As his storied career nears its twilight years, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is still breaking new ground-not only in the ring, but also in the financial world.
The undisputed super middleweight champion is poised to achieve what no boxer has done before: become the first in the sport with a personal net worth exceeding $1 billion.
While names like Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson have long dominated conversations about wealth in boxing, Canelo‘s steady rise in both earnings and business acumen has caught the eye of one of his earliest mentors.
According to Richard Schaefer, his business manager and the former CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Álvarez has shown unmatched intelligence when it comes to managing his fortune.
“He’s just great at everything he does, and he’s without any question the smartest businessman in boxing I have ever met,” Schaefer told Fight Hub TV. “He’s going to be the first fighter to break the billion-dollar net worth. I have zero questions about it.”
A billion-dollar future, with Terence Crawford next
That milestone no longer seems far-fetched. Canelo has already pulled in an estimated $600 million over the course of his 20-year career, according to Forbes.
In 2025, he even overtook Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid athlete in the world. But what may push him over the top is a high-profile deal: a four-fight contract with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, and a looming blockbuster bout against Terence Crawford on September 13.
Schaefer believes this fight won’t just be another payday-it could surpass even the sport’s biggest past events. Speaking to The Ring, he claimed, “I don’t remember any fight bigger than Canelo-Crawford. It’s going to be the biggest fight in the sport for as long as I can remember.”
Comparing it to the 2015 showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, Schaefer pointed out a key difference: “With Mayweather-Pacquiao, people hyped it up… but I think Canelo-Crawford is a fight between two men truly in their prime.” He praised Canelo‘s resilience, noting, “He has never been dropped, never been hurt,” and added, “This will be substantially bigger” than any other bout he’s seen in 25 years.
Schaefer, who had retired from boxing promotion, returned at Álvarez‘s request, believing there are still historic chapters to write in Canelo‘s story.
Whether or not the $1 billion mark is officially reached, there’s no denying that Álvarez has cemented himself as one of the most lucrative-and accomplished-fighters the sport has ever known.
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