Dirty Moves Canelo Alvarez Pulled off Against Floyd Mayweather

It was September 14, 2013, and the night was on fire as Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez were finally set to clash. The MGM Grand had come alive with multitudinous screams, cheers, bright lights, loud music, the swishes of Floyd’s Philly-shell, and the echoes of his tactical demolition of the 23-year-old prospect.

Right from the opening bell, ‘Money’ Mayweather completely dominated his opponent. The 12-round bout could be best compared to the modern-day ‘schooling’ of Anthony Joshua by the hands of Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021.

By the second half of this 8-year-old mega welterweight clash, everyone in the stands knew that Canelo Alvarez simply could not have altered the inevitable outcome that night.

It seemed extremely clear to almost everyone in attendance that night that it was a landslide win for

Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. However, the judges ultimately gave Mayweather a majority decision win.Read More: Why Was the Scoring Controversial for Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez?

Post-fight, Mayweather even shared that Canelo did not play fair and that he pulled off some cheap shots during the fight. Here’s a breakdown of Canelo’s ‘dirty’ moves in the Floyd fight and another recent fight.

Floyd Mayweather thinks Canelo Alvarez is a dirty fighter

After the mega welterweight clash between Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez, FightHype.com caught up with boxing’s ‘Pretty Boy’. The tone in his voice and reaction to his win almost made it seem like he knew exactly what would unfold that night.

He shared his thought on Canelo’s approaches during the fight. Floyd Mayweather admitted that his opponent did play dirty that night.

He highlighted that even though Alvarez hit him with heavy shots on his thigh and even landed shoulder strikes to his face; however, he still respects him for putting it all on the line.

“You gotta take your hat off to him, you gotta do what you gotta do to win, no matter if it’s a thigh shot or if it’s a shoulder to the face. Some fighters are clean, some fighters are dirty.

But you know, it’s boxing, comes with the territory,” said Floyd Mayweather after the Canelo fight.

Canelo played dirty against Callum Smith as well

After Callum Smith‘s reign as WBA (Super) and Ring Magazine 168lb champion came to an end in December 2020, some fans were quick to spot a gruesome injury on Smith’s left arm.

Throughout 12 rounds, Canelo Alvarez landed sharp hooks on one particular spot – his tricep region. The champion from Mexico knew right from the get-go that this approach would work.

After landing heavy hooks to the left tricep, he continued to double down; as soon as he knew that it had begun hurting him, Alvarez capitalized right away.

“It was intentional. I knew from the first round that. I said to Joe in round one, ‘He’s aiming for my arm.’ Every right hook he was throwing, he was going for my arm. And then I think I said to Joe in round four or something, ‘My arm is f***ed’,” said Smith.

Despite picking up on Canelo’s dirty play, Callum Smith did not really find anything wrong with his approach. He believes he knows how to leverage his experience in the right areas and at the right time.

“It kind of took away my catch left hook, which is my best shot. And whether that was a plan on their behalf, it worked a treat. In the 12th round, he looked at the swelling and laughed and asked, ‘Is it sore?’ It’s experience on his behalf. It completely tools away probably my best shot,” he added.

Also Read: Why Does Mike Tyson Refuse to Support Caleb Plant Against Canelo Alvarez?