More popularly known as Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán is a professional boxer, who has won multiple world championships in four weight classes, from light middleweight to light heavyweight. He has won unified titles in three of those weight classes and lineal titles in two. He is the youngest of eight children, seven of whom are boys, who all grew up to become professional boxers.

Born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico, Álvarez’s red hair, light skin and freckles stood out in his neighborhood. He struggled with bullying, and was nicknamed “El Canelo” (the cinnamon). But he decided to write his own story and the ring allowed him to turn his hated nickname into a symbol of strength. Gifted his first boxing gloves at the age of 10, he trained at José “Chepo” Reynoso’s gym. When he turned 15 in 2005, he debuted professionally at the Chololo Larios Arena in Tonalá where his flawless style saw him defeat Abraham González by TKO in the fourth round. Already facing much stronger rivals, some over 10 years older than him, he went on to see 11 of his 13 wins by KO, and won the Jalisco middleweight title in 2006. He has since gone on to be the first and only boxer in history to become the undisputed champion at super middleweight, having held the WBA, WBC, and Ring magazine titles since 2020, and the IBF and WBO titles since 2021.

Álvarez regularly connects with his millions of followers and fans through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, posting pictures and videos of his life both in and out of the ring. He also has an official website, www.caneloteam.com.