By Keith Idec
Abel Sanchez doesn’t necessarily believe Canelo Alvarez when Alvarez says he will come to knock out Gennady Golovkin in their middleweight championship rematch.
Sanchez reminded the moderator of a press event streamed live Tuesday on Facebook, Alvarez and everyone else watching that Alvarez made similar promises before their first fight. That’s why Golovkin’s trainer isn’t convinced Alvarez will engage Golovkin more than he did during their first fight when they meet again September 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“First of all, all of those same things were said prior to the first fight and it ended up being a track meet,” Sanchez said Tuesday. “I think that on the 15th, when Oscar and Canelo are having breakfast, Oscar needs to remind him to make sure he brings his courage to the venue that night. He’s gonna need it. If he intends to knock out Golovkin, he’s gonna have to fight him. And if he fights him, he's gonna get knocked out. I said that before.”
Mexico’s Alvarez drew criticism because he moved more than usual in their September 16 bout, which resulted in a controversial draw. Sanchez suspects Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) knew all along he’d mostly have to avoid trading with the hard-hitting Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) in order to keep from getting knocked out for the first time in his career.
“He would’ve gotten knocked out the first time, but he decided to make it a track meet that night,” Sanchez said. “But if he comes to fight and if he comes to knock out Golovkin, as he has said he is going to – if he doesn’t defraud the fans again, then he’s gonna get knocked out. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again.”
Alvarez defended his strategy Tuesday in response to Sanchez’s criticism.
“I did what I set out to do,” Alvarez said through a translator. “I did what I trained to do. I did a great fight. But on September 15th, I’m gonna do the necessary adjustments and the necessary things to win. [Sanchez] just likes to talk. He likes to talk a lot and bring up every excuse possible. But you’ll see on September 15th what Canelo Alvarez is all about and what he’s capable of doing.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.