CANELO ALVAREZ knows all too well about packing on the pounds in a bid for boxing glory.
The Mexican superstar won his first piece of gold in the 154lb light-middleweight division but he has gone as high as 175lb at light-heavy.
Canelo has since settled down as the 168lb undisputed super-middleweight king – a weight he has never lost at.
But on Saturday night the roles will be reversed when Jermell Charlo jumps TWO divisions from light-middle to challenge Alvarez.
The American will go up 14lb – which is ONE STONE – but even Canelo believes Charlo has the size and skills to make the leap of faith.
He told SunSport: “When you have that time and that kind of body that Jermell Charlo has, you can do it.
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“You can handle that because he’s big, he’s a big guy. And when you have the skills, you can do it.”
The Showtime PPV bout will make boxing history as it will be the first time two current undisputed champions have fought.
Canelo, 33, achieved the feat in just 11 months of activity, sealing the job in November 2021 with a stoppage over Caleb Plant, 31.
Meanwhile Charlo, 33, knocked out Brian Castano, 34, in their May 2022 rematch to clinch the WBO belt missing from his unified collection.
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After twin brother Jermell – WBC middleweight champ – was deemed unable to fight Canelo, the chance to make history presented itself.
And Alvarez is fully equipped with what it feels like to enter the ring as the undisputed best in your division.
He said: “You feel confident. You feel confident because you’ve beaten everybody in your weight class and you feel confident.
“I think it’s a really good accomplishment because when you’re confident in the ring, it’s one of the best things.
“I think that’s one of the most important things in boxing, when you feel that confidence in your mind it’s something amazing.”
Canelo has shared the ring with the best of his era, with a CV including Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Gennady Golovkin.
But still he has high praise for Charlo, who he rates as all-rounder.
Canelo said: “I expect the best from him.
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“He has everything; he knows how to move in the ring, he knows how to box, he knows how to throw the punches, he knows how to counter punch, he knows how to go forward.
“He has everything but I’ve fought with everybody out there and I have the experience to adapt myself to every style. I think it’s going to be a good fight.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
