Canelo Álvarez Praises 'Great' Jermell Charlo Ahead of Fight: 'I Always Take Risks'
August 15, 2023
Ahead of his super middleweight championship defense in a superfight against undisputed light middleweight champ Jermell Charlo, Canelo Álvarez had nothing but praise for his opponent.
"I'm happy to be in this position right now, in the big fights," Álvarez said at Tuesday's kickoff news conference to promote the Sept. 30 fight. "Jermell Charlo is a great fighter, the undisputed champion in his weight class (154). He takes challenges like me. I always take risks. We love being involved in these kind of fights."
Álvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) was initially expected to face Charlo's older twin brother, undefeated WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. Instead, the younger Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will be moving up two weight classes to 168 pounds to challenge for a second undisputed title. This will be the first time in his career that he takes part in a superfight of this magnitude, but he's not afraid of the opportunity.
"A lot of guys are worrying about the wrong things, moving up in weight, doing this and doing that," Charlo said. "When you want to win something this big you gotta risk it all. That's part of this moment."
He went on to add, "I know I'm moving up two weight divisions. Who cares? Who gives a damn? That won't stop how I do it and the way I do it. I'm excited for this moment."
Álvarez bounced back from his first loss in nearly 10 years with back-to-back decision wins over Gennady Golovkin last September and John Ryder in May. His performances were viewed as somewhat lackluster following his loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, but the 33-year-old remains confident in his abilities to get the job done against Charlo.
"It's good that people are talking about that. It's fine. I don't look good in these two past fights … but I know why. But I'm ready," Álvarez said. "I'm different now. I prepare myself for different kinds of fights. Every fight is different. This is a different fight. And I'm focused on it."