Oscar De La Hoya says Canelo Alvarez can continue fighting at an elite level if he makes one specific change

In his recent loss to Terence Crawford, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez seemed unable to make in-fight adjustments to Crawford’s speed and technique. Alvarez’s failure to adjust was not helped by what many felt was lackluster coaching from Eddy Reynoso between rounds.

Reynoso and Alvarez have worked together since Alvarez, 35, turned professional at 15. The partnership has no doubt been a successful one, with Alvarez winning titles at multiple weight classes and twice claiming the undisputed super middleweight championship, an achievement Crawford took in his dominant performance.

Former Alvarez promoter and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, who has long had a contentious relationship with “Canelo,” believes Alvarez would benefit from a change in trainer, and that such a move could prolong Alvarez’s ability to compete against elite boxers.

“The only thing that I can tell him or give him advice is ‘get a new trainer,'” De La Hoya recently told media. “I can’t advise him on retiring or staying in boxing; that’s a very personal decision. But I can say, get a new trainer, you’ll do better, a new trainer will teach you different tricks. Imagine him getting one of the best trainers in the world like a Ronnie Shields who’s going to teach you footwork, who’s going to teach you speed and movement and not be so heavy on your feet.

“So imagine with his power and his reflexes — he still has a chance to fight several more fights with the elites, but he needs a new trainer.”

Footwork was an issue for Alvarez against Crawford, and De La Hoya may be correct that a new trainer could have helped Alvarez add new dimensions to his game rather than leaving Alvarez vulnerable to Crawford’s speed and angles.

Instead, Alvarez was left drowning and without a life raft against the steady tide of Crawford’s attack.

Having been in the ring with several other legends in his career, De La Hoya was able to speak to what it must have felt like for Alvarez on that night and brought up other times Alvarez had been outworked by better technicians like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol.

“It’s called frustration. When you’re facing a Floyd, he got frustrated. When he faced Bivol, he got frustrated, tried to lift him up and body slam him in the ring. When he got hit by Crawford, and he took that deep breath, he’s frustrated. Don’t get me wrong, Canelo facing the right opponent that is going to stay in front of him, that’s going to fight, that’s going to make it a brawl, Canelo knocks ’em out.

“So I’m not saying Canelo’s shot or done, no. It’s far from it. It’s all on the matchmaking; it’s all who you put in front of him. It’s all about squeezing those last dollars from the fans, Canelo.”

A rematch between Alvarez and Crawford could be in the cards. Whether Alvarez follows De La Hoya’s advice and switches trainers to add new dimensions to his game or sticks to what has always worked despite the frustrations of the first fight is still to be seen.