20 little-known facts about Canelo Alvarez
By David Rouben
11. Got his only career draw in his fifth fight
If you’re wondering where the third column in Canelo’s record came from, he drew against Jorge Juarez. Thankfully, it came just five fights into his career and he didn’t get robbed due to bad judging.
Juarez was 27 and Canelo was 16, so it’s highly unlikely he took the young Alvarez seriously as an opponent. He said his promoters brought him in to “read him”, and that the arena was practically empty, but it ended up being a much more eventful night than either fighter could’ve ever imagined.
Juarez recalled the night to ESPN back in 2013:
"[Canelo] threw his right hand at me with all his force. He was a one-hit fighter, and the truth is, he was strong. But he got tired in the second round, and I started to get my hands in there, and at the end they had to make a decision. At the time, I felt that I had won, but they called it a draw [37-39, 39-37, and 38-38], they favored his youth and desire. The fight was hard-fought, he was a bit of a novice, but we got it on good. At the time, that fight didn’t mean anything to me because I never thought he would thrive the way he is doing now."
Juarez briefly retired in 2011, but has fought as recently as July of this year. His boxing career didn’t turn out nearly as well as Canelo’s, as he sports a record of 8-26-3. But it’s clear he saw something special in Alvarez that night, and he’s one of the people that has had the pleasure of following him right from the start.