Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez interrupted his preparation for a title fight in 2018 to negotiate the release of his brother Víctor, kidnapped in Jalisco. The boxer paid a ransom after three days of tension, without reporting to authorities due to fears of police collusion. The story came to light years later in an interview.
On December 10, 2018, Víctor Álvarez, known as 'El Paletas' and brother of Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez, left a bank in Jalisco with around 200,000 pesos in cash from the sale of a car. While heading home, he stopped at a gas station to talk to his partner and was hit on the back of the neck, losing consciousness. Upon waking, the kidnappers asked him to unlock his phone and saw photos with 'Canelo', leading them to believe money was available. Víctor told them he only knew the boxer through a friend.
'Canelo' learned of the kidnapping while in New York, days before his fight against Rocky Fielding for the World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight title on December 15. "When they call you to tell you your brother is kidnapped, you go crazy in that instant. I decided I had to take a moment to calm down because I had a fight coming up and wanted to solve it", Álvarez recounted in the In Depth With Graham Bensinger program in 2021.
The negotiation lasted three days. 'Canelo' had no direct contact with the criminals; a cousin acted as intermediary. The kidnappers demanded at least one million dollars, but the family agreed to pay 500,000, without specifying the currency. Víctor overheard part of the conversation: "One guy said: 'This guy has no money, he's not related to the boxer, he's nothing. They just got 500,000 together, he has no more, they borrowed it, so with that we should let him go'", he shared in the Los Mafia podcast with Carlos Lizárraga.
After the payment, they abandoned him near the V Military Region, meters from Jardín Real colony. They did not report the kidnapping due to suspicions of police involvement. "It's very complicated in Mexico, because maybe they (the police) were involved in the situation. I think they were involved", 'Canelo' said. Víctor reported hearing police radios and seeing a patrol car without intervention, despite his cries from the trunk.
The incident contributed to 'Canelo' moving to California for security reasons, though he could not bring his entire family. The Álvarez family has faced other issues: Ricardo was arrested in 2015 for carrying a weapon, and Rigoberto in 2016 for alleged sale of stolen auto parts. Víctor was accused in 2012 of a homicide in Juanacatlán, but he denied involvement.
