Canelo Álvarez's Real Name: Saúl Álvarez

Quick answer: The boxer is documented as Saúl Álvarez, widely known as Canelo Álvarez. The World Boxing Council lists the name Saul Alvarez, the nickname Canelo, a July 18, 1990, birth date, and Mexico, without a city. ESPN independently uses that date and describes him as of Guadalajara, Mexico. Britannica Kids gives the fuller form Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán and a birthplace of San Agustín, Jalisco. The title uses the public name confirmed by the WBC and ESPN (WBC; ESPN; Britannica Kids).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Canelo Álvarez, a nickname Britannica Kids explains as "El Canelo," meaning "Cinnamon," from his red hair and light, freckled complexion. The WBC boxer page uses Saul Alvarez and the nickname Canelo. Britannica Kids gives the fuller form Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán, names his parents as Santos Álvarez and Ana Maria Barragán, and dates his birth to July 18, 1990, in San Agustín, Jalisco, Mexico, while also saying he grew up near Guadalajara, where the family had a paleta business. ESPN uses the same July 18, 1990, date but describes him as of Guadalajara, Mexico. Those two place statements conflict on the precise birthplace and are both recorded here. Britannica Kids says he began formal boxing training at 13 after an amateur career.

Career highlights

The WBC dates his professional debut to October 29, 2005. Britannica Kids says he debuted at age 15 in Tonalá, Jalisco, later won junior-middleweight world titles, and lost a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., on September 14, 2013. The same encyclopedia says he has won world championships in four weight classes and in 2021 became the first boxer to achieve undisputed world champion status at super middleweight. ESPN independently calls him the former super middleweight undisputed champion and says he has won titles in super middleweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight. On October 31, 2026, in Riyadh, he reclaimed the WBC super middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Christian Mbilli (AP; WBC).

Name notes for searchers

Saúl Álvarez and Canelo Álvarez are the documented public names in the WBC and ESPN accounts cited here. Britannica Kids' fuller form Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán is recorded here as that encyclopedia's listing and was not independently confirmed by the WBC or ESPN pages used here. Searchers looking for Canelo, Saul Alvarez, or the four-division champion from Jalisco are usually aiming at the same person.