Off the back of his first career loss, Canelo Alvarez was forced to work his way back to the top of the sport, but almost came unstuck against a forgotten foe.
Joining a laundry list of opponents who failed to topple the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, Mexican star Canelo Alvarez saw his own undefeated run of 43 fights stopped at the hands of the Michigan megastar in their 2013 clash.
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And taking three non-title fights off the back of his loss to Mayweather, Canelo would prevail in each and every one of them before earning a shot at Miguel Cotto’s middleweight gold.
But against a certain foe, Canelo almost came unstuck in rather surprising circumstances, leaving fans disappointed when he refused a subsequent rematch, too.
Canelo Alvarez narrowly beat Erislandy Lara in a debated win
Rebounding with a knockout win over Alfonso Angulo in the immediate aftermath of his decision loss to Mayweather, Jalisco sensation Canelo was pitted against former IBO light middleweight champion Erislandy Lara the following year.
And taking home a split decision win over the Cuban star — whose only loss at that time came opposite the veteran star Paul Williams, Canelo came under fire both in and out of the ring.
Struggling with the jab-straight combinations of Lara, who at one stage led the bout, Canelo would open a sizable laceration on the challenger’s face in the seventh round.
Forced the distance, Canelo scored a contentious decision win — with pundits questioning the large gap in the scorecards (115-113, 113-115, 117-111).
Afterwards, Canelo’s then-promoter Oscar De La Hoya ruled out a rematch between his star and Lara, despite many in the community clamoring for one.
Canelo Alvarez claimed Erislandy Lara didn’t ‘deserve’ a rematch
Pushed to his very limit against the Guantanamo native, Canelo was immediately linked with a rematch against Lara off the back of the Cuban’s impressive showing in their clash.
However, choosing to fight James Kirkland — where he scored a hellacious knockout win — Canelo flat out refused the chance to put his rivalry to bed with Lara.
“He (Lara) doesn’t deserve it,” Canelo said of a rematch with Lara in 2014 during an interview with Boxing Scene. “As much as he talked, and the way he fought, he doesn’t deserve it.
“I don’t think it’s important to talk about that fight,” Alvarez explained. “I’ll make you guys go to sleep again.”