Canelo Alvarez says that he enjoyed beating Billy Joe Saunders more than winning the undisputed title after the Brit "talked a lot of s***".
The bout between Saunders and Alvarez took place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with over 73,000 fans shattering the attendance record for an American boxing event.
And it didn't disappoint, when after over a years of heated build-up due to cancellations stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, Saunders gave Alvarez one of his toughest tests yet.
The Mexican struggled with his British rival's awkward style before eventually landing a vicious right hand that smashed Saunders' orbital bone.
And given the nature of the fight's build-up, which included Saunders threatening to not fight due to an issue with the ring, Alvarez said that despite his undisputed fight with Caleb Plant being bigger, he enjoyed beating the Brit more.
“I think Caleb Plant was a bigger fight because there was only one more belt left" Alvarez told The Ring Magazine after being awarded their fighter of the year .
"So the magnitude of the fight was bigger, but the fight I enjoyed a lot was Billy Joe Saunders because he talked a lot of s*** and we had 73,000 people in the arena.
“I loved [setting the attendance record], because for me, I’m going to be in the history books of boxing for that too.
"So for me it’s huge, and I hope I can break that record soon.”
The previous attendance record had been set by the heavyweight title rematch between Leon Spinks and Muhammad Ali in September 1978 when 63,352 people packed into the New Orleans Superdome to watch Spinks, who had shocked the world by beating Ali in their first fight, defend his world title against the all-time great.
Ali won the unanimous decision after 15 rounds in front of the record attendance, which wouldn't be beaten for another nearly 43 years.
Alvarez is a renowned history-maker, having won belts at a number of weights, and is now in line to potentially fight for another at cruiserweight.
And he was honoured to receive the prestigious award from the renowned boxing magazine, promising to do enough to win it again in the future.
“For me it’s an honour," he explained. "Like I always say, I love boxing.
What would you like to see Canelo Alvarez do next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"I do this because I love boxing, and whatever is coming is an honour for me, it’s a bonus for me because I love this sport.
"I respect this sport and I always try to do my best in boxing.
“I feel great, I feel blessed, because at the end of the day, I want to make history in my career and so I feel blessed.
"I feel so good about this. This is the second, but I hope there are many more to come.
“We accomplished one of the best things in boxing, being undisputed.
“Outside the ring and inside the ring, too, it’s the best year for me. I got married with my wife [model and social media influencer Fernanda Alvarez], I’m so happy.
"I accomplished and made history as an undisputed champion. So for me it’s maybe my best year in boxing.”
