Mexican boxing fans were enthusiastic when they learned last month that boxing champ Canelo Álvarez was joining the cast of the upcoming sequel Creed III.
Now, lead actor and first-time director Michael B. Jordan is explaining how the production came up with the idea of casting the Mexican boxer in the film. During a recent press conference, Jordan, who reprises his role as the title character Adonis Creed, said that history dictated that they should cast someone like Álvarez in the movie.
“We just looked back…it’s the history of boxing, and the Mexican culture is such a pillar within the sport of boxing and felt like there wasn’t really a lot of representation throughout the films in that type of way,” Jordan said. “It just didn’t seem like the reality I lived in. So, I wanted to incorporate Mexican culture into this film where we could.”
In the first official trailer for Creed III, Álvarez is seen for only a couple of seconds, but for fans of Mexican boxing, it’s probably enough to get them excited for the film. In the trailer, Álvarez is seen posing for a photo with his wife and Adonis and his family, which includes Tessa Thompson’s character Bianca. It looks like Álvarez is helping to promote one of Adonis’ upcoming pay-per-view fights.
Adonis’ new opponent is someone from his childhood past. His name is Damian (Jonathan Majors), and he was just released from prison and wants to show Adonis that growing up, he should’ve become the phenom boxer who shocked the sports world and not him. In one scene in the trailer, Bianca tells Adonis that to stop Damian “maybe you just have to fight him.”
During the press conference, Jordan also mentions that another boxer named José Benítez is also in the film. He plays a boxer named Felix Chavez who is seen in the trailer getting knocked out by Damian’s right hook.
“[José’s] character is strong and it’s good,” Jordan said. “I just felt that there was a lack [of Mexican representation] there that didn’t seem truthful and honest to the sport of boxing.”
Creed III is scheduled to hit theaters on March 3, 2023.