Canelo Álvarez: How Meditation CHANGED My Life & Helps Me WIN!

Nobody believes in me before, and I show them what person can accomplish with determination, with that, believing yourself and everything. And I'm just starting.

And now entering the arena, here is.

The pound for pound, King Saul Planello. Meditation changed my mind. I feel in my best. I feel not just in boxing, in life.

Do you have any fear when you fight today?

I never feel fear.

Really? What is it you want your legacy to be after that last match?

One of the best in the history of boxing. And I'm gonna cry that day. When you walk into the ring and hear all the people screaming and singing that song you put and everything, I'm going to miss that moment.

Hey, guys. We're here in a remote location, and we just interviewed Canelo, the greatest boxer, arguably of all time. And it's been amazing to see behind the scenes. We're here. We're here. He actually trains some of his shoes, some of his gloves. You know, you've got the bag right here, the logo. We've got his shoes and gloves over here that are actually drying. Getting ready for a session, sparring session later. And we got the ring behind, so I'll show you really quick. All right. It's pretty cool. And one of the things that I was really impressed and inspired about him was his commitment and his passion for his sport, for his family, for team that he's been with for a long time and for just the process of being a champion. And he really talks about not having the fear of pursuing your dreams and pursuing your passions, but loving the process again. We're in this remote location. He's got his whole setup. He's got a detailed regimen every single day. Train, rest, run, rest, you know, think about and visualize. He's just getting into meditation. So it's so cool to see after nearly 20 years, almost two decades of mastering his craft and being at the top of his game, he's learning meditation this year, and he's talking about how it's changing his mind, it's changing his life, it's changing his ability to bring the power to his fights by adding more skills. So he's not slowing down. He's only getting better. He's only improving himself even more. And I think it's really cool to see someone after this many years who has made so much money, hundreds of millions of dollars in his career, all the businesses, all the success, all the fame, he's a king in his country. People of Mexico love this man. It's so cool to see that he's humble to see that he talks about love that he talks about his passion. And I just think that's really cool. So we're here in this location. It was an amazing experience to watch him behind the scenes, to connect with him. And I hope you enjoy this interview. The first thing I want to ask you, you've almost been boxing for 20 years, almost two decades.

Yeah.

Is there a difference between how you trained early on when you were a nobody, the first few years in your teens versus how you train now mentally, physically? Is there a difference? If so, what is that difference?

Mentally is I think is the same mentality, the same hungry. You know, is for me is I train my mentor. My mind is always try to get more. Try to get more history to my career. And I never is never enough for me because really it never enough for me. I always train so hard because you know, I, I started like that training so hard because in my mind always when I was kid, I say I want to be a champion. And then I realize I I accomplished that champion. And I say is something else more. Is something else there? So I always. My mind is always is never enough for my mind.

Right.

I always train so hard and I, and I love boxing so much. I enjoy it. I enjoy it. I still enjoy it.

You still enjoy it. But it's almost been 20 years, right? 20 years.

19 professional.

19 professional. What is the three greatest lessons that boxing has taught you in almost 20 years of boxing?

It's going to be very difficult to pick three lessons because I think the man I am right now, I learned from. From boxing because my whole life I I give my whole life to. To boxing. I think boxing teach me everything. Everything bad and goods and, and everything. I think, I think boxing made me.

It made you.

Yeah.

What is the, what is the lesson that you would teach you would say to your younger self with all the wisdom and experience you have now?

Is the only thing I can I can say to. To them. Like If I you're 15 in front of you, my, my. My son and say you, you. You can do whatever you want. It just. You need to be able to. To have able to sacrifices discipline and hard work.

Yes.

And have a good mentality because if you have that trees and three things. Discipline, sacrifices and hard work. Hard work. But if you don't have that mentality, it's going to be very difficult.

How do you keep the hunger alive inside of you for so long though? Because you were starting out as a young man wanting to be a champion. You became a champion. But how do you continue Year after year to stay hungry and love it so much.

I, I don't know.

I don't know.

