It’s no secret that there is no love lost between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 57-2-2 (39) and Gennadiy Golovkin 42-1-1 (37) but in case there was any doubt, undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez set the record straight.
“He’s a fucking asshole,” Alvarez said to TMZ Sports. “He’s not honest. He pretends to be a good person and be different but he’s not.
“He talks a lot of shit about me. He’ll say, ‘I respect him, his career.’ And, other part, ‘He’s an embarrassing boxer, he’s embarrassing for Mexican boxing.’ I hate that motherfucker because of that.”
The 31-year-old Mexican superstar is set to face Kazakh Golovkin in a trilogy bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 17, the same venue that hosted their first two fights in 2017 and 2018.
The first bout ended in a controversial split draw while the rematch resulted in a majority decision to Alvarez. Those two fights took place at middleweight, the division where Golovkin currently hold the IBF and WBA world championships.
This time around Golovkin will step up to the 168-pound weight class with Alvarez’s undisputed championship on the line.
Alvarez is coming off a unanimous decision loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol 20-0 (11) in May when he was clearly outboxed by the clever Russian. After Golovkin, Alvarez wants a second crack at Bivol.
“I’m 100% focused on this fight [with Golovkin] because it’s a dangerous fight,” Alvarez said. “But 100% looking for a second fight with Bivol.”
Now aged 40, some fans and pundits have questioned how much longer Golovkin can compete at the top level, but his trainer Johnathon Banks has no such worries.
“I think the only people that is worried about his age is the media,” Banks said.
“I don’t even think the other opponents is even worried about his age. My opinion… I’m not worried about it. I worry about when I see the slow down, then I will acknowledge it.
“But as of right now, as long as he stays motivated and he’s working his butt off to accomplish the goal, I don’t see any reason to pull him back and start discussing how old he is and this and that.”
Golovkin also dismissed talk of retirement.
“I don’t think there is a ceiling that I need to reach. I don’t want to jump ahead. We will plan our future steps based on the outcome. After the fight is over, we’ll think about what we can do next,” Golovkin said.
“[Retirement] is a hard question. It’s hard to say. Everyday can bring something new. Even if we just look ahead past this fight, we’ll see what opportunities come our way from the financial and attractiveness of a potential fight.
“I will make my decision based on the situation and when it’s a good time.
“It’s hard to make predictions. I’m in boxing because I enjoy it. When you make a decision to retire, it’s usually not based on just one reason. There are a number of reasons that eventually come into play. So far, I’m still in business.”
With a four year gap between the last time they fought, many things have changed for both boxers. One of those changes was Golovkin leaving trainer Abel Sanchez for Banks.
“Like I say, both fighters are different coming into this fight since four years ago when they fought,” Banks said.
“I think both fighters are different and that will make it an even better fight.
“This version of ‘Triple G’, I believe, will be able to make those adjustments.”
