Canelo Alvarez is no stranger to big stages. But the super middleweight champion will step into a new ring for Super Bowl 57 when he appears in his first Super Bowl commercial.
The ad is for Michelob Ultra and provided an opportunity for Canelo to showcase his love for another sport: golf.
“I can play every day and (it doesn’t) get boring, never,” he told USA TODAY Sports in a Zoom interview. “For me, for my career, it helped me a lot, too — to be a little calmed down, not too much stress. I love everything about golf.”
In the spot, called “New Members Day,” the boxing star appears driving a Michelob Ultra-branded golf cart while Emmy award-winning actor Brian Cox and tennis legend Serena Williams face off in an homage to “Caddyshack.”
“For me it’s an honor,” Canelo said of being included in the commercial.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS analyst Tony Romo, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, Los Angeles Sparks champion Nneka Ogwumike and USWNT soccer great Alex Morgan also make cameos as the competition heats up.
Canelo, who has a role at the height of the drama, said he was excited to chat with Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, especially after watching the biopic of her father, “King Richard.”
“Her story is amazing,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Message of equality resonated with Canelo
Michelob Ultra said it was intentional about having equal representation of men and women athletes in the commercial and worked with director Rachel Morrison for the second year in a row. The mission resonated with Alvarez.
“I have two daughters, so for me it’s very important to help women and show the people they can be the same,” he said.
In 2021, Michelob Ultra made a $100 million commitment over five years to increase the visibility of women’s sports. Anheuser-Busch, Michelob Ultra’s parent company, was one of the first sponsors of the WNBA when the league was getting off the ground in 1996.
“Besides loving the product, it’s also super-fun to go with a company that walks the walk and talks the talk,” Williams told USA TODAY.
That’s not the only representation that is important to Alvarez, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico. Golf is a sport typically dominated by white men. Although the presence and impact of Latino and Hispanic players has increased, there is still a divide.
The NFL has also made efforts to better connect with the Latino community through its “Por La Cultura” campaign, including having the first Chicana and Indigenous artist design the official Super Bowl art.
“To be in this commercial about golf, it’s very important to me because I’m a Latino,” the boxing star said. “So this is very special.”
Boxing ‘more exciting’ than NFL, golf
Canelo was on the sidelines during the Monday Night Football game at Estadio Azteca in November and said the energy was “different” than his boxing matches, but it was “very cool to be there.”
“When you watch my fights, it’s a little more exciting, the people is more excited because they want blood in the ring,” he said. “So, a little more different, but it’s almost the same.”
Canelo’s last fight was in September when he defeated Gennadiy Golovkin to complete their fight trilogy. He said after the bout, which came after his first loss in nine years, that he was going to rest and heal his injured hand.
In the meantime, he will appear in “Creed 3” in March and you can probably find him on a golf course somewhere.
“I can (leave) my phone four hours, five hours and just hit the ball, hit the ball,” he said. “For me, it’s very good.”