Emilio Azcárraga Jean, owner of Estadio Banorte, has extended an invitation to Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez for one of his upcoming fights to take place at the Santa Úrsula venue. The businessman's intention is to capitalize on the remodeling that the old Estadio Azteca received for the 2026 World Cup and once again give it prominence as a stage for major sporting events. Azcárraga believes boxing would be an excellent alternative and recalled the historic event headlined by Julio César Chávez against Greg Haugen in 1993, when over 132,000 fans attended the stadium.

The proposal gains further relevance because “Canelo” is in the advanced stages of his career and has spoken about his retirement plans. The Guadalajara native fought his last two bouts in 2025: on May 3rd, he defeated William Scull of Cuba by unanimous decision to win the WBA super middleweight championship, while on September 13th, he lost to Terence Crawford, also by unanimous decision, a result with which he lost his undisputed 168-pound titles.

For Azcárraga, bringing “Canelo” to Estadio Banorte would allow for the recovery of the spirit of those great boxing nights that were experienced at the Colossus of Santa Úrsula and take advantage of the venue's renewed capacity and infrastructure. The idea would be for Álvarez to headline one of his last major fights in front of the Mexican fans, in a venue that is already part of the history of national boxing. For now, the proposal is on the table, while the boxer from Jalisco prepares to return to the ring on October 31, 2026, against Cameroon's Christian Mbilli.