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via Getty

via Getty

The name Canelo Alvarez in boxing corresponds to the idea of a raging force and an indefatigable spirit. One of the biggest stars in combat sports, Alvarez on today’s date stands equivalent to Jordan’s Bulls in the 90s. He holds an unparalleled record and his achievements in boxing are second to none. In a few days, Alvarez will go up against Dmitry Bivol in an event billed as ‘Legacy is Earned’. This will be Alvarez’s 61st professional bout since he debuted in 2005.

To talk about legacy, there are too many chapters one has to unfold just to arrive near Canelo Alvarez, the pride of Mexico. Single-handedly Alvarez has sold out the biggest arenas of the current time; thousands have shown up to see him fight those battles.

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However, Alvarez, who has been around the sport for more than a decade now, has had his own sets of difficulties, far away from the lights and the cheers of his excited fans. In a recent episode of Canelo Unwrapped, Gonzalo Alvarez Barragan spoke about the early days of his brother Canelo Alvarez’s career in boxing. He told the viewers about the time Alvarez wanted to leave the sport and do something else to make a living.

Why did Canelo Alvarez want to leave boxing?

It is indeed hard to believe that Alvarez once thought about leaving boxing, a sport that has given him so much. However, it is true, and according to Gonzalo Alvarez’s statement, this is why Canelo Alvarez thought about quitting boxing.

USA Today via Reuters

There was a moment when he was considering quitting boxing. Because I remember they paid him almost nothing when he started. Sometimes they would pay him $4o and the rest in tickets for him to sell. If he’d sell them, he would make a bit of money. If not, that was his problem,” said Gonzalo Alvarez.

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“He wanted to buy a car, so he’d say, “I’m going to look for a job. He was losing his patience,” he added.

Luckily, there was something else written on Alvarez’s fate and he did not have to quit. According to the Forbes list, in 2021, Alvarez ranked 48 under The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes category.

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Where do you think Canelo Alvarez would be today had he left boxing at that time? Let us know in the comments below.