Mexican-American trainer Robert Garcia, who has been in boxing for more than three decades and has no affiliation with Alvarez, says he’s already No. 1.

Alvarez? He was diplomatic when that topic came up.

“The truth is that there have been many, many great champions from Mexico,” he said. “My goal is to be one of the best at the end of my career. The only thing I can guarantee is that I’ll be among the best.”

No doubt about that. How did he get into that position?

It started with the aforementioned talent. He was born with athleticism and a mind – as well as a temperament — that evidently is perfectly suited for hand-to-hand combat. He’s calm, cool, methodical until that passion — in the form of ferocity — takes over and one of the smartest active boxers.

And no one currently in the sport has a resume that compares to his, with the possible exception of Manny Pacquiao. He’s never been afraid to challenge himself, to take risks, which is one of many traits that have endeared him to fans.

For example, his handlers were nervous about the prospect of Alvarez fighting slick veterans Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara when he was in his early 20s. However, he demanded those fights, got them and had his hand raised both times.

Consider his last six fights. He fought in succession Gennadiy Golovkin, Golovkin again, Rocky Fielding, Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev and Callum Smith. Say what you want about Fielding and Smith. That was an imposing, risky gantlet, one most fighters with Alvarez’s leverage would never have run.

And, at 30, he has no plans to pad his resume with pushovers. Yildirim isn’t a significant threat but he’s the mandatory challenger to his WBC title, meaning Alvarez must face the Turk to retain his belt and remain in position to realize his goal of become undisputed 168-pound champion.

After that comes the other two super middleweight titleholders, Billy Joe Saunders (probably in May) and Caleb Plant. And eventually he’ll end up as a 175-pounder, he told Boxing Junkie. That means the likes of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol might share a ring with him in the near future.

Indeed, there is no sign whatsoever of slowing down. Alvarez turned pro at 15 years old. Fifteen years later – and in spite of the significant fortune he has amassed — he seems to be as hungry as ever.

Where does that drive come from?

“I love what I do,” he said. “When you’re doing something you love, it’s not hard to give 100 percent of yourself. That’s what it is, that’s why I’ve been successful.”

Alvarez was asked how much longer he will fight. He said he doesn’t know but then added, “I think around 36, 37, at the max.” At the moment, he said, his primary focus is Yildirim and unifying those 168-pound titles. Or as he put, “making history.” One step at a time.

And he has other things on his mind. He split with Golden Boy in November after what became a contentious relationship. He’s his own promoter now. And on Tuesday morning he was granted a promoter’s license in Nevada, a hub of big-time boxing. That means he’ll almost certainly fight in Las Vegas around Cinco de Mayo, with his fledgling company front and center.

Yes, Alvarez’s post-boxing career has begun. He said his primary objective at the moment is to promote his fights and perhaps those of a few other boxers he handles without losing focus on his own boxing career. However, eventually, the plan is to build a robust company that will allow Alvarez to have a significant impact on the sport long after he retires.

Alvarez’s path hasn’t always been perfectly smooth. In the ring, he lost a one-sided decision to Mayweather when he was 23. He drew with Golovkin in their first fight, which most observers thought Triple-G won.

Outside the ring, he was suspended for six months in April 2018 for testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol. He blamed it on tainted meat. And the strained relationship with Golden Boy ended only after he filed a lawsuit seeking his freedom, which ultimately led to just that.

With that in mind, Alvarez was asked whether he would’ve done anything differently if he could go back in time. He gave his shortest answer of the interview: “Nothing.”

Alvarez is a happy man. He has a beautiful young family, great wealth, the admiration of many and a career in which he has thrived like few before him. And there’s more to come. At least that’s what he wants. And Canelo Alvarez, through God’s gifts, hard work and determination, has always gotten what he wants.

Perhaps a quote on his website – CaneloTeam.com – sums up his approach to life best:

“Destiny is not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice. Life is hard but never give up. Keep on fighting and always believe in yourself to achieve your dreams.”

[lawrence-related id=17558,17549,17532,17520,17422,17363,17354]