Canelo Alvarez should now retire, urges former opponent Matthew Hatton.
Hatton, the brother of British boxing legend Ricky, was a European champion and world-level contender in his own career.
He boxed Canelo back in 2011, in the first world title fight of the Mexican superstar’s career.
“When I agreed to the fight he was being billed as the next big superstar in world boxing,” Hatton told the Toe2Toe podcast. “There was a lot of hype surrounding him and the build-up was fantastic.
“It’s easy to underestimate people when they’re so young and I think I possibly did that a little bit. His shot selection, his punch-picking, his variety for such a young man was really, really good. His boxing IQ for someone so young was remarkable really.
“When you look at his record, the amount of fights he’s had at the very top level, it’s absolutely incredible really. He’s a modern-day great.”
But Hatton believes it is now time for Canelo to retire with his legacy secure.
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“Personally I would like to see Canelo stop now, he’s had such a good career, he’s had a fantastic legacy and I think it’s a shame when they go on too long,” Hatton said.
Canelo is returning from defeat to Terence Crawford to box Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title in Riyadh on Saturday.
“I do think he’s still got enough left to beat Mbilli. I think it’s an interesting fight,” Hatton noted, but warned: “I know people say it doesn’t tarnish their legacy but for me, slightly, it does. Say he was to lose to Mbilli on the weekend for me it does tarnish that a little bit.
“We all look at that differently. I would like to see him retire now.”
Canelo vs Mbilli goes ahead
Canelo is going ahead with his fight against Mbilli in Saudi Arabia amid escalating conflict in the region.
Houthi attacks have targeted Saudi airports, including Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, while security concerns have led to the postponement or cancellation of other sporting events in the kingdom.
“You know, fighting in Saudi for me is special and whatever it takes I’m going to be a world champion again,” Canelo has said.
“Because I’m a fighter and I want to achieve a lot of things in boxing yet and that motivates myself. I love boxing.”