Shane Mosley Reveals He Bet $1 Million On Himself To Beat Canelo Alvarez In 2012

Shane Mosley had to pay to fight Canelo Alvarez in 2012.

Mosley entered the fight with Alvarez coming off a decision loss to Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight belt. Alvarez wasn’t as known but he still was the betting favorite in the fight, and according to Mosley, he bet $1 million on himself to win, despite only making $600,000. He ended up losing a decision, which made Mosley ended up having to pay $400,000 to lose to Alvarez.

“They were gonna pay me $600,000 [for the Alvarez fight], but I made a bet for a million dollars that I was gonna beat Canelo, and if I would’ve won I’d have $6 million,” Mosley told Mario Lopez on OK Bet (via BoxingScene). “I was thinking this snot nose kid is not gonna beat me at 154 [pounds]. I had to pay $400,000 for getting my butt kicked. Canelo got me.”

Looking back now, it would be hard not to pick Alvarez to win that fight, but he wasn’t as known as Shane Mosley was. Despite the loss of money, Mosley also had high praise for the Mexican, as in an interview with BoxingScene last year, he had nothing but praise for Alvarez.

“The fighter of the decade [from 2010 to 2019] for me was Canelo Alvarez,” said Mosley. “He moved up in weight from 154 to 160, 168, 175, and he dominated. He fights all of the best fighters out there.

“Canelo is a man now. When I fought him he was 22 years old. He was really good and I was impressed by him when I was in the ring with him. I really was trying to use my experience and walk him down because he didn’t know as much as I did,” Mosley continued. “He has a great corner and a great team. The coaching is spectacular. They make him throw punches the right way. He has great reaction, punching power, speed. The guy is a total package. He’s pound-for-pound the best right now. He knows old school and new school. I was surprised by the knowledge that he had. He beat me, and it’s obvious that he’s a great.” 

What do you make of Shane Mosley betting $1 million on himself to beat Canelo Alvarez in 2012?