I, I always say, because I love what I do and I, I have that passion on me and I love what I do and, and I enjoy it and I'm that kind of man, I'm that kind of person, say if I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do a hundred percent. Yeah. No, in the middle. No. 90, no. I'm always try to do my best and try to do my everything and, and I, I think because I love what I do.

How do you manage fear? Did you have a lot of fear growing up as you started fighting and do you have any fear when you fight today?

I never feel fear really. In, in, in boxing, I never feel how it's like to feel that, the fear. I always enjoy it. My, my, my. I just enjoy a lot. I, My favorite day, my favorite thing is sparring days and a five day is I, I just enjoy it a lot. Yeah, I enjoy it and I never have that experience to, to, to feel the fear or something.

On when you became a champion, world champion, did you feel fear to lose that ever?

No.

Really?

No. Never, Never feel that fear?

Why not? Well, did someone teach you how to overcome fear or is it.

I don't know. I always say, because I really enjoy boxing, I really love boxing, I really love being in the ring fighting. I never thinking about if this happened or I always go with that mentality to win and enjoy.

Do you ever, when you're preparing for a fight, do you ever think about, well, what happens if I get knocked down or if I lose, will I feel bad?

And I never think about loose. I never think about loose. I always think and train for the win. Yes, and yes, I do. I, I think about if I get knocked out, how I'm gonna reaction. And we train about every trainer when, yeah, you'll fall down, if I feel dizzy, what I'm gonna do. I, we always train about that. We prepare ourselves for, for everything, of course. But I never think about losing. Wow.

What is the process like the day of a fight for you, mentally and emotionally? How do you prepare for that fight?

For me, it's a normal day, just.

Me, I have a cup of coffee, relax, hang out, relax.

Obviously very relaxed. But for me, in my mind is, is. It's a normal day really.

But the world is going to watch you on this fight. There's so much money on the line.

That, you know, I don't think about that. For me, it's normal. I'm gonna do my thing and that's it. Obviously, I think I, I, I, I put everything together that day. We, we put in the whole training camp. I put, okay, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that. We train for this and that. But for me, it's a normal day. It's like you wake up, you see me. If you see me in the locker room 20 minutes before the fight, I'm listening music, chilling with my, with my team. So I'm, for me, it's normal day.

Are you not visualizing the fight?

Yeah, always.

You are?

I always visualize my, my fight in, in the night. I know, okay, this happened. I'm gonna do this. Everything.

How much energy does it take from you to visualize? It's, there's a lot of energy to train, to run every day, to spar, to lift, but how much energy to actually think at night about what you're going to do in the ring?

I just think, I don't put so much energy to think because I just, okay, I'm gonna do this and this. I train for this and that's it. Yeah, I, for me, like my life routine.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's not like I do this or to stress myself.

No, it's relaxing. It's relaxing. Wow, that's beautiful. And what do you think about after you win a fight? When you've prepared for months and you win a big fight and the whole world is watching, how does it make you feel?

It's the best feeling. Yeah, it's the best feeling because you put your life there, you put everything in the training camp, you left your family, you left everything for that moment. Yes, for that moment. For the win. You prepare yourself for. For the win. And it's the best feeling.

Yes.

Then is when you realize everything, everything you do, everything, the sacrifices, the discipline you put in the gym, there is the result.

It's worth it.

Yeah. Yeah.

Did you ever doubt yourself growing up? Like, self doubt?

Never.

Insecurity?

Never in my life.

How did you learn that, though? So many people in the world are insecure about who they are, right? They doubt.

I never doubt about myself.

Was that your parents, your grandmother, or.

I don't know.

Did they teach you how to? I don't know.

My mentality is always like, I don't care who is there. I'm, I'm gonna achieve my goals no matter what, so. And I started professional boxing when I was 15 years old. So sometimes my trainer, my trainers saw the opponent and say, hey, he's too strong and he's, he's 30 years old and I don't care, I don't, I don't, I, I, I don't really care. And then two rounds in that and.

You knock them out. Yeah. Do you have, I mean, do you ever have any insecurities outside of boxing, like starting business or in some other ventures? Are you.

