The personal jabs between Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. began well before they will trade punches in the ring.
The two Mexican fighters will meet on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, a day after Cinco de Mayo.
One of the big topics of ongoing conversation for Canelo has been whether he will meet Gennady Golovkin in a superfight. Canelo’s hesitation to make the fight led Chavez Jr. to say he could better represent Mexico.
Informed of the comment, Alvarez had a strong response.
“You can’t put a fighter like him, who has embarrassed the sport, who doesn’t have discipline, what’s happened with his drug tests, with all the things he’s done to hurt boxing,” Alvarez said via the LA Times’ Dylan Hernandez. “He can’t say he can represent a country better than me. Why? Just his image. His image shouldn’t represent a country. Do you think he’s an example for a child?”
Canelo’s point is a good one, but they’re talking about two different things. Alvarez is talking about a fighter’s overall image in terms of doing right and wrong and following rules, while Chavez is talking about toughness and accepting all challenges. Different people will value those matters differently.
Photo: Golden Boy Promotions
