Canelo Alvarez, the boxing champion, will appear in Creed III, director and lead actor Michael B. Jordan revealed Thursday. While Alvarez has been in many major fights, this will be his first appearance on the big screen as an actor.

“Directing the legend himself @Canelo in Creed III. Can’t wait for the world to see on March 3,” Jordan noted in an Instagram story Thursday night. “A star inside the ring and out … Welcome to the family. Good luck this weekend!”

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Alvarez also faces Gennadiy Golovkin in a fight on Saturday night.

Who is Canelo Alvarez?

Santos Saul Alvarez Barragán, born on July 18, 1990, is a Mexican professional boxer better known as Canelo Alvarez or Sal Alvarez. He has won numerous world championships in four weight classes ranging from light middleweight to light heavyweight, such as three unified titles and two lineal titles.

Alvarez is the first and only boxer in history to be crowned undisputed super middleweight champion, having secured the WBA (Super), WBC, and Ring magazine championships since 2020, as well as the IBF and WBO titles since 2021.

Alvarez is known for his ability to exploit openings in his opponents’ guards while attempting to avoid punches with head and body movement. He is also known for being a powerful body puncher.

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BoxRec and the Boxing Writers Association of America rank Alvarez as the world’s best active boxer, pound for pound, as of May 2022; ESPN ranks him fourth, the TBRB ranks him fifth, and The Ring ranks him sixth. BoxRec, The Ring, TBRB, and ESPN all rank him as the world’s best active super middleweight.

Alvarez explained in an interview that he was born on the edge of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, but his family is from Los Reyes, Michoacán. His family relocated to Juanacatlán, Jalisco, when he was five years old. Born and raised on his family’s farm, he learned to ride horses, which he still does today.

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Alvarez is the youngest of eight children, seven of whom are boys; all of his brothers are professional boxers as well. Among his brothers are welterweight boxers Ramón Alvarez, Ricardo Alvarez, and Rigoberto Alvarez, the former WBA interim world champion.

Alvarez was engaged to Marisol González, a sports reporter for Televisa Deportes and Miss Mexico Universe 2003. Alvarez married his longtime partner Fernanda Gómez in a ceremony at the Guadalajara Cathedral in Guadalajara, Mexico, in May 2021. He has three daughters and one son from different relationships.

Alvarez enjoys golf and stated in 2020 that he plans to retire from boxing by the age of 37 and “dedicate himself to his business and playing golf every day” in retirement.

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He is also a Mexican boxing promoter. Canelo Promotions, his company, was founded in 2010, and his business partners are his trainers, father-and-son team Chepo and Eddy Reynoso. Canelo Promotions represented 40 boxers in Mexico as of 2013.