By Keith Idec
Canelo Alvarez heard and read every derogatory thing Gennady Golovkin said about him a couple weeks ago.
The besmirched former two-division champion claims he didn’t pay it much mind. However Golovkin feels about Alvarez twice testing positive for a banned substance, Alvarez insists he hasn’t let any of Golovkin’s criticism bother him.
Golovkin was uncharacteristically critical of Alvarez for his performance-enhancing drug ordeal. Among many other things, Golovkin charged that Alvarez isn’t telling the truth about contaminated meat being responsible for failing two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association tests for clenbuterol.
After announcing his withdrawal Tuesday from their May 5 middleweight championship rematch, Alvarez fired back at the Kazakh knockout artist by contending Golovkin is using this clenbuterol controversy as a way out of their second bout. They were supposed to fight four weeks from Saturday night for Golovkin’s IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO middleweight titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“To be honest, what Golovkin or his team say doesn’t bother me at all,” Alvarez said through a translator during a press conference in Los Angeles. “Because No. 1, they’re not doctors, they’re not the experts. I don’t pay attention to them. It sounds more to me like an excuse of not wanting to fight me, like he’s scared, to be honest.”
Mexico’s Alvarez didn’t elaborate about why Golovkin would not want to partake in a lucrative pay-per-view rematch that would’ve paid him eight figures. Alvarez also didn’t explain why Golovkin would be “scared” to fight him, when they’ve already gone at it for 12 rounds and Alvarez didn’t appear to hurt Golovkin during a fight that resulted in a controversial draw September 16 at T-Mobile Arena.
Nonetheless, Alvarez made it clear that Golovkin is the only opponent he wants to fight once the Nevada State Athletic Commission clears him to return from his suspension.
Alvarez’s hearing with the NSAC is scheduled for April 18 in Las Vegas. The commission is expected to extend his temporary suspension to at least six months.
If he were suspended for six months, it would be retroactive to the date of his first failed test (February 17). That would allow Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) to reschedule his rematch with Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) for September 15.
Alvarez, 27, couldn’t specifically discuss when he wants to fight Golovkin because his hearing hasn’t taken place.
“Absolutely, that is the fight that I want,” Alvarez said. “That is the fight that I wanna give the fans. That is the fight. And as soon as we get the green light, that is the fight that I’ll go for.”
The 35-year-old Golovkin, meanwhile, reiterated in a statement Tuesday that he still wants to fight May 5 in Las Vegas. Former WBA 154-pound champ Demetrius Andrade (25-0, 16 KOs), IBF mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs) and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (27-2, 19 KOs) are among Golovkin’s potential replacements for Alvarez.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.