Canelo’s return is put on pause (and it’s not on a whim)
It seems that the triumphant return of Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez to the rings is going to need a little more time in the microwave oven. Or, to be more precise, in the operating room. After Terence Crawford gave him a masterclass in the art of accumulating points (and, in the process, put half the boxing world down) last month in Las Vegas, the Mexican champion has no choice but to make an unscheduled technical stop. His next destination is not a stadium full of screams, but elbow surgery. Basically, your 2025 starts with your arm in a sling instead of with gloves on. A plot twist that no one saw coming.
And who is the messenger of this news that has made the networks tremble? None other than Mike Coppinger, who, in his podcast “Inside The Ring”, dropped the bomb. The source of this gem of information is high-level: Turki Alalshikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. In other words, the guy who pulls the strings and the checkbooks in modern boxing. When this man speaks, even the heavyweights listen. And what he said was that Canelo’s elbow is crying out for a timeout.
A Saudi contract in limbo and the mystery of Cinco de Mayo
This medical move is putting a time bomb on the four-fight mega contract that Canelo has signed with Riyadh Season For the man from Guadalajara, this will be his third time under the knife. It seems that being a boxing legend also includes a membership card to the surgery club. The first was in 2018, when they fixed his right knee. The second, three years ago, was to tune up his left wrist. And now, the elbow joins the list of parts that require maintenance. One almost expects that after this they will give him a frequent customer card. The million dollar question is: are we facing the natural wear and tear of a long and glorious race, or is it a sign that the body can no longer sustain the iron pace? To make matters worse, and as if it were an episode of a dramatic series, Canelo finds himself without a world title for the first time in a decade. His loss to Crawford for the unified super middleweight championship on September 13 (with cards of 116-112, 115-113, 115-113) left him without his precious belt. The last time it didn’t have a title was in 2015, an era when Instagram didn’t have Reels and we thought masks were just for the spa. Being at the top for ten years is an achievement worthy of the gods of Olympus, but now, from below, the view is very different. The king has been dethroned, and his path back to the throne is now paved with physical therapy and bandages. The outlook for the idol of Jalisco is, to say the least, a strange mixture of uncertainty and hope. On the one hand, there is the pressure of living up to a multimillion-dollar contract and the expectations of millions of fans. On the other, the raw reality of a body that needs repairs. In the era of athletes being treasured, watching a warrior like Canelo rack up surgeries is a reminder that this sport is as brutal as it is beautiful. His legacy is not in doubt, but his immediate future is a question mark the size of a boxing glove. Can he get the magic back? Time, and your elbow, will tell. Do you think Canelo will return with the same strength after this surgery? Share this note and tell us your opinion. Don’t be left wondering and explore more about boxing legends in our sports section.
