The era of money within boxing was taken by Floyd Mayweather to another level, capable of billing around $ 915 million dollars in the previous decade according to Forbes. After the retirement of “Money” boxing, who was crowned as the highest paid athlete, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez was left with a similar philosophy to generate money.
In eight hard-fought rounds at AT&T Stadium , home of the Dallas Cowboys, Canelo beat Briton Billy Joe Saunders by technical knockout on Saturday. He seriously damaged his right eye and sent him straight to the hospital. While a multitude of more than 73, 000 fans were screaming in the emotion provoked by the Mexican.
And beyond winning his third super middleweight belt, the Guadalajara fighter pocketed approximately $ 35 millions of dollars. According to reports, the fight contract stipulated that Canelo had insurance $ million dollars ready just to be in combat, but that amount would vary thanks to streaming revenue, of which the 60% of earnings.
The company in charge of transmitting the fight in the world was DAZN on its streaming platform. In Mexico, Canelo owns his image rights and three different channels broadcast the lawsuit (TV Azteca, Televisa and ESPN.
This was, just a few days ago, the second big bag of Saúl Álvarez so far 2021 after his fight against Turkish Avni Yildirim in Miami. the fight with Saunders, the fortune that Forbes valued Canelo was $ million dollars, a figure that will increase after the totalization of earnings.
A multi-million dollar break that put him to test
It turns out that since the 915 the boxer from Guadalajara is the Mexican athlete who generates the most income. That year he surpassed the player Adrián González and five years later there is no other close one on the horizon capable of competing with him .
In 2020, in the midst of the deep crisis economic that shook the whole world , the fighter of 30 years of age was the only Mexican athlete to appear on the list of the 100 best paid according to Forbes . Last year he entered $ 56 million, to despite only having one fight against Callum Smith in which his earnings amounted to $ millions.
However, Canelo understood that money is not only generated above the ring. As did Floyd Mayweather, who earned the nickname “Money” for everything he built while not fighting. He became an entrepreneur capable of exceeding – and by far – the earnings of any other athlete in the world.
One of those great challenges for Canelo was breaking his contractual relationships with Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN, companies that he denounced for breach of contract. In this firm the business was to enter $ 365 million for 11 fights over a span of five years, but The pandemic changed everything and Álvarez assumed to be his own promoter.
Canelo set up an industry to generate money outside the quadrilateral
In an interview with Graham Besinger, Canelo confessed that he has enough money to retire and live in peace. His earnings prove it and he boasts of his fortune and luxuries on social networks without being self-conscious about anything or anyone, he is a character who produces and enjoys his empire years after having debuted in the Chololo Larios Revolution dome in Tonalá, Jalisco, against Abraham González.
The creation of Canelo Energy is proof of the defined business vision of the Mexican fighter.
“I’m about to open between 90 Y 100 gas stations here in Mexico that are going to be called ‘Canelo Energy’. When you go to put gas, that everything belongs to Canelo, that is my biggest challenge “, he declared in the interview offered to Bensinger.
Above the ring he knocks out and below him is a potential money multiplier. That is why Saúl will go from being Canelo to Money, his generation of greenbacks will be even bigger with years of age completed.
And still with what his earnings represent, for several critics and boxing connoisseurs Canelo is not close to being considered one of the greatest of all time. One of them is Don Nacho Beristáin, who thinks that no matter how many millions Álvarez may have, he is not an idol.
“He is one of the boxers who today sells a lot, people follow him and are giving good fights, but up there; I think he lacks that last touch, the opportunity to give himself entirely to get closer to the public. They have tried to get it to people, but not everyone accepts it, “he said in Milenio.
Canelo seems to be careless about this. Suffered from bullying when he was just a boy with freckles and red hair from a humble family, and he sold lollipops on buses to help his family. This formed him as a warrior in the streets and in the long journey of life he has given his chest, face and cheek all the blows that have come.
“I want to be a billionaire. I did not study, I come from below but I like to learn; I could retire and live in peace, but boxing is my life and until I can, I will continue ”, he declared as that heavy-handed boxer, aware that he is successful and will not stop reaching unimaginable levels.
It is the era of Saúl “Dinero” Álvarez.