No, no.

No insecurities.

I think the, the first time I jump in the, in the bus and try to sell ice creams and in the bus I feel a little, I don't know, insecure or I feel a little shame because, you know, I'm red hair, freckles and everything. And I, I feel like a little ashamed maybe insecure.

But you're like five, six, seven years old.

Yeah, five, six years old. And, and then I say, oh, nothing happened. And then I start, I start feeling good. But I, I think that moment I feel like a little insecure because the people saw me and say something about me. I don't know. But then I realized I don't give a.

So like, so 25 years ago was the last time you were insecure?

Yeah.

But when you're starting business because you've got all these businesses, if you've been building in Mexico and USA as well, are, you know, do you feel like, oh, maybe I don't understand business fully like everyone else yet because I'm mostly a boxer. Do you ever get worried about that?

Worry? Yes, but I'm not insecure.

Okay.

Is is different worry about, okay, I'm going to do with the correct persons, find the correct persons and partners. Partners and everything, you know, but never insecure because is, is there a lot of people bring with business and this and this. But at the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever I want and I say, okay, I want to do this. I'm going to find the correct person to do it. So maybe worry about to find the correct part.

People. Yeah. To make sure it's good. Do you ever feel, I mean, you're a legend and an icon all around the world, but specifically in Mexico. Right. Mexicans love you. I love visiting Mexico, obviously. My fiance's from Mexico and people love you there. Do you ever feel a pressure to make them proud or to do the right things or.

In some, in some point, yes. Really? In some point, yes, because, you know, we have a huge history in boxing.

Yes.

In Mexico. In some point, yes. But some there time I say, you know, I always do my best and I put my best in there. So I know they, my fans, my really my true fans, they probably because they know I put everything, everything there is there people who don't like, but I know that they, I can do anything without people, you know, but in some moment, yes, I feel like, oh, I need to do this to, to make my fans happy. But then you realize I put everything I, I, I can in there. So they, they will be happy.

Yeah. What is it you love about Mexico and, and Mexican people the most?

Everything. Everything. Mexico is very unique. It's very unique. You know, the, the one with the person, the service they, they give you and the love. We have a lot of places, beautiful places in Mexico. I think we have a lot of, a lot of good things, A lot of good things in Mexico.

Yeah, the, the culture, the people, the love is something that I appreciate and really enjoy. You've got a, you know, you've got a family, you've got kids. What changed for you in boxing when you started to have kids? Did something shift inside of you?

I, I started having kids since I was 17.

17.

So, yeah, changed my mind a lot because then I, I have responsibility of a big man. So very hard, very hard at the beginning. But at the end of the day, I have three jobs and then go to train. Then what? Three jobs and they went to train because, you know, I have the best for my, for my daughter. That moment When I was 17 years.

Old, what were those jobs? What were those three jobs?

Sell ice creams.

When you were 17?

Yeah, I had my dad and two of my brothers. Wow. So then go to train and selling ice cream.

Yeah. Because you dropped out of school. High school, correct?

Yeah, when I was 15 years old.

Right. You didn't like school?

I didn't, I didn't. But maybe if I have a different life and different, different positions, maybe I, I do like the school, but for me it was different.

Speaking of the warmth, you know, I heard you talk about your grandmother really loving you in a big way growing up. Your father, your mother. I'm curious, could you share the biggest thing you've learned from your grandmother? Your father and your mother, one lesson from each that they taught you.

I think they never, they never surrender and everything.

They never surrender, never.

They always hard working. They always. We love. I think if you walking in life with love, you, you, you're gonna be good everywhere. Everywhere, no matter what. If you walking with love, you want to be good in life.

Have you always had love in your heart or have you ever had anger or resentment?

I think in some point yes. But I always have love in my, in my, in my heart because, you know, I always, whatever I do, I do with my heart. Right.

When you have love in your heart but you're a boxer and you're fighting.

Someone, I need to, it's like a, it's like a animal, Right. If you are whatever animal, you're good. But if you need to bring food for your family or you need to take care of your family, you want to do everything.

Yeah.

