20 little-known facts about Canelo Alvarez
By David Rouben
5. Learned boxing at 13 as self-defense against bullies
For Canelo to ascend to the level that he’s has, he had to have started boxing at an early age. He also had to have the fighting spirit instilled in him.
A group of bullies from school helped turn Canelo into the man he is today. He learned to defend himself as a kid and ended up in the gym at the age of 13. The main reason for it, of course, was his appearance. While he has defined himself by his red hair and freckles, seeing a redhead in Mexico was as common as an albino.
It would be simplistic to say Canelo got into boxing because he got bullied. He also got hooked on the sport at the age of 11 when he saw his eldest Rigoberto fight. Once he met the father-son combination of Jose and Eddy Reynoso, who still train him to this day, his appearance was no longer something to fear.
Of course, there was no malicious intent when Reynoso first called him “Canelo.” As he told the LA Times, back in 2012:
"If you have a field full of cows and they are all black except one, which is red, you look at the red one. And if it happens that the red one is the one who gives the best milk, then you know you have something special, and you say, “Wow!”"
Canelo used the training he got from Reynoso to fight back against his bullies. He also crafted a new identity out of the very thing that ostracized him the most – similar to what Bruce Wayne did. The people who used to bully Canelo are probably shocked to learn that he has become the best Mexican fighter since Morales and Barrera, and that the reason they used to mock him has become a term of endearment.