Canelo Alvarez has mentioned countless times that he is not in boxing for the millions of dollars he earns, but for the legacy he can achieve. In his upcoming fight against Dmitry Bivol, beyond the $53 million he will earn, a boxing legacy awaits him, provided he comes out on top.
At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the WBA World Light heavyweight title held by Dmitry Bivol will be on the line. The Russian won it in November 2017 with a first round knockout victory over Australian Trent Broadhurst. This belt became vacant after the retirement of undefeated two-division World Champion Andre Ward.
So far, Canelo Alvarez has won 13 World Championships since his adventure in professional boxing began in 2005, when he was 15 years old and fought Abraham Gonzalez in Tonala Jalisco, in the Super lightweight category (140 pounds).
The feat Canelo Alvarez is pursuing against Dmitry Bivol
The Mexican superstar won his 9th world title in November 2019, when he defeated Sergey Kovalev by knockout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (his last effective knockout so far) to win the WBO World Light heavyweight title, which he would leave vacant to begin the journey that eventually led him to become the first ever Undisputed World Super middleweight Champion.
Thus, should Alvarez destroy Dmitry Bivol’s unbeaten record on May 7, he would win the WBA World Light heavyweight title, which would make him a two-time World 175 titlist. This feat is something that has not happened for 42years, at least for a Latin American.
Canelo Alvarez. (Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 175 pounds, an unfertile category for Latin America
Since this category began sanctioning world title fights in April 1903, very few Latin Americans have been crowned champions. This is understandable because of the stature that boxers from that region of the world usually have. The 175 pounds is historically dominated by Americans and Europeans, specifically British, French, Germans and, recently, Russians (Kovalev, Bivol, Beterbiev).
Thus, so far there are only 8 Latinos who have won the Light Heavyweight world champion belt. The first was the Puerto Rican Jose Torres in May 1965, later, the Venezuelan Vicente Rondon, the Argentines Victor Galindez, Miguel Angel Cuello and Hugo Garay, the Colombian Eleider Alvarez and the Mexicans Julio Cesar Gonzalez and Saul Canelo Alvarez.
Eleider Alvarez, Colombian World Champion. (Elsa/Getty Images)
The very exclusive list Canelo Alvarez would join if he beats Dmitry Bivol
If winning any of the four versions of the World Light heavyweight title once is something rare for a Latin American, it is even more rare to win it twice, that is, to become a two-times 175 pounds World Champion. So far, only one fighter from the aforementioned region has achieved this feat.
The owner of the feat is Argentine Victor Galindez (55-9-4, 34 KOs) who was the WBA World Light heavyweight Champion from December 1974 to September 1978 when he lost the title to American Mike Rossman. However, seven months later, in April 1979 he regained it in the rematch of this fight.
Victor Galindez vs Mike Rossman. (Getty Images)
Thus, Canelo Alvarez is on the verge of making more boxing history. If he beats Dmitry Bivol, he will become only the second Latin American to be two-times Light heavyweight World Champion, something that has not happened in almost 43 years.
Among the fighters who have established themselves as two-times World 175-pound champions are legends such as ThomasHearns, Roy Jones Jr.,and Bernard Hopkins, as well as boxing greats such as Marvin Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Chad Dawson and Sergey Kovalev.*
*(Jones Jr. and Johnson became three-times Light heavyweight World Champions)
Roy Jones Jr, four-division World Champion. (The Ring Magazine via Getty Images)