And fight. So I'm, I'm walking with love, but I'm a fighter.

You walk with love, but when you're.

Fighting, I'm a fighter.

You're a fighter. Did something switch in your mind when you had your daughter at 17? Did you become more focused as a fighter or did anything shift inside of you in terms of I need to work harder or was it the same type of routine?

Same, Same. For me, I never doubt about being a world champion. You never thought, no matter what, never.

A doubt, never a doubt about.

Yeah, I, I, My daughter comes and I say even more, even more focus, even more determinate, everything. I think my daughter teach me a lot of things and made me put that extra, really?

So you trained harder, you focused more.

I think my daughter put, made me put that extra motivation.

And you have, you have a big family, like seven or eight siblings, right?

Eight, yeah, eight.

Seven brothers or six brothers, right?

Seven and one sister.

That's incredible. And I, I saw a video of you talking about how your brother got kidnapped at one point right before a fight.

Yeah.

Is that true?

Did that, that's true. Yeah.

How did you manage and I, you had to do all these interviews, you had to prepare for a fight mentally, emotionally. How were you able to focus and deal with the kidnapping of your brother?

It was very difficult. Yeah, for me was very difficult because it was the, the week of the fight. That's crazy. So it was a very difficult time for, for, for me and for, for the family. But I, I don't know, I don't know how my mind go, go for that situation, but I always say, you know, I'm going to do my best and everything and, and at the end, everything was good and I handled good.

Did you think about stopping the fight?

No, never.

Just keep going, keep going no matter what.

My life need to keep going.

What is being a father taught you about life? Now that you're a father of many kids, what has that taught you about?

I think, I think everything you need to because you need to walking with the example for your kids. You know, it's the best teach for them.

Your kids are the. You're the best teacher for them.

Yeah. If you do the correct things and they show you how you. How you do that, that things I think they gonna learn. Right, Right. But you can say a lot of things. But if they saw you doing your example.

Yeah, yeah.

Your way of being, you know, the example is the best thing.

Yeah. We were talking about meditation before we started filming that this year. You started getting into meditation. Yeah, Breathing, listening to music, meditation. We were talking about Dr. Joe Dispenza before. What has meditation done to you to support. Support you in your training and preparing for fighting?

I. I feel in my best moment right now because of the meditation. Yeah, I'm feeling my best. I feel not just in boxing, in life. Life and relationships, relationship, friends, business, boxing. Everything. Everything. I think for me, meditation changed my mind. Really changed my. Change my life.

What have you learned about it so far?

Everything. You like what I say? If you walking with love, you want to be good everywhere. And it's a lot of things that love comes, you know, Right. Limits, respect. Every. The love comes with a lot of things, but we don't solve. We just think our love is love. No, love comes with limits, with respect, with a lot. A lot of things comes with love. So if you're walking with love, I think you're gonna be good everywhere.

Yes. I ask a lot of people about the difference between success and greatness. This show is called the School of Greatness. And I'm curious, what is your definition of success versus greatness? Greatness. Is there a word for greatness in Spanish?

Is it go. Greatness in Spanish is like.

In your mind. What is the definition of greatness versus the definition of success?

Success, I think to sex is in life. You do whatever thing. If you got success, that success. But a greatness, like an accomplishment or accomplishment. Yeah, like a world champion.

That's success. And what's greatness in your mind?

What I, What I'm doing, that's greatness. Go out of your comfort zone and do things. Everybody say you're gonna. You. You can do it. I think that's the difference and, And. And belief and in whatever you. You. You want to do. I think what happened with me is nobody, Nobody believes in. In. In me before because I'm too, too sure for that. Weight classes and what this and that skinny short and. And I show them what person can accomplish with. With. With determination with that believing yourself and everything. I think. And I. And I'm just starting Right now. Yeah, I'm just starting because you're just.

Starting in boxing now.

In boxing, I'm. Whatever years come left, like four or five years, I don't know. But in my life, in my life, I think I want, I, I, I just want, want to teach every other boxer, other athletes, they need to put things outside boxing too, because, you know, that history, the at least come and win a lot of money or win a lot of, have a lot of success, and at the end of the day, they got nothing right. Nobody, nobody, everybody forget that five years.

