CANELO ALVAREZย (49-1-2, 34 KOs) hasย stepped up training camp in his second home of San Diego, Calif. as he prepares to face WBC, WBA, and IBO Middleweight Worldย Championย Gennady โGGGโ Golovkinย (38-0-1, 34 KOs)ย in the most anticipated bout of 2018.ย The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at a special time of 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
After a controversial split draw that left the boxing fans wanting even more โ Canelo shared his revamped routine as he prepares for the historic rematch, which will take place on Mexican Independence Day Weekend.
Details for Caneloโs training are as follows:
- Running every morning (except Sunday) at around 6:00 a.m.
- Training in the gym from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridaysย (jumping rope, shadowboxing, hitting the bags, working on strategy, etc.).
- Sparring sessions at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- Diet consists of chicken, fish, and select vegetables.
- This week Canelo will complete his fourth week of training and third week of sparring.
- Caneloโs camp still has five weeksโ worth of sparring left and he will complete 66 rounds of sparring this week.
This is what Canelo shared as he nears the halfway mark of his intense training camp in preparation for the fight of his career:
โThe last fight gave us the blueprint for this rematch. We donโt necessarily have to change the strategy; we just have to add to what we did. We have to throw more punches in every round. We need to do that to remove any doubts about the victory. For that we will work on our conditioning. Thatโs what we needed a little more of in the first fight in order to be able to throw punches constantly in each round.
โWe have been training very well. Weโve been working hard on the conditioning. Thatโs what weโll need a lot of in the second fight. Weโre focused. Weโre focused on the style of Golovkin. We know that heโs not going to change. Heโs going to go out to do the same thing he always does and come forward. He may want to change, but when things get tough, heโll go back to the style heโs been using his whole life and which he has never changed.
โIโve fought with very difficult fighters who are very difficult to land shots on and difficult to fight. Iโve fought with strong fighters as well. Heโs a strong fighter. Heโs a dangerous fighter. He is one of the toughest fighters Iโve faced. This is one of those fights weโre Iโll be the most prepared of my career.
โIโm automatically a faster fighter than he [Golovkin]. My reflexes are quicker than his, so I could see punches [in the first fight]. But he has a lot of experience. He landed some shots on me, but thatโs due to his experience, and I could see punches as soon as he began to throw them. In the fifth round, I was hit with the kind of shot to knock someone out. It was between the ear and the neck, but I didnโt feel anything.
โI knew who Golovkin was from the beginning. Heโs been at 160 pounds for pretty much his entire career. Iโve always said that when I move up to middleweight, I would fight the best. Heโs supposed to be the best, and I felt very good in the first fight. His power is nothing out of this world.
โI donโt know why Golovkinโs corner or team have been aggressive in their talks. It may be because of the rivalry we have. I donโt know. I think theyโve gone too far. Theyโve gone beyond just trying to sell the fight with their statements. I donโt like talking or instigating with the fighter or even trying to make a show to sell the fight. People know that when we get into the ring, weโre going to give a great fight, period.
โIn some sense, he might have offended me. But I always consider whoโs saying what. The truth is thatย Golovkinย is my opponent, so I understand it. With Abel Sanchez, it doesnโt worry me at all. Because at the end of the day, what about him? At the end of the day, heโs not going to get in the ring with me.
โIt got more personal this time around. The little respect that we had for each other was lost. Iโm using this as motivation. Everything that he has said has made it personal. What they said about who I am as a person has made it personal. But I will use it intelligently to my benefit this Sept. 15.
โI dedicate this fight to everyone who has always supported me. To my family and my team, and to all the people who will watch the fight. It will be a great fight.โ