A look at Canelo Alvarez’s career-defining moments

Canelo Alvarez vs Miguel Cotto (November 21, 2015)

This was the fight that solidified Canelo as an elite fighter, who’s in-the-ring performance could match his hype outside of the ring.

Leading up to this fight, Canelo had put together a solid resume, and was able to get back on track after losing to Mayweather, notching some very good wins over Alfredo Angulo, Erislandy Lara and James Kirkland.

However, as good as this wins were (especially the win over Lara), none of these opponents were huge names to those who were not diehard boxing fans.

For many sports fans, the only time they watched Canelo fight live was against Mayweather, where he got outclassed. Many of these fans were starting to feel the hype around Canelo was unwarranted, and that he was overrated.

Enter Miguel Cotto, who is a household name, and a sure fire Hall of Famer. This fight both a passing of the torch moment, and a chance for Canelo to prove that losing to Mayweather was not going to keep him down.

It was a very good fight, fought at a high level between two future hall of famers. It was competitive throughout, but when the final bell rang, it was clear to all that Canelo was the victor.

This fight was obviously huge for Canelo, which was evident by how emotional he was after he emerged victorious. Cotto was the biggest name he had faced since Floyd, and as previously stated, a shoe-in for the hall of fame. Defeating someone of that caliber would mean a lot to any fighter.

Each generation has a ‘passing of the torch’ moment, where the new fighter climbing the ranks needs to prove himself by dethroning the old guard. It happened for the previous generation of fighters, when Mayweather and Pacquiao both defeated Oscar de la Hoya, and this fight (along with Fury-Klitschko just one week later) served as the next passing of the torch. Cotto was not quite on the level of Pacquiao or Mayweather, but he was a staple from that era of fighters.