Later, ten years later.

Yeah. So I want to teach them. They need to do something outside the boxing, outside every sport they do. And if you risk your life for 20 years in boxing and then at the end of the day, five years later, you go in the same position, what's right.

Yeah. Do you ever get worried about my, my boxing trainer when I work out for fun? I'm not a trainer like you, obviously, but when I boxed for fun a few years ago, I said, hey, you know, all these YouTube people were like, boxing and fighting and all these people. I said, hey, would you ever train me if someone wanted to fight me? And he said, I wouldn't train you. And he was an Olympic medalist. Olympic medalist. He said, I want to train boxing. He said, I want to train you. I said, why not? He said, just the damage that people get with their, the head injuries, you know. And he said, I've just seen too many fighters get hit so many times and hurt themselves. Has that ever worried you about just so much head.

Right.

Has ever concerned you or what?

I always, I always, that's what I trained, I trained to. Don't get so much heat.

Yeah, you're very good.

Defense. Yeah, defense. I train so much in defense. I don't get, I don't want to get hit.

Yeah.

But I mean, this is for, I mean, I'm, I'm what I can, I never worry about it. I, I worry about it because I've trained. I, I don't, I don't, I don't want to get hit, but at the end of the day, I'm, I'm there.

Yeah. It's part of the job.

Yeah.

When you see someone like Muhammad Ali or other boxers who maybe have brain injuries, who are older, does that ever worry you or concern you? No. Yeah.

No, because, you know, it's what I love. And at the end of the day.

Yeah.

If something happened, it is what it is.

Right.

I had, you can go in the stairs in fall. Something happened.

You Know? Yeah, of course. I had Mike Tyson on twice on my show, and I had Jake Paul on. I know they're fighting. I'm sure everyone's asking about it. I'm curious, who do you think would be a harder fight for you right now? Mike Tyson or Jake Paul? In a hypothetical scenario, who do you think would be tougher for you?

I think if you put them together in the ring with me, maybe it's.

Gonna, maybe both together.

Maybe it's gonna be a little complicated.

But one or the other, they're about the same. They're the same, you think for you, who do you think would win between them?

It's hard to say, but, you know, it's risky for Mike Tyson. Really?

Why?

Yeah, because he's 57 and 58. I don't know. And, and it's. Boxing is. No, it's not a joke. It's not just, it's. But, you know, I know. I get it. I get, I get, I get it. What they. Why they. She's a business. Yeah, yeah. They gonna fight with 18 ounces with not bigger gloves. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's a business. You, speaking of business, you've been getting into business more and more over the years, which I'm excited to talk about as well. Real estate, your own businesses, Canelo Energy, you know, all these different brands that you're building. What excites you the most about business and entrepreneurship? And is it, and is it a distraction to do all that as well as fight ever?

No, no, no, no. It's a distraction because I have my correct people doing, my team, everything, and I do what I need to do for my business, and I care about every business I have, but I like it. I enjoy doing real estate. I enjoy being my drinks and everything I do, I really enjoy it.

Yes. What is your vision for your organizations?

Everything.

You got a lot going on. What is your vision for your future after boxing? Is it to be a business leader in the world or what is the main vision that you have for business?

Yeah, that's my goal, is being one of the best businessmen in the world.

Really?

Yeah.

Why does that excite you so much after boxing?

I, I just, I, I like, I, I, I love to be involved in these kind of things and, and, and, and see how they go big and big and big and big, you know, starting with, with some and then grow up. I like it so much because when I was young, I saw my bro, he put ice cream store with $5,000 and we built in five, six months, like bring people being people being people, and then he sell it for 30, $40,000. So. And I saw him and I. I just start learning, start learning. And I really enjoy that kind of things.

