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With Italian ancestry, former
World Boxing Federation (WBF)
World Super Middleweight
Champion Fredrik Alvarez
was born in Koping, Sweden in
April of 1975. Along with his
younger brother Giovanni, he was
raised in Borlanga and trained
by father Constantino through
over one-hundred amateur bouts.
Boxing on the unpaid circuit in
both Sweden and Italy, he won
the Italian amateur
championships at Middleweight at
the age of eighteen in 1993, and
decided to turn professional in
1995, still only nineteen years
old and with a nickname suitable
for his fighting-style: “Tyson”.
Due to the fact that
professional boxing was banned
by Swedish law in 1995, Alvarez
signed with Danish Hall-of-Fame
promoter Mogens Palle, and made
his debut on March 17, 1995 at
K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen,
stopping Englishman Mark Hale
(5-11-1) in the first round.
With the backing of a big
Scandinavian TV deal, Palle kept
Alvarez extremely busy. In 1995
he boxed seven times, from March
to December, and the following
year he entered the ring for no
less than eleven fights,
bringing his record to 18-0 (13)
before the start of 1997.
While his opposition wasn't
exactly frightening during this
period, Alvarez did face some
decent boxers such as undefeated
Dutchman Jack Zieleman (6-0),
experienced Venezuelan Armando
Rodriguez (26-8-1) and tricky
American Harold Roberts (5-1).
He was presented with many
different styles, and, besides
fourteen outings in Denmark, he
also gained important experience
from fighting twice in the
United Kingdom, once in Austria
and once in his second
home-country, as part of the
undercard for Vincienco
Nardiello vs. Robing Reid in
Milan in the fall of 1996.
1997 started well for Alvarez,
with knockout victories over
American imports Jason
Christopher (10-3), Quinton
Osgood (5-1) and Karl Willis
(22-6-1). At 21-0 (16), still
only twenty-two years old and
climbing the European rankings
fast, he was considered a major
prospect for the world scene in
years to come.
Palle had title fights in mind
for the young Italian-Swede, but
he, and certainly Alvarez, was
brought back down to earth in
June of 1997 when another
American, trial-horse Melvin
Wynn (16-27-1), very
surprisingly upset the script
and won on points over eight
rounds to inflict the first loss
on Alvarez record.
After having everything mostly
his own way in the ring, an
opponent decided to take
advantage of Alvarez having an
off night. Wynn had proven
capable when the stars aligned,
beating another undefeated
Scandinavian in Leif Keiski from
Norway, but no-one expected him
to do the same to Alvarez.
The shock-loss to Wynn probably
delayed the bigger fights a bit
for Alvarez, but Palle still had
great confidence in him. It was
not the first time he had seen
one of his boxers underestimate
an opponent, enter the ring
uninspired, or lose a fight due
to poor preparations.
After a break over the 1997
summer, a re-focused Alvarez
returned to the ring with
comprehensive, albeit
low-profile, victories in
September and October. The
set-back loss had been put to
good use, and a plan was in
place to get back towards the
top of the Super Middleweight
division.
On November 14, 1997, back at
the venue where he started his
pro career, K.B. Hallen in
Copenhagen, Alvarez faced former
champion Luciano Torres (45-4)
from Brazil for the vacant WBF
World Super Middleweight title.
Torres, by far the best opponent
of Alvarez career at that point,
had held the title between 1993
and 1995, making seven
successful defenses before
relinquishing it without losing
it in the ring. He traveled to
Denmark highly motivated to win
back his crown.
But, after a tough training camp
in Italy, Fredrik “Tyson”
Alvarez was on a mission to
firmly redeem himself. He would
not be denied that night, and
outright pulverized Torres in
two one-sided rounds to become
WBF world champion.
Unfortunately his reign would be
short. Alvarez kept busy with
two non-title victories over
Lonnie Knowles (16-3) and Frank
Williams (7-1-1) in the first
half of 1998, before losing the
title to extremely accomplished
South African
Thulani “Sugarboy” Malinga
(42-11) on June 6.
Malinga, who had lost the WBC
World title to England's Richie
Woodhall only a few months
earlier, was on top of his game
that evening in Copenhagen, and
stopped a game but bewildered
Alvarez in the eleventh round.
Mogens Palle didn't give up on
Alvarez, but probably realized
that for all his qualities, such
as punching-power and relentless
pressure, the Swede still had
plenty to learn to be victorious
when fighting against certain
styles.
Over the next two years he
matched Alvarez wisely, and ten
victories later, against decent
but carefully chosen foes, his
record stood at 36-2 (24). But a
fight in France on September 16,
2000 against Andrey Shkalikov
(49-5-1) for the European crown,
might very well have been the
beginning to the end.
Alvarez was completely
outclassed by the tough Russian,
and his corner decided to throw
in the towel in round eight.
Retirement seemed like a very
realistic option, but six months
later he returned to the ring,
fighting a few kilos below the
Super Middleweight limit.
It was decided that an attack on
the Middleweight division was
the way forward, but a so-so
performance, and unanimous
decision victory, against George
Klinesmith (8-1-1) didn't
exactly have people shouting
from the rooftops.
Carl Cockerham (10-6-2) was
blown out in the opening round
in his next outing, before a
crack at the vacant IBA World
Middleweight title against Evans
Ashira (19-0) ended in another
disaster, and brutal stoppage
defeat in eleven rounds, in June
of 2001.
Ashira was supposed to fight
Alvarez compatriot Armand
Krajnc, the former WBO World
Champion, but when Krajnc was
forced to pull out, Alvarez, to
his credit, accepted to step in
and face the 1996 Kenyan
Olympian.
At this point it was basically
over for Alvarez. He did fight
three more times, winning twice
before losing a decision after
six rounds to a man he had no
business losing to, Yameen
Muhammad (5-1-1) in October of
2002.
His final record 40-5 (26),
Alvarez went through and
overcame drug addiction in
retirement, and faced tragedy
when brother Giovanni, who also
boxed professionally between
2000 and 2007, died at
thirty-six in 2016.
At the time where Giovanni
passed away, the Alvarez
brothers, along with other
family members, ran a hotel just
outside of San Marco Argentano
in Italy. Fredrik still runs the
hotel, now with his wife Tea,
whom he married in 2018, by his
side.
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