Stephen Jackson Explains Why He Cut Off Canelo’s Family After Match
Saturday night’s boxing match between Canelo Álvarez, 33, and Jermell Charlo, 33, turned out to be a rousing victory for the Guadalajara-born champion. Álvarez defended his super middleweight title, winning round after round — later taking the prize by unanimous decision.
“Nobody can beat this Canelo,” Álvarez told reporters at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada after the fight. “I’m a strong fighter all the time.”
He also said spending time in the mountains gave him even greater beast energy. “For three months in the mountains without my family, without anything. But I still love boxing. I love boxing so f***ing much.”
And while you might think controversy swirled during the boxing match, it actually came after all was said and done. Yes, we’re talking about that viral video between former NBA player Stephen Jackson, 45, and Álvarez’s family as they left the arena:
As you can see in the video, Jackson was not too keen on waiting for Álvarez’s family to pass before crossing the crowd. Here’s everything to know about what went down — and Jackson’s response to the squabble.
Security blocked others from crossing as Álvarez’s family left the arena — and Jackson was not pleased
The video that’s shaking the boxing world shows security guards paving the way for Álvarez’s family to safely exit the arena. However, to do so, they seemed to block all other attendees from exiting until the boxer’s family was gone.
Now, like many of our Latino families, Canelo seems to have a lot of loved ones (a relatable king). It took time for the boxer’s extended family to cross, but most onlookers waited patiently. Stephen Jackson is not most onlookers.
In the clip, you can see how Jackson waits for some of the boxer’s crew to cross, but eventually has enough. Once he gestures he is going to cross, a security guard tries to stop him. Someone can be heard saying, “Let the family go first,” while another chimes in, “Let the champ’s family go first.”
Still, Jackson crosses the crowd anyway. The former NBA star tells his own loved ones to follow him, saying, “Why we gotta wait? We not waiting.” Álvarez’s crew pauses for a moment as Jackson passes and then resumes to exit the arena.
Meanwhile, it seems like Jackson attended the match to actually support Álvarez’s opponent, Charlo. The former professional basketball player later posted about the event on Instagram, writing, “Not the outcome or effort we wanted but we all on the outside of the ring looking in.”
Adding, “Didn’t win the fight but Family Won and your pockets won.”
Now, some fans theorize Jackson might just have been a bit salty over the result of the match. One X user wrote, “I know you were pissed your boy Charlo got worked last night.”
Some sided with the former NBA player, “That part!!! We not waiting for nobody,” while many others definitely did not: “[Jackson] should now be forced to spend 10 minutes in the ring with Canelo.”
The former NBA player took to Instagram Stories to share his side of the story
Jackson took to Instagram Stories to share his perspective on the controversy, recalling to his followers, “The first security guy came to me and was like, ‘How are you doing, Mr. Jackson?’ and I’m like, ‘Cool,’ and he’s like, ‘Can you let Canelo’s family through?'”
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course’ and me and my people stood off to the side,” the basketball player described. “About 30 people passed by. And this one cop wants to grab me because I want to get by?”
He continued, “I waited for 30 people. If he got 40 more people [who are] family, then they’re going to have to wait. I was respectful to wait for 30 people. I have to get out of here, too.”
The 45-year-old added that he was not “waiting for 60 other people that might not even be his family.”
Concluding, “So I had something to say, yeah I sure did. And I got my family through. We all got somewhere to go.”
However, it didn’t end there. Jackson also wrote “Bet you security won’t touch me no more,” in his IG Story.
Over on social media, people continue to react to the situation — and Jackson’s response.
One X user simply commented on the NBA player’s inability to wait: “Stephen Jackson’s impatience knows no bounds”:
Others, though, don’t think Jackson’s reaction is a big deal: “Stephen Jackson is trying to leave with his family as security tries to cut him off.”
Meanwhile, many others think crossing boxing champion Canelo Álvarez is never a good idea:
While others wonder if Jackson would ever “run his mouth” to Álvarez directly:
And while some speculate what an Álvarez vs. Jackson fight would look like:
Others are quite clear that’s probably not going to happen:
