Canelo Alvarez’s first world title defence saw the face of boxing pay tribute to a man who shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, and Azumah Nelson.
In 2011, Canelo fulfilled a dream as he defeated Matthew Hatton to claim the vacant super-welterweight world title.
In his first defence, Alvarez faced 45-4 Ryan Rhodes. Rhodes had few losses, with two of them coming in world title bids, and was a durable foe for the Mexican face of boxing.
The fight did make it 12 rounds, though Rhodes was unable to hang on until the final bell.
It was before the fight even began, though, that Canelo and Rhodes proved their sportsmanship as they paid tribute to a seasoned veteran who had passed away not long before.
Canelo Alvarez’s title fight saw Genaro Hernandez given a ceremonial ten-count
Ahead of the fight, a ceremonial ten-count was held for Genaro Hernandez.
Hernandez is not a household name for most boxing fans, but he left behind an impressive career.
He won 38 of his 41 fights, losing to just two men. In 1995, he had an unsuccessful bid for Oscar De La Hoya‘s world title.
Two years later, he won the super-featherweight world title from Azumah Nelson via split decision, and then a year after that, he lost the title, and hung up his gloves, after a loss against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Hernandez passed away 13 years later after a tragic battle with cancer.
With no public announcement or fanfare, Mayweather quietly paid for Hernandez’s funeral, ensuring his family wouldn’t worry financially.
Canelo and Rhodes commemorated a warrior.
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford trailer just dropped
On September 13th, Canelo will face Terence Crawford in a mega-fight between two pound-for-pound elites.
Bud will put his 41-0 record on the line in a bid to defeat Canelo for his undisputed super-middleweight world titles.
It will mark a two-division jump in weight for Crawford, whose last two fights saw him defeat Israil Madrimov and Errol Spence Jr.
Ahead of the fight, a trailer has been dropped by Netflix that has sent fans into orbit with hype for the event.