Family Business: Canelo's Private War with the Mexican Cartel
“On Monday before the fight, on the phone I negotiated for three days for the bastards to release him,” Canelo Alvarez revealed, irritably recounting his direct negotiations with the Mexican cartel for the release of his kidnapped older brother, just days before his world title fight at Madison Square Garden.
“I was on the phone for hours, demanding and demanding, and demanding they let him go. It’s been one of the hardest moments of my life.”
The extent of Canelo’s frustrations and tense family worries unfolded behind the scenes, on the eve of headlining New York City’s iconic venue in a super-middleweight title clash with Rocky Fielding in 2018.
Shining a light on the genuine danger he and his family face beyond the ring through global superstardom, Canelo admitted he spent hours on the phone with the kidnappers, even during his training camp sessions, while hiding the situation from his team and those around him.
“After negotiating, I still thought: ‘What would it have been like if it had been my daughter, my mom or my dad?’
“It would have been even harder, and besides, I had the fight on Saturday, a thousand interviews, and nobody ever knew anything.”
Despite the overwhelming emotional and mental stress during the build-up to such a high-profile fight night, Canelo remained composed, carried on with preparations, and ultimately knocked out Fielding inside three dominant rounds.
But that victory in the ring was topped by the success of securing the safe release of his brother from the cartel’s potentially fatal grasp outside of it.
The full details of the deal that Canelo made with the kidnappers were never disclosed, with Canelo opting not to go public with the incident until years later to avoid any potential backlash or media frenzy.
Boxing’s pound-for-pound star also handled the negotiations himself, refusing to involve the police out of fear of inside corruption or retaliation, adding another layer to the resilience he had to show under extreme circumstances.
As if through channelling his inner animosity towards the crime syndicate, Canelo destroyed his challenger at ‘The Mecca of Boxing’, dropping him four times with a savage body shot onslaught to seal victory under testing personal conditions.
It’s a testament to Canelo’s mental fortitude and will to have endured such a traumatic scenario while still training, cutting weight and then dominating his opponent, without making it public or showing signs of weakness.
“I would get out of a training session, go to my room, and be on the phone - begging, crying, yelling,” Canelo continued, looking back at the family turmoil he was forced to deal with.
“It’s very hard to explain how I managed it - just me, with my team. I didn’t say anything to anyone else. Not even my closest friends.”
That elite level of composure under intense personal strain only enhanced Canelo’s ability to stay calm under fire, a trait he's now renowned for in the squared-circle, and further added to his Mexican legacy.
Header image: John Locher / Associated Press