Formula One: Max Verstappen rubs shoulders with boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez

Max Verstappen rubs shoulders with boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez as newly-crowned Formula One king continues to bask in his title triumph

  • F1 star Max Verstappen has been pictured with boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez 
  • The 24-year-old driver was crowned Formula One world champion in Abu Dhabi
  • Canelo was in Florida to support his sparring partner in a heavyweight fight 
  • The pair enjoyed a superb 2021, dominating their respective fields of expertise 


Max Verstappen bumped into boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez as the newly-crowned Formula One world champion’s title celebrations continued.

The 24-year-old Red Bull star is still on cloud nine after overcoming Lewis Hamilton to win his maiden championship in Abu Dhabi, denying the Briton of an eighth title in the process.

Verstappen has not let the controversy surrounding his final-lap victory dampen his spirits and is currently unwinding following an enthralling, 23-race season.

Max Verstappen (R) has been pictured with boxing star Canelo Alvarez (L) after his F1 triumph

Max Verstappen (R) has been pictured with boxing star Canelo Alvarez (L) after his F1 triumph

The respective world champions posed with fans after meeting up in the United States

The respective world champions posed with fans after meeting up in the United States

And a photograph of the Dutchman with Mexican sensation Canelo has emerged, showing the pair grinning with raised fists while posing for a picture with a fan.

Verstappen wore a white t-shirt, shorts and a white baseball cap while Canelo donned a matching shirt and trousers. The Mexican shared another photo of himself with the Dutchman and another fan on his Instagram. 

Canelo was recently in Florida to watch training partner Frank Sanchez take on Christian Hammer on the undercard of Charles Martin v Luis Ortiz on Saturday night. 

Sanchez, a heavyweight prospect, extended his unbeaten record to 20 wins with a unanimous decision victory over Hammer, while former IBF champion Martin was knocked out by Ortiz. 

Both Verstappen and Canelo would have had plenty to talk about, with the pair enjoying a sensational 2021 in their respective sports.

Verstappen, of course, became a world champion for the first time, while Canelo became the first ever boxer to be crowned undisputed, unified super middleweight champion after beating Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith in a single calendar year.

Verstappen was crowned F1 champion for the first time after a controversial win in Abu Dhabi

Verstappen was crowned F1 champion for the first time after a controversial win in Abu Dhabi 

The Mexican also enjoyed a stellar 2021 and was crowned unified super middleweight king

The Mexican also enjoyed a stellar 2021 and was crowned unified super middleweight king

As a result, the duo were both nominated for the BBC’s World Sport Star award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony, which was ultimately won by jockey Rachael Blackmore. 

Verstappen endured an intense 2021 season with plenty of battles on and off the race track with Hamilton.

The Red Bull ace recently admitted that he would not last long in the sport if every season reached those levels of intensity.

‘For me, it doesn’t need to be like this every single year, I don’t think you can last a long time in F1 like that,’ he told CarNext.

‘I am happy with how it played out but it was an amazing season, I think.

‘A lot of unpredictable things happened, of course, the two teams fighting against each other, that is always more exciting than when it is just one team dominating and it is just the two team-mates basically fighting.

‘It’s incredible. But also with all the emotions there for the whole year – going really well, then bad luck, all the things happen, that made it so much more intense.

‘It was so much. You want to win this last race and to win the championship, and that came all together.’

source: dailymail.co.uk