Sports

Did Canelo Álvarez Just Reveal When He Plans to Retire from Boxing?

Lead Photo: SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 02: Boxer Canelo Alvarez speaks with the media following at the press conference announcing the May 7th Canelo Alvarez v Dmitry Bivol fight at the Sheraton Hotel on March 2, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/Getty Images) ***Local Caption***
SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 02: Boxer Canelo Alvarez speaks with the media following at the press conference announcing the May 7th Canelo Alvarez v Dmitry Bivol fight at the Sheraton Hotel on March 2, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/Getty Images) ***Local Caption***

Less than two weeks away from his matchup against undefeated Russian boxer Dmitry Bivol (19-0), undisputed champion Canelo Álvarez recently threw out a few numbers when asked how much longer he would like to continue boxing.

During an interview with TMZ Sports, Álvarez said retirement isn’t on his mind at all, but still estimated how many years he still might have left in him, so he could continue adding to his boxing legacy.

“I hope a long time because I’m gonna miss boxing when I’m retired,” Álvarez said. “Right now, six years more, seven, five, I don’t know.”

From what he’s saying, retirement would be between 36 and 38 years old. But how does that compare to other heavy hitters? Former Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez retired when he was 43. Juan Manuel Márquez also officially retired at 43, although his last fight was at age 40. Oscar De La Hoya was 36 when he hung up his gloves in 2009, although he was scheduled to return to the ring last year before he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

Anything can change in seven years, so maybe when the time comes, Álvarez will still feel like he’s at peak performance. His current record is 57-1-2, so could you imagine what it’ll be in the year 2029? However much longer Canelo Álvarez decides he wants to fight, whenever he does decide to retire, he’ll be saying goodbye to a sport he loves.

“I love boxing. I love a challenge. I love that adrenaline,” he said. “I need to accomplish everything to be in the books of history of boxing. That’s why I’m here and I love what I do.”