NEW YORK – Canelo Alvarez was pleasantly “surprised” by Jermell Charlo’s completely respectful approach to the two-city tour to promote their Showtime Pay-Per-View fight.

Charlo has been more abrasive and confrontational with opponents at press conferences in the past, but the undisputed 154-pound champion applauded Alvarez’s accomplishments and continually expressed respect for the superstar he will move up two weight classes to challenge September 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their press conferences August 15 in Manhattan and August 16 in Beverly Hills, California amounted to vastly different experiences for Alvarez than the last time he promoted a Premier Boxing Champions/Showtime event.

Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) and former IBF super middleweight champ Caleb Plant infamously fought on stage in September 2021, just before one of their press conferences started in Beverly Hills.

Alvarez took exception to something Plant said as they stood face to face and shoved Plant. Once he regained his footing, Plant stepped toward Alvarez and threw a left hand that missed.

Alvarez caught Plant with a short shot during the ensuing exchange. Their skirmish left Plant with a scrape beneath his right eye, the consequence of Alvarez landing a left hook that pushed Plant’s sunglasses into his skin.

The Mexican icon’s interactions with Charlo didn’t at all resemble what happened with Plant.

“I love it,” Alvarez told Showtime’s broadcasting team of Brian Campbell, Raul Marquez and Stephen Jackson following their press conference at Palladium Times Square. “Like I say, I love [to] respect your opponent. Because, you know, in the ring it’s different. But I like these kind of things because it’s when you see you both [fighters] are a hundred percent [focused on] the fight.

“Because we can talk sh!t and we can fight here, but in the fight it’s gonna be a boring fight, right? So, I like this kind of press conference because you don’t need to make drama, you don’t need to fight here. Everybody maybe do that because they wanna sell more pay-per-views. I don’t need it.”

Alvarez, 33, has helped produce more pay-per-view buys in the United States than any active fighter in boxing. His super middleweight championship clash with Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will mark the start of his three-fight deal with PBC and Showtime.

Charlo, 33, will compete in just his second pay-per-view fight. The IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 154-pound champion’s last pay-per-view appearance was essentially a co-main event because his twin brother, Jermall Charlo, defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko on the same night Jermell Charlo knocked out Jeison Rosario in the eighth round of their title unification fight in September 2020 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Charlo, a Houston native, explained the more conservative tact he has taken to promoting this higher-profile fight to Campbell, Marquez and Jackson.

“I don’t got no disrespect for the man,” Charlo said in reference to Alvarez. “The man a legend, man, did his thing. You know what I mean? You gotta give props when it’s due, so I mean, it’s just a challenge, you know? And it’s a great challenge.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.