?I see Gennady being more physical. I see Gennady trying to dictate the pace. Canelo has proven that he?s a warrior??
The captain steers the ship while steerage hoists the sails. It?s often easy to overlook the efforts and contributions of effective coaching in all types of sport. At the same time, many are of the opinion that the coach doesn?t throw the ball, put it in the hoop or into the back of the net. Some feel that the talent overrides the importance of the boss on the sidelines and at times, this appears to be a valid point.
Think for a moment of the handful of championship teams who may have been able to win the championship in their respective game even with a chemical engineer at the helm. This type of thinking is often more a form of criticism than actual wisdom in play, yet boxing sits in a realm of its own, depending on who is asked.
A long-awaited middleweight unification showdown is now less than five weeks away. If its corresponding interest can hang on for just a few more weeks, then it may be able to shake off the distraction of a certain contest set to take place three weeks beforehand. Lineal and Ring Magazine champion Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KO?s) will hopefully work with the WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO middleweight champion, Gennady ?GGG? Golovkin (37-0, 33 KO?s) to produce what their respective promoters are touting as potentially one of the best fights in the history of the storied division.
On Monday afternoon, the trainers of each fighter took part in an international media conference call to discuss the upcoming contest set to take place on Saturday, September 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo?s main cornerman, Eddy Reynoso joined Abel Sanchez (Golovkin?s trainer) and fielded questions from the boxing press. Each man was at their typical, cordial best. Sanchez was able to clear the air, so to speak and indicate that the September contest wasn?t to necessarily determine who is among the best in boxing, pound-for-pound, or who can call himself the best trainer in the game. He was beyond complimentary towards Canelo?s manager and trainer, Jose ?Chepo? Reynoso, as well as his son Eddy, who serves as head trainer.
?I think at this point if you consider those two fighters the best fighters in boxing,? he said, ?then these are the two best trainers in boxing, also.?
?Eddy and Chepo have done a great job with Canelo and I think we have done a great job with Gennady. The winner on the 16th is not necessarily the best fighter in boxing, but the best fighter that night. Same with the trainers. I think that the competition between us needs to be there so that we can prepare our guys to be the best they can be that night.?
Shortly thereafter, Abel talked about the possibility of ?Supremacy,? as its tagged, being one of the finest nights of boxing in recent memory. He went so far as to channel his respect for such names as Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran. Sanchez commented, ?I see both guys being aggressive and I see Gennady being more physical. I see Gennady trying to dictate the pace. Canelo has proven that he?s a warrior. We?re looking for a tough fight.?
?I think that both guys are going to hurt each other, and they may go down. But I think we will be treated to a throwback fight like in the mid-80s when the four kings, the five kings, were around.?
Many are expecting or at least hoping for an absolute firefight on September 16th and of course, with good cause. We didn?t get it in Canelo?s last bout. His opponent, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. did nothing and although the appearance of Golovkin in the ring after the walkover victory brought some collective smiles, Gennady?s last outing threw up a few red flags of its own. In any case, Golovkin?s narrow win over Danny Jacobs didn?t seem to give Sanchez much cause for concern and he doesn?t anticipate his fighter tasting the canvas, either.
?I have respect not only for his (Canelo?s) punching power, but I have respect for Eddy and Chepo doing the things that are necessary to counteract some of the things that we?re going to be doing,? he said.
?I think it?s a fight where it?s going to be a chess match at the beginning and then once you get past that point where they are trying to see what each other is doing, they are going to go at each other. And it?s going to be up to us in the corner to make sure we dictate what we want done and make sure that we come up with a different plan if the first one is not working.?
Abel continued his praise for the corner of Canelo and also stressed his happiness that two of the biggest fighters in boxing are each guided by individuals with Mexican heritage.
?Well, first of all, I?m extremely proud that two Mexicans are guiding the two best fighters in the sport and we are going to be meeting each other for supremacy on the 16th,? commented Abel. ?I will be extremely happy that the fans recognize the fact that it?s not only Canelo as a Mexican, but Gennady has a Mexican style, but Eddy and I are both very proud Mexicans.?
When it was Eddy Reynoso?s turn to chime in on the same sentiments, he was all too eager to concur. ?We?re very, very happy to what we have achieved and happy doing what we love,? said the trainer of the Guadalajara fighter. He continued, ?And we?ve got to keep advancing, keep doing what we do best, and that?s winning and advancing; so that one day, hopefully not too in the distant future, we can be considered as one of the best in the game.?
Gennady Golovkin has managed to endear himself to Mexican boxing fans over the past few years, as evident by the large turnout in arenas in California as well as New York. He?s been somewhat adopted by some of the fans closely tied to the boxing crazed nation of Mexico, yet Reynoso feels that there must be a point where such comparisons abruptly end. ?Yeah, you know, he obviously has some things of the Mexican style, because his trainer, there?s influence there?, he said.
?He?s taught him some Mexican style of fights. But let?s not forget at the end of the day, he?s from Kazakhstan; that?s where his roots are and although he may have a little bit of the Mexican style that he?s been taught, at the end of the day, he can?t have the full Mexican style.?
Golovkin?s jab has been much of the key to his success in the ring as he?s managed to keep his record without a loss alongside an 89% knockout ratio. Not all ringside observers saw Gennady?s clash with Danny Jacobs this past March as a win for the slugger from Kazakhstan, however. The scorecards read 114-113 with two at 115-112 for ?GGG,? yet many viewed Jacobs as the rightful winner or at the very least, the beneficiary of a draw. Abel Sanchez spoke on Danny?s actions that night in Manhattan as well as the unfounded accusations that his fighter intentionally chose to show signs of vulnerability in order to land a ?safer? fight in the eyes of the Canelo Alvarez camp.
?Well, first of all, he (Jacobs) ran most of the last part of the fight,? said Abel. ?But I think his size was a little hard to deal with at the beginning and then by the time he started running, it was difficult to catch up with him.?
He further added in regard to the Jacobs bout, ?Absolutely not. You never take a chance on losing a fight and by doing something ridiculous like that. We take a chance of the judges seeing it the other way.?
As previously mentioned, the support for Golovkin from Mexican boxing fans has been special, yet there?s a chance that more than a few might jump ship for his night in the ring with Canelo. Eddy Reynoso spoke of the challenge presented by Golovkin, where a win would place his fighter and lastly, the support he?s received.
?Without a doubt this is going to be the strongest, the toughest fight of his career at this point, and there?s no doubt that that?s what we?re preparing for,? he said.
?As far as Golovkin having some Mexican fan support, in a country as big as America, for every one that supports Golovkin, there?s nine that support Canelo. So we?ll stick with the nine that support us, and, hey, the other one doesn?t matter. It?s okay.?
