CANELO ALVAREZ has claimed he would have beaten Floyd Mayweather had he faced him in his prime.
The 32-year-old Mexican took on five-weight world champion Mayweather way back in 2013 when he was just 23.
And he was comprehensively outboxed in Las Vegas as Mayweather, then 36, claimed a decision victory.
Since then, Canelo has gone on to win world titles in four different weight classes.
He was widely considered to be the pound-for-pound No1 before his defeat to Dmitry Bivol in May – his first loss since facing Mayweather nine years ago.
And Alvarez feels he would have gotten the better of the American if he had been the more rounded, seasoned professional that he is now.
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Speaking to GQ Sports, he said: “I think it’s difficult to say because that’s never going to happen [facing Mayweather again].
“But I am sure that in my prime he would never beat me.”
Canelo is preparing to try and bounce back from the defeat to light-heavyweight Bivol when he drops back down to super-middleweight to face Gennady Golovkin for a third time on Saturday night.
The pair fought to a controversial draw back in 2017 – a clash many felt Golovkin won.
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The following year the two then met again in a rematch, with Canelo edging a decision.
Four years on, the legendary duo are now set to complete a trilogy in Vegas this weekend.
And Alvarez is unwavering in his prediction that he will knock Golovkin out.
After years of bad blood, Canelo said: “I just want to punish him really hard. He pretends to be a nice person but he’s not.
“He talks a lot of s*** about me and that’s what I don’t like. He’s a great fighter but as a person? I don’t think so.
“It’s one of the biggest fights of my life because of the rivalry and this third fight will be the most important.
“The rivalry goes back years and I love that it’s personal. It makes me train like crazy.
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“I listen to what he says but at the end of the day, he is just making excuses. I listen but don’t take it to heart.
“What I don’t like is when it comes to talking in person, he lies. I know I won both fights, I have nothing to prove.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
