Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez is the latest star to receive one of Hollywood’s oldest honors.
The world champion boxer placed his hands and feet in cement outside the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, in a tradition dating back to 1927.
The honor is usually reserved for Hollywood actors and Mexican Alvarez joins other big names including Robert De Niro, Kirk Douglas and Al Pacino in cementing his place at one of the most popular tourist attractions in Los Angeles.
Last month, Álvarez outclassed Avni Yıldırım and retained his world super middleweight titles with a technical knockout after Yıldırım failed to answer the bell for the fourth round, setting the stage for a highly anticipated unification fight with Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders.
On Saturday, he 30-year-old was relaxed when asked about the prospect of facing the Briton.
Speaking through a translator, he told the PA news agency: “Everybody thinks the same thing, everyone’s been saying the same thing, that he’s going to give me a difficult night. But we’ll see on May 8th.”
Asked about his future, Álvarez added: “Right now I’m focused on this fight, I am focused on this fight solely. And after this one is done we’ll see.
“As I’ve said before I am focused on unifying all the titles in the 168 (lbs), so we’ll see after this one.”
On Friday, Matchroom Sport announced the fight will take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where more than 60,000 spectators will be permitted to attend. The promoter said it expects the largest crowd for a sporting event in the US since the coronavirus pandemic shutdown began in March 2020.
“We are proud to host a boxing match of this magnitude as we welcome back Canelo Alvarez to AT&T Stadium to take on Billy Joe Saunders,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “AT&T Stadium was built to house the greatest sporting events on the planet, and we feel we have another incredible boxing event on the horizon with this matchup taking place in Arlington on May 8th.”
Álvarez was honored in a Covid-secure ceremony on Saturday, a rare Hollywood event since the pandemic struck more than a year ago.
He was introduced to the stage by boxing announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.
“I can’t find words to express how I feel now,” Álvarez, who wore a mask for much of the ceremony, said. “When I was a child I always dreamed about being a world champ, you never know what you’re truly going to accomplish.”
He added: “I am very proud to be Mexican, to be here. I am very happy, very proud to be putting my handprints here at the Chinese Theatre.”
Álvarez was only the second boxer to have his hand and footprints in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre after Victor McLaglen in 1936.