Alvarez will turn 36 in July, though, and he knows that his time atop the mountain is nearing its end. With that in mind, Alvarez feels that the fighter positioned to possibly carry the Mexican flag for years to come is a close friend.

“I hope and I would love to pass the torch to [Jaime] Munguia,” Alvarez told Ring CEO Rick Reeno during a recent episode of the “Mr. Verzace Podcast.”

Munguia, 29, is in a good spot. With the help of Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s trainer, he grabbed one of the most salient wins of his career, a dominant unanimous decision over Armando Resendiz on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. His impressive victory earned Munguia the WBA super middleweight strap, his second world title and first since he vacated the WBO junior middleweight crown late in 2019.

Alvarez, who beat Munguia (46-2, 35 KOs) on points to defend his Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound titles in May 2024, watched his good friend closely during training camp. He also cheered for him from ringside.

Considering all the work Munguia put in behind the scenes, Alvarez couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he continued to sing his praises.

“He learned a lot, he listened, he worked very hard and he’s a very good guy,” Alvarez continued. “He deserves everything. He puts everything in the gym, you can tell. You saw him in the last fight, he did a lot of different things. We feel very proud of him.”

After helping Munguia become champion again, Alvarez is hoping to do the same. He is set to make his first appearance of 2026 when he takes on Christian Mbilli on September 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Mbilli’s WBC 168-pound title. If Alvarez wins, however, he wouldn’t pursue a rematch with Munguia to unify titles.

“I’m not gonna fight Munguia again,” Alvarez said. “We’re on the same team. We like Munguia, he’s a great person. He works very hard. We’re never going to fight again.”