Canelo Álvarez on Gervonta Davis Being Called the Face of Boxing: I'm Not Retired Yet

Canelo Álvarez disputes the notion that Gervonta Davis has become the "face of boxing" after the latter defeated Ryan Garcia by seventh-round knockout on April 22.

"I'm not retired yet, my friend," Álvarez said to Doug Fischer of The Ring in a 20-minute Zoom roundtable with other boxing writers Thursday.

"They can say whatever they want, but it's not that easy. One fight does not put you in that position. You need to do a lot of things."

Davis, who is 29-0 lifetime with 27 knockouts, would disagree and said this to Showtime's Jim Gray after his win: "I'm definitely the face of boxing. Abso-f--king-lutely." Others back up Davis' claim, most notably former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

He's certainly riding a massive high after the big win over Garcia, but Álvarez said Davis needs to do more to assume the "face of boxing" mantle.

"There are a lot of good fighters coming up, one of them is Gervonta for sure," Álvarez said. "But he needs to do more, not just one fight. I like Gervonta Davis a lot, but he needs to do more to be the face of boxing. One fight with Garcia, and I respect Ryan Garcia, isn't going to do it."

Álvarez sports a 58-2-2 resume with 39 knockouts. He's won world titles in four different weight classes and became the first-ever super middleweight undisputed champion.

Álvarez added that the face of boxing needs to compete with the best in multiple weight classes like he has done.

"Just fighting the best, again and again, up and down the weight classes, becoming undisputed, doing what I've been doing my whole career," he said.

Álvarez will be defending his super middleweight titles on Saturday when he faces John Ryder in Guadalajara.