Canelo Alvarez on why he’s moving up from middleweight to light-heavyweight to fight Sergey Kovalev
“I spoke with my team. We talked with my team, with Eddy [Reynoso] more than anything. He wanted that fight. He wanted to get a fourth title against one of the best fighters in that division, and we wanted to make history in boxing and leave a big legacy, so it looked like a good idea. It’s a risk that we’re taking, but that’s boxing.
“We decided that after the last fight. Obviously we had thought about it before the fight with [Danny] Jacobs because media asked, they asked if it was possible to be moving up to 175 pounds, and it didn’t sound bad, and then we started to think about it. But first, of course, we had to pass the first challenge, which was against Jacobs, and then we decided to move up in weight.”
On fighting for this WBO title without a catchweight
“I will be on weight at 175 pounds. That’s what I’m going to weigh, 175 pounds.
“I’m lifting more weights. I hadn’t lifted that much previously. A lot of reps but not that much weight, so I’m lifting more weights, eating more carbs, eating protein, and that’s what we’re doing to make weight.
“You know, right now to move yet to another division would be a lot. We can’t exaggerate. It would be too much moving to another division, but I’m looking for challengers. I keep looking to make history. That’s how I would characterize myself as the kind of fighter that tries to make history.”
On the importance of this fight
“Moving up two divisions against a world champion is a big challenge for me, worrying about a champion at light-heavyweight. But I also think that it’s the most important fight of my career. That’s why we are doing this, to keep making history. That’s what I like. I like those challenges.
“For us there are no limits. We want to make history. We want to keep advancing. So there are no limits for us. We’re in a good moment in my career, so we have to take advantage of that.”
On meeting Kovalev at Big Bear training camp
“I was training for the [Shane] Mosley fight, if I’m not mistaken, but I would go there to train, and at the same time when I would get there, he would be leaving. We would greet each other. There was nothing in particular special, but that’s where we met, and that’s where we got to know each other. He was a four- to six-round fighter then, and then we saw that he was moving up. He was going to become champion, and we as a team really liked that, to see someone who was fighting at the four- to six-round level become the world champion. I mean, and one of the best, as well. So we really liked that as a team.”
