Most elite wrestlers have been strengthening their necks for years. Following their lead, some of the boxers of the past also incorporated neck exercises into their training routines. However, it wasn’t until the camera zoomed in on Mike Tyson‘s tree trunk-sized neck that fans and pundits began to truly appreciate the importance of this training. Since then, neck exercises have become a staple for boxers. Now a video of Canelo Alvarez fortifying his neck on a bosu ball has been going viral.

The super middleweight champion has over the years earned a fearsome reputation for having one of the strongest chins in boxing. It was fairly well known that the hard worker that he is, Alvarez, used to allocate specific time for focusing on body conditioning. Thus, seeing their icon actively working to prolong his career had many fans join in for an exciting discussion.

Canelo Alvarez: Going Neck and Neck

Boxing Kingdom had shared the ten-second-long footage. The post read, “Canelo Alvarez is strengthening the neck with his entire body weight.” In the clip, the former undisputed champion rests his head on the bosu ball. His back facing upward and his hands held back in a lock. Alvarez’s feet are planted on the ground.

So, putting the weight on the neck, the champion moves his upper body back and forth, thereby bolstering stability. Fans can easily sift through old pages that displayed ‘Iron’ Mike’s photos. His neck muscles were so thick that they seemed to blend into his jawline.

Why should an athlete, especially those from combat disciplines, spend time increasing neck resilience? The answer is simple. By strengthening the neck, a boxer reduces the impact of the whiplash that sets forth upon receiving a face punch. So when the boxer controls the jerk movement, i.e., the head is able to absorb the heavy impact, they can further continue with the fight.

Rounds of Invincibility

Alvarez’s training videos are already a big hit among fans. So it’s quite understandable that so many fans would be awestruck watching their icon perform one of the toughest and most complicated exercises. Let’s check what a few of them had to say.

Deeply impressed, this fan thought it better to bestow Canelo Alvarez a recognition bestowed on very few boxers in history. “Best chin in boxing maybe in history,” they said. Echoing similar sentiments, the next fan too highlighted—forget about pummeling him; some of the hardest-hitting punchers couldn’t even drop Alvarez. They said, “It must work because Canelo has a chin of granite. He has fought many massive punchers like GGG, James Kirkland, and Kovalev. Yet he’s never been down or even appeared seriously hurt. He was a born fighter.”

The next user mentioned that the exercises were standard for all the wrestlers. It was one of the best methods to develop neck endurance: “Wrestlers do this their whole life. Best way to train your neck to take blows.” Adding some food for thought, this follower opened the pages of history. Aside from Mike Tyson, they shared that many years earlier, Sonny Liston also used to practice it. Jack Johnson might deserve the credit for popularizing it. Nevertheless, he may not have been the one to pioneer neck strengthening, the follower claimed.

This is what the follower said: “Liston did this… then Mike Tyson… but they weren’t the first. It was actually Jack Johnson who first made this famous… and I believe he wasn’t the first either.” Then, for anyone looking for answers to the puzzle of why Canelo Alvarez has yet to be knocked out, the next fan urged them to follow the video closely. “Ever wonder why he’s never been done professionally? There’s your answer. Very strong neck,” they said.

Those planning to incorporate the exercise into their regimen should remember that it is not the only step to strengthen the neck muscles. There are several others. Hence, in order to make the regimen comprehensive and enjoyable, they should try to mix and match other moves as well.

Canelo Alvarez squares off against Edgar Berlanga next week. The card at the T-Mobile Arena will also feature the fights of Caleb Plant, Stephen Fulton, and Rolando Romero. All three return to the ring after losing their last bouts. Then, after a gap of two years, Danny Garcia will stage a comeback going against Erislandy Lara.

Who, in your view, should Canelo Alvarez go after the Berlanga fight?