Santos Saúl Alvarez Barragán, who is better known as Canelo Alvarez to his fans worldwide, was born on July 18, 1990, in San Augustin, Guadalajara, Mexico. At the age of five, he moved his family to Juanacatlán and started training and participating in boxing tournaments at the age of 13.
In 2004, Alvarez earned a silver medal while competing in the National Juvenile Championship in Sinaloa and followed it up with a gold medal in the 2005 Youth Olympics in Tuxtla Gutierrez. He amassed an amateur record of 44 victories, many of which came via knockout. Alvarez entered the professional boxing circuit in 2005 and made his debut against Abraham Gonzalez at the Chololo Larios Arena in Tonala, Jalisco, at the age of 15. Alvarez won the inaugural bout of his career by knockout and kicked off his career with a victory.
Canelo Alvarez's first weight class
In his initial days, Canelo Alvarez started his career in the welterweight division.
He has fought in the welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. Alvarez won multiple national titles in the welterweight division and eventually moved up to middleweight.
What weight class is Canelo best at?
Canelo Alvarez has dominated in the 168 lbs. (super middleweight) weight class as a professional boxer in his career. Having competed in four different divisions, some of his career's best performances came in the super middleweight division. Alvarez went on to reign as the undisputed champion in the super middleweight from 2021 to 2024.
*Last updated on April 30, 2025
What weight did Canelo Alvarez start at?
A. Canelo Alvarez started training and participating in boxing tournaments as early as 13.
A. In his initial days, Canelo Alvarez started in the welterweight division.
A. Canelo Alvarez has competed in the welterweight, light middleweight, Super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions.
A. Canelo Alvarez weighs 75 kg (165 lbs).
A. Canelo Alvarez is 5’8 inches tall.
