In 2013, the boxing world came unglued when a 23-year-old Canelo Alvarez threatened the throne held by Floyd Mayweather for the longest time. Dubbed as ‘The One,’ the bout was supposed to change Pretty Boy’s legacy in the sport. Many started to believe in the hungry, relentless Canelo, who had been chasing this fight for over a year. By fight night, Cinnamon had convinced the fans that Mayweather’s reign was ending.

However, what a sold-out MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas witnessed was completely different. A 36-year-old Mayweather gave Canelo a masterclass in boxing, neutralizing him with speed, movement, distance, and timing. Despite a controversial scorecard suggesting a closer fight, those in attendance knew the reality. It has been more than a decade since that classic. And while the bout shocked everyone, WWE Hall of Famer Triple H thinks the outcome was precisely what Floyd Mayweather had orchestrated all along.

Floyd Mayweather’s masterclass in storytelling

Ahead of the WrestleMania weekend, the CCO of WWE sat down with Andrew Schulz on The Flagrant podcast. During the interview, the duo discussed Money’s time in pro-wrestling and acknowledged his storytelling abilities. Schulz marveled at his ‘Bad Guy’ persona, due to which fans yearned to see him lose. As we all know, he never did, retiring with a perfect 50-0 record. However, what impressed Triple H more was how Floyd Mayweather used to elevate his opponents. The Game stressed how he made fans believe that the “next guy” could end his reign. “How many people did he make you believe this is the guy? Yeah, anybody ever, like I brought up the Ortiz? Anybody ever hear that guy prior to that fight?” he queried. Referencing the 2011 Victor Ortiz bout. Through HBO’s 24/7 series, Mayweather crafted a narrative that Ortiz might expose him, only to dominate when the bell rang on fight night.

Schulz chimed in and namedropped Canelo Alvarez in that list. “I mean Canelo, it’s crazy to see what Canelo has done. I was at that Canelo fight, like Canelo didn’t lay a hand on him. It was unbelievable,” he stated. The WWE legend nodded in agreement. “And he made it seem like Canelo is going to kill this guy. And then he walked in there,” Triple H added.

Triple H, who was also in attendance for the 2013 bout, recalled the fight night, showing his surprise at just how easy it was for Floyd Mayweather to beat Canelo. “Like the part when Canelo throws a big wild punch and he over there, ‘See! Who you trying to punch?'” he stated as everyone burst into laughter.

However, that ability is exactly what made the 50-0 boxer the biggest star in boxing. “Every time they wanted to see him: ‘Somebody please shut this guy up and knock him out’. And then he would, you know, just go in there, almost like it was easy,” Triple H concluded.

Regardless of the loss, since the bout, Canelo Alvarez has established himself as one of the best of his generation, perfecting the craft, the way Floyd did. In the current scenario, there might not be a single bigger star than him. However, the Floyd Mayweather blemish on his impressive resume will always remain. In hindsight, the Mexican star can now look back at the fight and determine what he did wrong.

Canelo Alvarez’s only regret from his first loss

A few months ago, Canelo sat down with ESPN’s Mike Coppinger for a candid interview for Ring Magazine. During the interview, Coppinger noted how Alvarez was just 23 and lacked the skills to trump past Floyd Mayweather. Well, it seems like the unified super middleweight champion agrees.

He acknowledged Money’s skills and said, “He deserved the position in the moment.” The 62-2-2 boxer further admitted that he was trying to make history himself, but things didn’t go as planned. The reason? He feels that he wasn’t experienced enough.

Looking back at the fight, Canelo feels that he jumped too soon to fight someone like Floyd Mayweather. If he could have fought a seasoned opponent like Miguel Cotto before fighting Money Mayweather, things might have been different. Canelo did fight Cotto, but two years too late in 2015, and edged out a one-sided victory. Maybe the fight against Floyd Mayweather helped him reach that level.

So, if Cotto had come before Mayweather, maybe things could have been different. “But you know, we never gonna know. I learn from that fight. Things happen for a reason,” he concluded.

Well, as Canelo said, we will never know how things would have unfolded under different circumstances. However, as things stand, the fight will go down as a masterclass from Floyd Mayweather and a missed opportunity for Canelo. who aimed to challenge the throne too soon.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts down below.