Canelo Alvarez is adamant about reclaiming his crown and throne as boxing’s best fighter.

After winning the undisputed super middleweight title in 2021, Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) has had a three-fight stretch featuring a loss to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight and workman-like unanimous decision wins against Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder.

The 33-year-old has also been dealing with injuries, as he underwent left wrist surgery last fall after the Golovkin fight. 

Alvarez’s next test arrives later this month when undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will jump up two weight classes to challenge the Mexican star on September 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Showtime pay-per-view.

“Boxing-wise, I wasn’t 100 percent. But critics are always looking for something, aren’t they? And obviously, I agree with them, that I haven’t looked the last few fights like I used to. And I don’t want to just give a rebuttal. I’d prefer to show them. And in this fight, you are going to see the difference,” Alvarez said on the second episode of Showtime's docuseries "All Access."

“I can't wait for September 30. This fight, you'll see I'm the king of boxing.” 

Alvarez was the 2021 fighter of the year and universally considered the sport’s pound-for-pound best fighter until Bivol bullied him last year to a unanimous decision loss. 

To prepare for Charlo, Alvarez moved training camp near a high-altitude abode in Lake Tahoe, California, and now he’s finally recharged and ready to deliver a turn-back-the-clock performance, he says. 

“He's a fighter that hits hard. He's a good boxer that knows how to use distance. That's what makes him dangerous,” said Alvarez. 

“This is one of the best camps I've ever had in every sense. How calm I am, how we've been training. I've been training at 100 percent. This helps me stay focused on the fight and will give me confidence when it's time to fight.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.