Canelo Alvarez broke the silence he'd kept since agreeing to a rematch against Gennady Golovkin earlier this month, and he had strong words on Friday for the middleweight champion.
In an interview on the ESPN Deportes boxing program A Los Golpes, Alvarez accused Golovkin and his team of "hypocricy," saying that during match negotiations they were interested only in money, not the respect they spoke of publicly. He let it be known that there will be no cordiality outside the ring in the leadup to the Sept. 15 fight, and that he's looking forward to "tear [Golovkin's] head off" that night in Las Vegas.
Alvarez, the former champion, said the knee surgery he had a few weeks ago has not given him any trouble and he is ready to travel to San Diego, where he will train starting July 10 with Eddy and Chepo Reynoso.
"I believe that cordiality we had -- not in the ring -- is over, as they keep opening their mouth," Alvarez said in Spanish. "I don't like to talk too much. ... Obviously, I get mad, but I can control myself when it's time to box. That's why there will be no more cordiality."
Alvarez went on to tell show host Jorge Eduardo Sánchez that he was annoyed in part because GGG and his team seem annoyed at him. "I don't know why they're annoyed, if I'm the one that has made them the most money," he said. "They say that is not important, that they are not arguing about it, but it's the first thing they are fighting for: the money, the purse. They only care about that. The hypocrisy is ... saying that is not important is the first hypocrisy."
Regarding the prediction by Abel Sanchez, Golovkin's trainer, that GGG will knock him out, Alvarez said, "It makes me laugh, obviously, saying that will happen when boxing is so unpredictable and so hard. They will not be facing the kind of boxer they have been facing. They know it. They just throw it out there, but they are aware what they will be facing."
Even though booking the rematch was delayed due to him testing positive for the banned substance clembuterol, Alvarez expects it to be a Fight of The Year candidate. Their first fight was a controversial draw, with a judge favoring each fighter and the third calling it even.
"No doubt this will be a better fight," Alvarez said. "The desire to tear his head off is so big, and it will be much better."
In his training camp, Alvarez said, he will concentrate on his physical conditioning to be more effective the second time around. In the first fight, Golovkin was the more active fighter, though Alvarez was more accurate, according to CompuBox stats.
"It's one of the main things on my training: physical condition," Alvarez said. "We already have the strategy set up. We know how we will fight, the right sparring [partners]. ... The most important thing is that: having good sparring sessions and physical condition."
The Mexican fighter also said he's very happy with the way his career has worked out, and the 27-year-old has a plan for when to retire. "It's very hard to say when -- I can say 50, but I have the idea of being retired when I'm 35 years old," he said.
Alvarez still has some goals he would like to accomplish. "That's why I want to do everything I can during the next few years and retire when I turn 35," he said, "and enjoy life, the money I made and the businesses I may have."
As for becoming the top figure in the Mexican fight scene, a road that Hall of Famers Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales have traveled, Alvarez said he was proud and honored to carry his country's flag all over the world. "I assume this with responsibility, discipline -- I always give 100 percent," he said. "I try to do my best to give the fans great fights. It's a big responsibility, due to the big fighters that gave me this flag. But I'm very proud."