Canelo Alvarez recently addressed his viral put-down of boxing commentator Max Kellerman, ten months after the incident sparked significant fan reactions. During a press conference for Canelo’s fight against Terence Crawford, Kellerman praised Dana White for elevating the UFC, suggesting that boxing's popularity has waned as a result.

Kellerman stated:

"Dana White is the greatest combat-sports promoter in my lifetime. He built an institution... You know why boxing is not as popular as it used to be anymore? UFC is really popular."

This comment drew boos from the audience in Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena, prompting Kellerman to defend his stance. Canelo, however, took issue with the assertion, responding directly:

"Hey Max, boxing is always [getting] bigger and bigger and bigger. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. Boxing is big, you know how big boxing is."

Just two days after making this statement, Canelo lost his undisputed super-middleweight titles to Crawford at Allegiant Stadium, marking a historic victory for Crawford as he became the sport’s first three-weight undisputed champion.

Canelo later clarified his remarks to journalist Ariel Helwani, explaining that his response stemmed from Kellerman’s assertion that the UFC surpasses boxing:

"Don’t say... don’t lie to the people, because boxing is boxing; that’s why the UFC fighters want to come and fight in a boxing match."

He emphasized his respect for Dana White but maintained that boxing remains paramount in combat sports.

Looking ahead, Canelo is set to face Christian Mbili on 31 October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This fight comes after the initial scheduling in September was postponed, with Mbili defending the WBC super-middleweight title he acquired following Crawford's retirement.