Trainer Ronnie Shields knows the boxing scene as well as anyone in the sport, having been both a contender as a fighter and one of the top trainers in the game. Shields currently trains middleweight contender Jermall Charlo, who is the mandatory challenger for Gennady Golvokin. Shields hopes his fighter will get a shot at the middleweight champion before the end of the year.
In part 2 of my ?On The Ropes? boxing radio interview with Ronnie Shields, I discuss with him the Canelo Alvarez drug test situation. I get his views on Canelo?s tainted meat excuse and his thoughts on the chances that a rematch still happening. Shields also talks about the heavyweight division and gives his Wilder vs. Joshua prediction. Additionally, Ronnie talks about the upcoming Pacquiao-Mattyhsse fight. Here is what Ronnie Shields has to say.
Jenna J: Ronnie, what are your thoughts on the Canelo Alvarez situation with him testing positive for a banned substance and having the Golovkin fight get canceled? Do you believe his excuse of tainted meat or have you heard that before?
Ronnie Shields: Well I?ve heard that a lot of times before and the thing about it is, every fighter has to be accountable for his or her own actions. We in the sport know that we have to take drug tests and you know some of the other fighters from Mexico tested positive for the same thing then why would you go out and buy that meat anyway and take a chance knowing that you have to take drug tests? You can?t just blame it on the meat.
All you have to do is look at Canelo and you can see it?s suspicious when you look at him. All you have to do is put pictures from about three years ago or two years ago and look at him now and see how big he?s gotten. Look you can see the guy is on drugs, you can see he?s dirty, everybody in the world can see it.
If the proper people don?t take action against this, then boxing is going to be in serious trouble because they?re allowing these guys to take drugs and then they only want to give him like a six month suspension, what?s that? Six months is nothing.
All they are doing is putting it off until another Mexican holiday so they can still make the money, it?s all about the money. If it was anybody else who was lesser known than a guy like Canelo Alvarez, they would be suspended for two years, maybe banned for life.
Jenna J: Do you think the rematch might not happen not with the whole mess this caused or do you think it happens later on?
Ronnie Shields: I think it gets pushed back to September and I know ?GGG? is mad, he?s really mad that he?s saying he has proof that Canelo has been taking drugs. I think if he does have proof he needs to send that to all the boxing organizations and he needs to send it to people in Las Vegas, the commission.
If he does have proof of it and he?s mad as hell, do you pass up a big payday or do you suspend a drug cheat? If you are in this sport you have to help the sport, you can?t worry about the money. Something it?s to do the moral thing that is right in order to help this sport, so we?re going to see what?s going to happen.
Jenna J: You worked with heavyweight fighters like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in the past. What do you think of this era?s heavyweight division with champions like Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua?
Ronnie Shields: I think it?s going to be interesting now, I think people understand now that the heavyweight division is getting hot again. Finally, we got guys that are bringing the excitement back to the division and I think we need one heavyweight champion right now.
I think Anthony Joshua should fight Deontay Wilder in his next fight. Both guys just fought, they both won, they both looked okay, so now is the time people want to see one heavyweight champion before one of these guys get knocked out.
Jenna J: If Wilder and Joshua end up meeting in the ring, who would you be favoring?
Ronnie Shields: Just from looking at both of their fights recently, I would have to favor Wilder. I think that Wilder with the length that he has and the power that he has, Joshua is more of a robotic type of fighter, he stands up still, his jab is really nothing, while Wilder has a really strong jab. Wilder is more fluid with his punches than Joshua is, so for me I?d favor Deontay Wilder.
Jenna J: Manny Pacquiao will return from a one year layoff and face off against Lucas Matthysse in July, What do you think of that matchup?
Ronnie Shields: I like the fight, I think Manny Pacquiao has a lot to prove to himself as to whether he should continue to fight or not. Matthysse did not look to good to me in his last fight, he was looking like he was having a lot of problems and because of that, a lot of people are gonna pick Manny Pacquiao to win, although Pacquiao didn?t look so good in his last fight either.
I think because of the names and only because of the names this is a very interesting fight. It?s for an interim world title, which doesn?t really mean a whole lot. But to people in Malaysia it means a whole lot, that they are fighting for the interim world championship. I really like Pacquiao in the fight because I just think he?s smarter and the guy is always in shape. I think because Matthysse had so many problems with the last guy he fought you have to favor Manny Pacquiao.