Well, that's beautiful, man. I've got three final questions for you, but again, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this. This has been exciting. This is a question I ask everyone towards the end of my conversations. It's. It's called the three truths. So it's a hypothetical question. So I want you to imagine you get to live as long as you want in life to be 100 years old or 120, whatever it is, you get to live as long as you want. You have the career you want in boxing for the next five, seven years, you become a mega billionaire in business. You do everything you want, you see your kids grow up. But at the end of the day, it's the last day of life and you only get to share three lessons with the world. From everything you've learned about boxing and relationships and love and business, what three lessons would you share with the world on your last day of life?

I think love is a phrase. One love. I think love is. Is. You have a lot of. A lot of that. Three lessons. I, I want to say because love come with limits, respect and everything, but I think love, determination and believe in yourself.

Believe in yourself. How do people who feel very insecure, who don't love themselves, who don't have.

Any skills, I think everything comes from that.

How do they learn to believe in themselves though, if they don't have it?

It's very difficult because, you know, it's difficult to learn to have. Securing yourself because they come with a lot of problems. Not, not from them. From the past generation. Yes, you know, from them. It's for the past generation. They have a lot of troubles from their parents. That's why they. You acting like. Because you have, you have problems that. Not your problems.

Yes, your.

Your generation. So it's difficult. I think with meditation is.

It's possible. It's possible because you had a lot of past problems in your, you know, in your family, in the past. But how did you.

Is not your problems. Right. But meditation teach you that? Yes, I think meditation is one of the best things I learned.

That's beautiful, man.

Because when you walking with that thing you carry from your past, you're acting like you're normal, but not you're carrying.

With problems from the past.

Yeah. And you have a lot of problems too, because you could. You. You walking with that.

Yes.

Problems? Are you acting?

You're acting from the past, too. Yeah.

Yeah.

I've got one final question for you, but before I ask it, I want to acknowledge you, Canelo, for your generosity, for your passion, for your love, for your country, for the sport, for people, and just how you show up with consistency in your life. It's inspiring to watch a champion be a good person as well. I know you give back to charities, and you're in your country and you do so much good. So I acknowledge you for the loving man that you are in this world.

Thank you so much.

My final question. When you're on top of this ring with your hands raised and the flag of Mexico behind you on your last fight, four, five, six, seven years away, and it's your last moment to stand up and say, viva Mexico after a win, what is it you want your legacy to be after that last match?

One of the best in the history of boxing. Yeah. And I'm gonna cry that day.

That day.

Yeah. A lot. Because I'm gonna miss boxing.

You'll miss it. Yeah.

That moment when you walk into the ring and hear all the people screaming and this singing the song you put and everything. I'm gonna. I'm gonna miss that moment. But that's life.

That's life, man. You're a legend, man. Appreciate you, Canelo. Thanks, brother. Nice to meet you, bro. So just finished with Canelo. Amazing time. His English is getting better every time I see him do interviews. So it was really cool to watch him talk about love. Was one of the main things, how to have love in your heart for your sport, for your family, for your country, for the business that you're a part of. But he talked about love a lot, which I thought was really cool to see someone almost 20 years in a profession love his sports and his career just as much and have just as much hunger as when he started almost 20 years ago is really inspiring to see and to see how he keeps his. His family close, his team very close, and he doesn't have a lot of distractions. You know, he likes to train in an isolated location where there's not a lot of distractions. He likes to live in a location where he's not distracted, but just have the most important things in his life at all times. So I think it's really cool that at this age, this season of life, he is continually showing up, training harder than ever to be the best he can be. And he has no fear. He's not afraid to lose. He's not afraid to get hurt. He understands that comes with part of his career and what he's up to but it doesn't hold him back from being determined to succeed and do something beautiful and great with his life. And you know what he said at the end which I thought was really cool. You know what's it going to feel like when you win that last fight and you decide it's time to retire where he was reflecting on how that would look after 20, 25 years plus of a career to then feel all the emotions rushing in on that last fight. So had a beautiful time amazing inspiration with greatest of all time Canelo and.

Giving everything so you know deep inside if you every training give everything or not right things can come your way or not but if you keep giving everything you are like she said she.

Always said this you are investing you.

Are investing if you give everything no matter the outcome you can have bad trainings or good training.