After Joe Louis’ days inside the ropes were over, his focus shifted from the boxing ring to the golf course.
And Canelo Alvarez might be the next boxing great to do so.
Saturday night, Alvarez, 31, lost a fight for the first time since 2013. Though he plans to keep fighting for the foreseeable future, he could embark on a second career in golf, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Alvarez picked up golf in May 2019 and it has become a passion of his as he says he practices four hours a day.
“I love what the game of golf brings to my life,” Alvarez said. “It’s a challenge for me to be a better golfer and better player. Golf makes me feel calm in my personal life, and boxing too.”
The Mexican is currently a 10 handicap and has showcased his talent with a club despite having only picked up the sport three years ago. He teed it up in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year and nearly had an ace. And in 2021, he won the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am. In June, he plans to represent Mexico at Liberty National in a USA vs. World nine-hole match play event.
"[Alvarez] loves golf just as much as anyone I’ve ever seen,” said Aaron Dexheimer, one of Alvarez’s coaches who’s played on the Mackenzie Tour. “The one thing that sticks out to me is his dedication to improvement. It’s pretty amazing to watch his confidence.”
And when Alvarez leaves the course, his love for golf follows him home.
“My wife is always mad at me, but I love golf. I tell her there are many TVs around the house — you can put whatever you want besides Golf Channel,” Alvarez joked.
Many other former athletes such as Tony Romo, John Smoltz and Marty Fish have excelled on celebrity circuits, while Scott Draper and Althea Gibson made it to the professional level.
And Louis, of course, became one of the most influential amateur golfers ever, helping integrate the sport.
Though Alvarez is currently focused on avenging his recent loss to Dmitry Bivol, the Guadalajara native appears primed to follow in the Brown Bomber’s footsteps after his boxing career and, like Louis, help introduce a new audience to the sport.
“Golf has its stereotypes. It’s not a sport you would associate with a Hispanic fighter. It’s just rare,” Thomas Brookes, the founder and chief executive of The Icons Series, said. “Canelo’s passion for golf will help grow the sport in Mexico — there’s no question about it. He’ll probably have more influence on golf’s growth in Mexico than a professional Mexican golfer would because so many Mexicans love boxing.”
