1/16/2024 0 Comments Canelo alvarez boxer![]() After Demetrius Andrade, the WBO middleweight champion, interrupted him, Álvarez swore repeatedly at him in English. Saunders was already in hospital when Álvarez held his post-fight press conference. I am always totally switched on when these guys like Saunders and Plant make it personal.” Plant is a good fighter, a skilled fighter, a smart fighter. Yet Álvarez nods when I ask if he thinks that, deep down, Plant actually believes he can win. “You can see in his body language Plant is an insecure person,” Álvarez suggests, “and that’s why he tried to do something different and land that hook. Blows were exchanged and Plant’s sunglasses were crunched into his face and opened a cut under his eye. When the American made a comment about his mother during the face-off, Álvarez shoved him violently. Plant and Álvarez taunted each other at their first press conference in September. It would be too sad if something bad happened.”Ĭanelo v Plant: boxers exchange blows and insults before unification bout – video But I can never think how boxing can kill somebody. Your opponent is coming to hurt you but it’s even more difficult for a fighter if something happens to the other guy. Is he ever haunted by the prospect of damaging an opponent permanently? “I always remember how dangerous boxing is. I knew the fight was over as soon as it landed because his eye was really bad.” ![]() And that uppercut is one of the best punches I’ve ever thrown. “It was amazing,” Álvarez says, his eyes widening. The fight was watched at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium by a crowd of 73,126, which set an attendance record for a bout held indoors in America. Saunders ended up in hospital because his orbital bone had been fractured by that devastating punch. He was made to suffer by Álvarez, who stopped him with a brutal uppercut in the eighth round. Saunders tried to get under the Mexican’s pale skin in his typically brash way. After he crushed Yildirim in February, Álvarez faced Saunders, another previously undefeated British world champion, who brought his WBO belt to their showdown in May. Smith was the unbeaten WBA title-holder but, last December, the usually imposing Liverpudlian was outclassed over 12 rounds. Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders, like Plant now, were admired world champions. Only one of his challengers, Avni Yildirim of Turkey, could be dismissed as a no-hoper. He is contemporary boxing’s closest equivalent to Hagler, for, unlike so many fighters who step into the ring once a year, this will be his fourth world title bout in 11 months. His fame and wealth have become astronomical but Álvarez retains his relish for fighting. Álvarez speaks in Spanish here but throughout our main interview he relies on his increasingly confident English, which has helped turn him into the biggest draw in American boxing. But Hagler is a legend.”Ĭanelo Álvarez arrives at his San Diego gym wearing his natty nightwear. “There’s nothing wrong with the pyjamas, by the way. ![]() ![]() I want to always get better and make history. ![]() How does Álvarez stoke this fire in his Dolce and Gabbana pyjamas? “The desire comes out of my love for boxing. It was a reminder that even the seemingly untouchable champions have to keep returning to a dark well of adversity to replenish themselves. “It’s tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5am when you’ve been sleeping in silk pyjamas,” Hagler said years ago. But, in Vegas, I reminded Álvarez of one of the great Marvin Hagler’s trademark insights into boxing. The 31-year-old Mexican then posted a photograph on Twitter and asked: “You ready Vegas?”Ī few weeks earlier, during our interview, Álvarez had promised he would teach Plant the fundamental difference between watching him and fighting him. He flew on a private jet and stepped on to the tarmac in a blue silk pyjama suit. It is a landmark contest but Álvarez arrived in Vegas on Monday night in relaxed style. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, in one of modern boxing’s rare unification title bouts, the IBF super-middleweight champion, Caleb Plant, may just become the latest fighter to discover the harsh reality of sharing a ring with Álvarez, who will defend his WBA, WBC and WBO titles. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |