Canelo’s career is facing one of its biggest and most dangerous challenges: he faces Kazakhstan’s Gennadiy Golovkin for the third time. The key point of the fight to be held on September 17 at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas,is that since the Mexican is coming from a resounding defeat against Dmitry Bivol, one more loss could condition his permanence at the top of boxing.

Facing this challenge, and more than ever, Canelo Alvarez has to listen to his corner, to his trainer, since a mistake in the execution of the strategy, against an elite knockout like Gennadiy Golovkin, is very expensive. But who is Alvarez’s trainer? We reveal below the peculiar story between the Mexican and his work team.

Canelo Alvarez’s history with his trainers: absolute fidelity

It was 2004 when everything changed for the Alvarez Barragan family. Of the eight children that Santos and Ana Maria’s marriage brought to the world, seven were boys. All of them, at some point in their lives, were professional boxers. Thus, at the age of 14, the youngest boy in the family, Santos Saúl, was taken to the Julián Magdaleno gymnasium in Guadalajara, Jalisco, at the urging of his brother Rigoberto, to be initiated into the world of boxing.

With the example of his six brothers, Saul, nicknamed Canelo because he has red hair and freckles on his cheeks, already knew beforehand that he would enter a world full of sacrifice. At the aforementioned gym, he was welcomed by the Reynoso family, headed by the experienced trainer Jose, better known as Chepo, and his son Edinson Omar, called Eddy by those close to him.

Looking at Canelo’s boxing skills, both Chepo and Eddy Reynoso knew that the 14-year-old was the most precious gem in the Alvarez family and decided to bet big on him. After participating in a national boxing competition, where he came in first place, they decided to make a foray into professional boxing when the boy was only 15 years old. History was about to be written.

The relationship between the Reynoso family, Chepo and Eddy, and Saul Canelo Alvarez mutated from the typical one between a trainer and his athlete, to a much closer, even familiar and paternal one. On many occasions, Canelo refers, especially to Eddy, as a second father.

As the fights went on, the name Canelo Alvarez gained traction in the Mexican boxing community. The breakthrough came when Televisa television decided to adopt him as one of the most promising Mexican fighters in the sport. Very soon, Alvarez’s fame even surpassed his boxing qualities, at that time, not yet as developed by the Reynoso family.

The years passed and little by little Saul Canelo Alvarez was leveling what was said and expected of him with what he really is: an absolute elite boxer. He moved up divisions, won world championships and became a multimillionaire, but one thing never changed (and surely never will): his group of trainers, Chepo and Eddy Reynoso.

Who are Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, trainers of Canelo Alvarez?

Jose Reynoso earned his reputation in Mexican boxing through his work as a promoter and trainer. His son Eddy followed in his footsteps after trying his luck in other trades, even after entering the United States illegally to work. This duo of trainers made world champions out of boxers like Oscar Chololo Larios and Javier Chatito Jauregui. However, none of them ever achieved the transcendence of Canelo Alvarez, a four-division World Champion, first-ever Undisputed World Super middleweight titlist, anda future boxing Hall of Famer.

Chepo Reynoso, who made a quantum leap from butcher to boxing promoter and trainer, has become less of a presence in the Canelo Alvarez camp over the years due to his age. So the baton was taken up by his son Eddy, who is now 46 years old and is Canelo’s head trainer.

Thanks to his good work with Alvarez, Eddy Reynoso has been named trainer of the year on a couple of occasions and has had the opportunity to work with boxers such as Ryan Garcia, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Luis Nery, Andy Ruiz and Oscar Valdez among others.

The years go by, multiple victories (and few defeats), championships, fame and millions of dollars come and go in the career of Canelo Alvarez, but there is one immutable, indestructible pillar, and that is the relationship that the pride of Guadalajara has with his trainers, Eddy and Chepo Reynoso,who saw him grow from a teenager to a man; from an amateur dreamer to one of the best boxers in the history of Mexico and the world.

It is peculiar for a boxer to wear personal branded gloves. It seems like an elite unique detail, opened up just for a very few bunch athletes, such as Canelo. In fact, this story began just after one of his most significant triumphs: against Gennady Golovkin in September 2018.

Just when the sea was calmed, Eddy Reynoso’s pupil announced that he was going to challenge MichaelRockyFielding for the World title in a third different weight class: the Super middleweight one. In this fight, Alvarez introduced to the whole world hisNo Boxing No Life Gloves.Since then, he has defeated 6 rivals and won 7 absolute belts in 3 different categories.

Who is the creator and owner of No Boxing No Life gloves brand?

In 2000, Eddy Reynoso, Canelo Alvarez’s lifelong coach and now manager, was not even close to imagining his luck would radically change to become a two-timeTrainer of the Yearawarded byThe Ringmagazine. On that date, he took a key decision in his life. This was even before training Canelo for the very first time.

“20 years ago (written in2020), I decided to open the noboxingnolife@hotmail.com mail account. I still have it. I have always been arestless person talking about my job, I do not like to remain stuck. 20 years after, the idea that has been born in an Internet Café has become a brand that, little by little, is being known all over the world” posted Reynoso on his Instagram account.

Nowadays,No Boxing No Lifeis a glovesand clothesbrand used by manyboxers such as Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia, Oscar Valdez, Frank Sanchez, Andy Ruiz, Gervonta Davis, and IsaacPitbullCruz on their recent fights.

Is it possible for sport and fight fans to use No Boxing No Life gloves?

This Mexican brand created by Eddy Reynoso and worn by Saul Canelo Alvarez is available for the American aWorld Wide market on their website, where training and professional fight gloves can be purchased.

In December 2021, one month after Alvarez defeated Caleb Plant to become Unified Super middleweight World Champion, Eddy Reynoso shocked the world at the WBC Annual Convention: he asked for the permission of this boxing organization to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu, the current holder of the World Cruiserweight Champion. Mauricio Sulaiman, WBC’s president, granted it.

In fact, Canelo confessed that he did not know a thing about Reynoso’s new route into boxing immortality for him. The challenge will be tough for the Mexican Pound for Pound king: there are 32 lbs of difference between Super middleweight and Cruiserweight division, and also there is a hungry Champion, llunga Makabu, who surely does not want to waste his lifetime opportunity.

Who is Junior Makabu, the possible rival for Canelo’s next fight?

Being born in the Democratic Republic of Congo on November 8 1987, Junior Ilunga Makabu has held 30 fights as a professional boxer. His current record is 28-2-0 and his main presentation is the power of his fists: he has finished 25 of his 28 victories by the way of knock out, which means an 83 % of effectivity in this quality.Makabu is the WBC World Cruiserweight Champion since 2020, when he defeated polishMichal Cieslak.

The Congolese is 6,0 tall, 2 feet more than Canelo Alvarez; not really a problem for the Mexican who has already defeated Callum Smith and Rocky Fielding with his 6,3 and 6,1 height. Talking about his weight, Makabu has developed all his career in the Cruiserweight division. So he will be in his natural habitat.

Ilunga Junior is a southpaw with a classic combative boxing style: he sacrifices defense to reach the knockout. This was the reason for his two defeats: in 2008, exactly on his professional debut, and in 2016, against British 2 division World Champion Tony Belew. Both losses were quick TKO’s, on the first and third rounds, against the African fighter.

Being undefeated for almost six years, Makabu has fought just once since Covid 19 pandemic began: TKO victory against Olanrewaju Durodola in 7 rounds. Before facing Canelo Alvarez, he must overcome Thabiso Mchunu, in a WBC mandatory bout that will represent the first time the Congolese will fight in the United States.

In the last WBC Convention, celebrated in Mexico City, Reynoso shocked the entire world with theunbeleivable request he made to Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of organization at hand. He wants Canelo to join Hearns, Leonard, De la Hoya, Mayweather and Pacquiao in the list of boxers with World Titles won in 5 different weight classes.

This petition takes Alvarez to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu, the current WBC World Cruiserweight Champion. Considering that Mexican Superstar started his career on 147 lbs, try to conquer a 53 libs higher belt sounds crazy at least.

The surprise that Canelo received from Eddy Reynoso

The Pound for Pound king wastotally sincere on an interview given to World Boxing News: he did not know about Eddy Reinoso’s plan to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu, WBC Cruiserweight World Champion, until the formal request has been done by his manager.

In fact, Canelo mentioned to reporter Dan Rafaelthat he found out his new and exciting challenge thanks to the web whispers on his mobile phone:“I didn’t even know about that; I heard about it on social media what Eddy did.”

Nevertheless, the Pound for Pound king states something clear. He fully trusts on Eddy Reynoso, so he leaves, as he has done for almost 17 years, his career on his hands:“Like I always say, if Eddy says something or he tries to do something crazy, I’m always in. I’m his warrior.”

On January 2022, Canelo Alvarez and Eddy Reynoso will sit down and define the details that need to be done to make real the fight against Makabu, maybe for May, one of his predilect months to fight as part of mexican 5 de Mayocelebration.