Mexican boxer Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez suffered a major loss on Sept. 13 in a fight against American boxer Terrance Crawford. The fight was viewed by more than 41 million people on Netflix, but was void of any moments of true action.

Although Canelo is considered the star of Mexico, Crawford outpaced him and dodged what felt like nearly all of his punches. At times, it looked as if Crawford was avoiding any confrontation by running back and avoiding the aggressor. 

The victory for Crawford was a unanimous decision and elevated his legacy from an already great fighter to a household name in boxing. Canelo’s loss was a loss for many, including Alondra Gonzalez, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’26. Gonzalez is from Canelo’s hometown of Guadalajara and was “crushed” as she knows the significance of the “idol of Canelo”’s origins: a true rags-to-riches story. 

The loss was a hard pill to swallow as Canelo has been the face of Mexican boxing since his Las Vegas debut in 2010.

Canelo’s boxing story started when he was a child, selling popsicles on the streets and buses of Guadalajara, Jalisco. He would use all his extra funds to purchase boxing equipment in the hopes of following his older brothers’ footsteps in the sport. Thus began Canelo’s boxing career, which kept him off the streets as he became the champion he is now recognized as. 

Calls for Canelo’s retirement have increased. In his performance on Sept. 13, it seemed like Crawford was simply too quick for the typically technical and speedy Canelo. The loss was a hard pill to swallow as Canelo has been the face of Mexican boxing since his Las Vegas debut in 2010. If Canelo were to retire, it would cause a massive blow to the nation’s athletic standing.

The question that arises is: What will Mexican sports look like in the future?

The sports market within Mexico is massive: Its revenue is almost $1.3 billion, according to Statista, but most of this money is paid to outside sports markets like the NFL and NBA. This is part of a larger trend in sports where comparatively smaller markets siphon off the already curated fanbases of larger markets — such as that of the U.S., England and Germany — to generate profit for broadcasting companies, while depriving locals of their own national sports content. 

There is some competition in the national and international sports markets with Mexico’s national soccer league Liga MX, but it does not compare to its European equivalent. 

Must Mexican sports fans hope for a breakout star to emerge in a sport unconventional for the country, such as American football, basketball or baseball? 

Gonzalez feels that sports themselves are going through a sort of revolution, with previously obscure ones such as “rock climbing and everything (becoming) a little bit more popular.” In regard to Mexican sports, she thinks that “people are going to start turning to look that way, and they’ll like sports that aren’t necessarily like soccer.”

Once a boxer retires, the love and hope once put in them retires with them

There are many paths through which Mexican sports could possibly gain more world recognition, but there is one glaring option in the country’s face: boxing. 

Canelo is a successor in a line of great Mexican boxers that have been churned out in the past 50 years, with names like Oscar de la Hoya, Julio César Chávez and his son Chávez Jr. becoming generational greats. However, Mexico has no national or state-level boxing programs for talented youth like it does for soccer. Mexico could construct several national gyms and employ the coaching staff of these great boxers in the hopes of encouraging a number of the youth, priming them for stardom. 

For Mexicans, there is a great joy in putting one’s hope behind a team with a love and history that can be passed down from generation to generation, and boxing simply can not provide that. The inherently individualistic sport of boxing conflicts with Mexicans’ passion for community and continuity. Once a boxer retires, the love and hope once put in them retires with them.

Mexico has climbed to the highest ranks of boxing, but it has only been thanks to the global growth of the sport that a breakout star like Canelo has been able to penetrate the American market. 

While it is yet to be seen whether the 35-year-old fighter will retire anytime soon, it is fair to say that his career is much closer to its end than its beginning. One can only hope that this will reinvigorate the sports world in Mexico to find a new set of stars to take over and give Mexicans everywhere someone they can call their champion.