Throughout his career, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez has been a boxer that hasn’t been afraid to put everything on the line in the ring. He fought Austin Trout when it was advisable not to do so, since Trout is a sleek and dangerous fighter, but not one that would offer Álvarez much prestige. The same can be said about his fight with Erislandy Lara, who’s also a dangerous opponent, but not that well-known – a fighter that wouldn’t significantly benefit Álvarez’s career.
At 23, Canelo went against No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., risking (and losing) his undefeated record. He also went toe-to-toe with hard punchers James Kirkland and Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo, when it didn’t seem like the best idea either.
In the ring, Canelo has disproved haters who argue that he’s more hype than substance. Outside the ring, though, Canelo is far less willing to put anything at stake, and this was more than visible in the recent press conference for his upcoming fight with Miguel Cotto on November 21.
When reporters asked if he learned anything from the major fight that was his matchup against Mayweather, Canelo only answered, “nothing in particular.” The Mexican fighter also didn’t put any skin in the game when he was asked whether the fight against Cotto was more important than the one against Mayweather.
Miguel Cotto recently stated that Canelo did not impress him, but when journalists brought this up at the conference, the boxer kept his politically correct demeanor and simply stated that he “doesn’t take it personally.” The Mexican didn’t want to predict a KO or discuss the possibility of a future fight with Gennady Golovkin.
The only question that got a semi-interesting response from Canelo was when he was asked what he would say to those that believe Cotto will probably beat him, citing the fact that the Puerto Rican did better with Floyd than with him.
“You know what, that doesn’t affect me,” answered Canelo. “Styles make fights. He may have done better – Cotto might have done better against Mayweather; however, I did better against Austin Trout,” he continued.
Unlike Mayweather, who was infamous for his money-hungry pre-fight performances, Canelo simply lets his fists to the talking.