Canelo Alvarez is now one of the biggest professional sports stars on Earth but not long ago he was scouted by one of the sharpest guys in the sport.
When it comes to the boxing industry Richard Schaefer is one of the best in the game.
After conquering the banking game in America and Switzerland, he moved into boxing for many years promoting Canelo Alvarez at Golden Boy Promotions.
After a break from boxing in recent years Schaefer is back now as CEO of Mayweather Promotions, and said ahead of Alvarez’ latest fight on Saturday on Cinco De Mayo 2025 weekend against William Scull — on when he signed him and even then he was still with trainer Eddy Reynoso as well:
“Back when Canelo was 17 and we signed him to his first promotional contract, we knew he was a superstar in the making. It’s a God-given talent. We knew he was special, and with his hard work and dedication, he’s propelled his career to become the face of boxing today. In my opinion, he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. We had those hopes, and we knew they’d come true because he’s truly special.”
He went on to say:
“It’s fantastic to be part of an event like this. I always knew this would happen eventually. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh—thank you for hosting this event and for elevating the sport of boxing—he has become the most powerful man in the sport. It was inevitable that he and the number one pound-for-pound star, Canelo, would work together. They’re made for each other—two great people and fans of boxing. I’m excited, and I know Canelo is thrilled to fight outside the Americas for the first time and be part of this amazing card, a super middleweight extravaganza.”
Well said.
It is a great card all round this weekend.
The main event though will put Alvarez in a dangerous assignment against a much taller foe from Cuba, and a world champion too, is William Scull.
This is a difficult assignment for Alvarez and it will be interesting to see how he gets on.