Brunch Boxing Exclusive: Canelo Álvarez Victorious In All Star Boxing Lawsuit
- Matthew Brown
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
04/29/2025
Before Canelo Álvarez steps into the ring on Saturday to defend his undisputed super middleweight crown against William Scull, he has already scored another major victory—this time in a different kind of arena.
In an unexpected twist, the protracted legal battle between Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and promotional company All Star Boxing appears to be finally over.
Last week, a Florida appeals court significantly reduced the amount of damages awarded to the boxing promotional company, according to an April 23 ruling obtained by Brunch Boxing. In the ruling, the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida determined that Álvarez will only have to pay $45,418.83 to All Star Boxing for unjust enrichment—a far cry from the $8.5 million initially awarded by a jury in 2018.
The conflict began when All Star Boxing, led by promoter Félix “Tuto” Zabala Jr., sued the then-rising boxing star for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, claiming that their promotional services from 2008 to 2010 were essential to Álvarez’s rise in professional boxing. Although the jury dismissed the charges of breach of contract and third-party interference, it did find that Álvarez had unfairly benefited from All Star’s efforts. As a result, All Star Boxing was awarded $8.5 million.
Álvarez immediately appealed the decision, and the appeals court overturned the multimillion-dollar award in 2018 due to a lack of concrete evidence, ordering the lower court to reconsider the damages based solely on the existing record.
In this second review, Álvarez’s defense acknowledged that All Star had incurred direct expenses of $45,418.83 but contested the claim that its promotional efforts warranted millions more, comparing them to the signing bonus Álvarez later received from Golden Boy Promotions.
The appeals court ultimately agreed with Álvarez, noting there was no competent evidence directly linking All Star’s services to the bonus he received or quantifying their impact on Álvarez’s market value.
“The promoter doesn’t make the fighter. The fighter makes the promoter,” Zabala himself admitted during the legal proceedings.
The court determined that while All Star did prove it incurred expenses, it failed to demonstrate a quantifiable additional benefit that would justify greater compensation.
With this ruling, the long and controversial legal showdown between one of boxing’s biggest stars and his former promoter appears to be nearing its final chapter—though further legal action cannot be ruled out.
Neither Álvarez nor All Star Boxing has commented publicly on the latest decision or any possible future litigation.
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