Alvarez turned professional two years later, aged 15. Outside of the ring, however, his life took an unexpected twist the following year when his then-girlfriend became pregnant.
“Canelo understood he had to take responsibility and provide for them,” Trejos says. “He had to find an apartment, walk away from school while working in the ice cream parlour and fighting just to make ends meet.”
Balderas adds: “When his daughter was born, he didn’t want her to suffer. So he suffered himself by taking those long hours, sometimes two hours on a bus or train, just to go to the gym and train.
“She was his drive. His main motivation was to not suffer financially.”
Alvarez is now he world’s fifth-richest athlete, but he almost walked away from the sport early in his career. He was earning up to $40 (£32) for his fights, relying on ticket sales for the rest of his purse.
He was persuaded to continue by his friends and family.
“Straight away, you could see he was special,” Balderas says. “He was a young guy and was sparring with the likes of Oscar Larios, who was a world champion who even fought Manny Pacquiao.”
Trejos adds: “I met him in California when he was 18 or 19. What caught my attention was that he was very keen.
“There was a level of security and confidence, a sense of knowing what he had to do, but there was no ego. He didn’t need to tell anyone how good he is.”
