Canelo Álvarez didn’t want to tell one of Mexico’s hottest musicians how to produce a hit song, but he felt compelled to offer a few suggestions for building a lively crowd before a fight in Las Vegas. Input was encouraged and there was no overstepping, because this song was specifically made for one of Álvarez’s ring walks, which tend to get just as much attention as his fights.
Álvarez, boxing’s undisputed super middleweight champion, knew the original version wasn’t quite right. The song needed to build anticipation and adrenaline. Luis R. Conriquez sent over a different take with violins and Álvarez loved it. He imagined the violins playing in a dark arena filled with nearly 18,000 spectators, the bows and strings taking their time to entice fans to scream “Canelo! Canelo!” before the focus turned to the four-division champion and the artist of the special ring-walk song.
