Written by: Shawn Cross
“The press conference in Guadalajara was an incredible moment for me,” Canelo Alvarez said on Thursday, “because I saw my grandmother, my father, my mother, my brothers and my family there. I saw a lot of media people when I started boxing.” The guy had good reason to be happy, because he was already at a press conference for his May homecoming fight against mandatory opponent John Ryder. Canelo continued, “For me, I feel proud and happy to bring this fight to Guadalajara and give people some of the experience that I have elsewhere as the best in the world.”
Still perhaps the biggest star in the sport, the undisputed super middleweight roster tends to fight in Las Vegas or Texas where maximum money and attention can be found. With that said, Canelo has always wanted to fight again in his native Guadalajara. “I think this is the perfect time,” he said. “For a long time I’ve wanted to fight in Guadalajara, but I think this is the perfect moment, the perfect fight to bring it to Guadalajara.”
The past twelve months have been difficult for the future Hall of Famer. After losing to Dmitry Bivol in a daring attempt to move up in weight to snatch the WBA light heavyweight title from around Bivol’s waist, Canelo next fought arch-rival Gennady Golovkin for the third time. Although he won this match easily, many believed that Canelo should have defeated the aging Kazakh more specifically. Now, however, Canelo feels he has a chance to hit back at those detractors who say he’s starting to slip.
“I’m so excited to show everyone they’re wrong,” he told the media on Thursday. “I feel very good. I have a lot of years in my career; 17 years as a pro. I’ve had injuries too. I’m not at my best, but I’m very excited and I’m very happy to be in the gym, training at 100 percent, and they’ll see.” What’s coming. I’m so excited and excited. Be careful with that.”
Canelo then went on to say that the Ryder fight could be the high point of his career. “It will be one of the best moments in my career for sure. The fight with Billy Joe Saunders in Dallas was amazing, one of the most fun fights I’ve ever had. I think in Guadalajara it will be the same or even more so.”
