Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez suffered the first defeat of his career thirteen years ago, falling short against the great Floyd Mayweather.
The pair clashed on September 14, 2013 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in a fight billed as ‘The One.’ Mayweather entered as the unbeaten pound-for-pound number one and the sport’s biggest draw, while Canelo, just 23 at the time, brought an undefeated record and unified super-welterweight titles. It was contested at a catchweight of 152lbs, and generated huge commercial interest as a clash between the established king and boxing’s fastest rising star.
Mayweather delivered a complete performance, using his trademark defence, footwork and timing to control the distance throughout and repeatedly beat Canelo to the punch with sharp counters and accurate combinations. Alvarez struggled to cut off the ring or land cleanly.
The American won by majority decision – judge C.J. Ross’ draw being widely criticised – but the performance itself was clear-cut and reinforced his status as the best fighter in the world.
Some feel it was shrewd matchmaking, with Mayweather adding a great name to his record before he reached his peak. Others disagree, believing Floyd would always have the beating of Alvarez.
In an interview with Oso Trava, Alvarez said that he believes that experience, not skill, was the defining factor that night in Las Vegas. The Mexican icon also revealed that suffering his first defeated ‘hurt’ him, but he was able to refocus by putting it into perspective.
“I got extremely frustrated, right? Because I felt capable – I felt capable of beating the best in the world at 23 years old. And I was capable, I just didn’t have the right experience, and I realised that afterward.
“It hurt me a lot because, however you want to call it, it hits your ego as a fighter – what you wanted to be, what you visualised that didn’t happen. And yeah, it hurt a lot, it hit me really hard, and maybe I went through some level of depression. I don’t know if there are levels of depression, but yeah, maybe I did.
“But then, thinking alone at home – because I like having my time alone – thinking, I said, ‘Alright, let me get myself together, ground myself, and think: I didn’t lose to just anyone, I lost to the best in the world. I’m 23 years old, and he practically didn’t do anything to me.’
“I told myself that’s not going to stop me from being the best in the world one day.”
Asked what he lacked at 23 that he later gained, Canelo said confidence.
“Confidence. I think confidence more than anything as a fighter = not mentally, because mentally I was fine – but confidence. More fights in those kinds of scenarios, because it’s different. That would have helped me win.”
In 2026, Canelo must bounce back from defeat once again. He is set to return to the ring in September for the first time since losing his undisputed super-middleweight titles to Terence Crawford.
