Is there anyone who can knock the ‘face of boxing’ Canelo Alvarez off his perch? In his eighth unified super middleweight title defense, Canelo delivered another boxing masterclass against his opponent Edgar Berlanga at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In front of his loyal Mexican fans gathered at the venue, Canelo dominated Berlanga through the fight, cruising to a unanimous decision victory. The judges score the fight 117-110, 118-109, and 118-109, in favor of Canelo.
Ahead of the Berlanga fight, another interesting statistic about Canelo Alvarez has come to the fore. Surpassing his former rival Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez has more professional rounds under his belt. According to Boxing Kingdom, Canelo is placed second on a list of fighters for “Professional Rounds boxed” with 496 total rounds fought until now.
Notably, the list was released before the Berlanga fight. So, as the fight with the Puerto Rican boxer went the full distance, Canelo’s tally of professional rounds fought stands at 508. He is now just 40 rounds short of equaling the record of the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
‘The Greatest’ has fought 548 rounds in the professional circuit, and been in 61 fights. The 50-0 undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is behind Canelo on the list, with 397 rounds of boxing completed in the professional circuit. The former five-division champion Sugar Ray Leonard was placed fourth on the list, with 306 rounds under his belt. And behind him, in fifth position, is the legendary Kazakhstan middleweight boxer Gennadiy Golovkin.
Of course, many other great boxers were excluded from this list who would have ranked at the top if this were a list of most rounds ever boxed ever. Boxing legends like Julio Cesar Chavez, with 634 rounds fought, and Sugar Ray Robinson, with a staggering 1,401 rounds, would easily claim top positions. But that’s a list for another day.
Canelo still has a long way to go before he can surpass Muhammad Ali’s record. He needs at least three professional bouts to go the full distance, and then another fight to go for at least five rounds to beat the former heavyweight champion’s record. On the flip side, Canelo might just retire before passing that number as he believes he doesn’t have much else left to prove in boxing.
Interestingly, Canelo bagging so many professional rounds under his belt can be attributed to a recent phenomenon.
Is Canelo losing his knockout power?
Canelo Alvarez has had five straight unanimous decision wins, with his last knockout victory coming against Caleb Plant in 2021. Despite being once renowned as an explosive fighter, Canelo Alvarez hasn’t had a knockout win in three years. But is it a deliberate attempt on his part to change his fight strategy to become a distance fighter rather than a knockout artist?
Notably, in a recent interview, Canelo revealed that he could have knocked out his compatriot Jaime Munguia in their bout in May this year but chose to go the distance because he “enjoys” fighting. Safe to say, at this stage of his career, Alvarez is pulling his punches and willingly putting his gas tank to the test.
Nevertheless, do you think Canelo Alvarez can beat Muhammad Ali’s number of rounds fought before he retires from the sport? Furthermore, do you think Canelo transforming himself into a distance fighter is a conscious choice or due to power fading from his fists? Let us know in the comment section below.
