Canelo Alvarez silenced his doubters with an impressive victory to recapture the WBC super-middleweight world title against Christian Mbilli.
Now, fellow Mexican boxing icon, Julio Cesar Chavez, has offered his thoughts on Canelo’s display.
A two-decade long career looked to have had it’s impact on Alvarez when he came up short against Terence Crawford last September and lost his undisputed super-middleweight crown; unable to cut off the ring against a former lightweight world champion.
As a result, his desperate bid to regain the super-middleweight throne against Mbilli was seen to be a must-win, with many fight fans of the belief that a defeat should cause the 36-year-old to retire from the sport.
However, the four-division world champion once again announced himself as the man to beat in the 168lb division, utilising his experience to dictate proceedings and tactically better Mbilli in a unanimous-decision win.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Chavez – deemed by many as the greatest Mexican fighter of all time – said that Canelo looked more focussed on the night and admitted that he ‘liked what he saw’.
“[He was emotional] because he feels the responsibility he has, you understand? He knows the sacrifice he’s made to achieve that. It’s not easy to regain the championship.
“And after such a painful defeat as the one he suffered against Crawford, I saw a more focused Canelo, with much more experience. And personally, I liked what I saw.”
Canelo has been linked to a ring return as soon as February as he looks to bank a first defence of his latest reign as champion, whilst simultaneously fulfilling the final bout of his four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Although, the latest fight reports suggests that Canelo’s next appearance could be for another belt.
