With the recent news of Canelo Alvarez making his return to take on Jermell Charlo at 168lbs, his former promoter Oscar De La Hoya talks a bit about the matchup, why he doesn’t think it’s the best position for Canelo to be in, and why he thinks Canelo’s golfing hobby has taken a physical toll. Check out some of what he had to say below.
De La Hoya on this thoughts on Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo
“Look, undisputed vs undisputed — it’s great. I think it’s great for boxing. i think people are surprised that he chose the smaller Charlo but I think the smaller Charlo could be even more dangerous for Canelo because the smaller Charlo has speed and fights harder and he’s in your face. So who knows how he’s gonna do against Canelo but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be an entertaining fight.
“From my expertise opinion…moving up two weight classes — first of all I take my hat off to Charlo for doing that. I understand that it’s a great payday for him and obviously he took that into consideration when making the decision to fight Canelo. But it’s gonna be a tough task. I mean, two weight divisions is historical if he wins, and two weight divisions if he loses, he has the perfect excuse.
“So it’s a win-win for Charlo, but I don’t think Canelo wins anything by beating a Charlo. I don’t think it makes Canelo look bad I just think that it’s not a win-win for Canelo. That’s it.”
On if Canelo’s enthusiasm for golfing has taken a physical toll on top of all the boxing
“Canelo is an old 33, not because he’s been in wars, wars but he started professional when he was 15. So if you’re not focused on just training and taking care of business, and now you’re out there golfing, it takes a lot out of you. I mean, you’re out there six hours swinging the club, you’re walking, you’re not resting your body to go to war against somebody.
“I remember the best trainer I’ve ever had in my whole career ‘Cholain’ Rivero, who trained me for the Chavez fight, he would tell me ‘every time you get a chance to rest your legs, just sit down and rest and stay off your feet.’ He wouldn’t even let me play pool in my own home because I was standing on my feet. So you can imagine the toll it takes on you, especially after you’re 31, 32, 33 years old. You have to get as much rest as possible, and it does affect a fighter.”