Canelo Alvarez to Have Surgery on Elbow Injury, Reportedly Out Until At Least Mid-2026

Canelo Alvarez is set to undergo surgery on an elbow injury and is set to be sidelined for an extended period of time, according to a statement from his team.

"Canelo has been diagnosed with loose bodies in his left elbow," the statement read, per Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger. "After a thorough evaluation and medical consultation with his orthopedic surgeon, he is scheduled to undergo a left elbow arthroscopic procedure to remove the loose bodies.

"Following the procedure, his orthopedic surgeon is recommending the use of a sling for a short period of time. His rehabilitation program is expected to allow a return to light training within 4 to 6 weeks. The prognosis is excellent, and Saúl is anticipated to make a full recovery and return to championship-level boxing.

"We appreciate the continued support from fans and the boxing community during his recovery process."

The news comes after Coppinger reported Monday that the surgery would keep Alvarez out of action until the second or third quarter of 2026 (anywhere from April to September of next year).

The 35-year-old Álvarez was supposed to box in February in Riyadh as part of the third fight of his Riyadh Season deal. However, that fight will now be delayed.

Álvarez is 63-3-2 lifetime with 39 knockouts. He has been a multiple world champion in four different weight classes (light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight). In addition, Álvarez is the first-ever boxer to be the undisputed super middleweight champion in history.

Álvarez is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford, and he dropped the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles on Sept. 13.

That was the second fight in his four-fight Riyadh Season deal, which began with a unanimous decision win over William Scull last May.

It's unclear who Álvarez will fight for his third match, but we know it will take place sometime around the midpoint of 2026. Hopefully Álvarez will be back in action ASAP as he recovers from his surgery.