20 little-known facts about Canelo Alvarez

NEW YORK CITY - JUNE 20: Hennessy, the world's best-selling Cognac, presents Lineal and RING Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez with a custom engraved bottle of Paradis Imperial during the Canelo vs. Golovkin press tour at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Hennessy recently announced its partnership with Canelo who, like Hennessy, has a passion for pushing the limits of potential to Never stop. Never settle. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Hennessy) /

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3. His parents separated when he was 15

Getting bullied wasn’t the only reason for Canelo’s tough upbringing. His parents had to do with that as well. Hailing from the city of Guadalajara, Alvarez grew up poor and was always working. His parents – Ana Maria Barragan and Santos Alvarez – were both farmers, while his dad also owned three ice cream parlors. Clearly, he wasn’t entitled to the same wealth that some other boxers had at a young age.

They separated when Canelo was 15 years old. Dealing with the separation of your parents is always tough, but try imagining what it’s like for a kid who grew up on a farm, was constantly bullied and dealt with the hardships of being an amateur fighter.

Even now, for Santos, attending his son’s fights are a commitment. As USA Today wrote back in 2014, he only shows up for Canelo’s bouts at the last minute, telling him “This is your work, but first I have to take care of my work.” His mother remains highly supportive of him, and was one of the first people to console him following his only loss to Floyd Mayweather.

Thankfully, for Canelo, he’s much better off now than he was in his early life. He lives in a nice house and owns two Lamborghinis, a by-product of his success in the ring. With Mayweather now officially retired and Manny Pacquiao fighting on basic cable, Alvarez will continue taking strides towards becoming the face of boxing.

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