News Analysis: End of an era? Canelo Alvarez looked worn out during loss Terence Crawford

"A couple of years ago, while covering Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez's return to Guadalajara, I visited the gym where he began a brilliant two-decade career that made him the undisputed super middleweight champion and champion in four different divisions. There, Chepo Reynoso, the trainer who took him in at age 14, spoke to me about the inevitable expiration date of a boxer when I asked him how much longer we would have Álvarez as a professional fighter. Reynoso reminded me that Álvarez has been boxing since he was a child and that he was already a professional at 15. Because of his discipline and competitiveness, Álvarez became a multiple world champion and the Mexican athlete who has earned more money than any other boxer from his country. But all that effort eventually takes its toll. "When he sees that his body is no longer responding, even though he works hard and takes care of himself, it will be time to say goodbye. Your body tells you, 'Stop, I can't do this anymore,'" Reynoso, now 72, told me. He accompanied Álvarez in his painful loss to Terence Crawford Saturday in Las Vegas."

"During the same trip, I visited Rigoberto Álvarez, Canelo's older brother, who also reminded me that his younger brother had been fighting his whole life and turned professional at 15 because he was already a father and had to support his daughter. Rigoberto then recounted a conversation he had with Canelo in 2023: "He told me himself that he saw himself fighting for a couple more years, but he didn't want to retire due to wear and t""

Canelo Álvarez lost all his super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision at Allegiant Stadium. The 34-year-old appeared tired during the fight, prompting concerns that his dominant era may be ending. Trainers and family members highlighted decades of early and continuous fighting, noting he turned professional at 15 and has boxed since childhood. Longtime trainer Chepo Reynoso warned that cumulative wear eventually forces a fighter to stop when the body no longer responds. Rigoberto Álvarez recalled Canelo saying in 2023 that he saw himself fighting a few more years but resisted retiring despite physical wear and tear.

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