THE BIRTH OF CANELO
shutout decision over the game and pesky Hatton. I expected Alvarez to stop the undersized Mancunian. The 11,000 fans in attendance, however, were elated. In my RingTV.com fight report, I said “the most special thing about Alvarez is his ability to put butts in the seats.” The Ring, which featured Alvarez on the cover for the first time shortly after the Hatton fight, was more positive in its spin, declaring him “boxing’s new pied piper” with the coverline to the June 2011 issue. I also noted that the Hatton bout was on the after-hours Boxing After Dark series reserved for up- and-comers and the lighter weight classes. When would he be ready for Championship Boxing ? Two months later, at a private gym in Big Bear Lake, California, I got a strong indication of Alvarez’s future. First Golovkin experience I met Abel Sanchez in the summer of 1999. He had already coached several fighters to world titles – including Terry Norris, my favorite boxer of the early ’90s – and was now training Frans Botha at a public gym in Big Bear for a showdown with fellow heavyweight fringe contender Shannon Briggs. I gave Sanchez a call after hearing numerous rumors about one of his fighters humbling one tough hombre after another at his gym and boxing clubs around Los Angeles. He told me about Gennadiy Golovkin and boldly declared that the middleweight could be better than Norris. I told him to let me know the next time Golovkin was in camp and I’d visit for a RingTV article. Sanchez called me in late May 2011. “Gennadiy’s been here a couple weeks and he’s ready to begin sparring.” “Awesome. Who’s he sparring?” “You’re gonna love this,” Sanchez said. “He’s sparring the redhead from Mexico.” Golovkin, the secondary WBA beltholder, was preparing for a June 17 defense against Kassim Ouma in
Panama. Alvarez needed to get out of Guadalajara to focus on his first title defense against Ryan Rhodes on June 18 in his hometown. Alvarez believed that training in Guadalajara – with all the drama and distractions that come with being the region’s best-known fighter – led to a poor camp and his missing weight for Hatton. He knew he had to be at his best for Rhodes, The Ring’s No. 4-rated
Sanchez wanted to instill a Mexican style of fighting on Golovkin, and part of that indoctrination was sparring with Mexicans. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Alfredo Angulo couldn’t hang with the unknown middleweight from Kazakhstan, but Alvarez was different. “He’s got the skills,” Sanchez said of Alvarez. “All he needs is the physical strength to go with it. He and his team are learning from my conditioning
Robert Diaz visited a few days before I did. Sanchez said they were “very happy” with what they witnessed. Now it was my turn. From my notebook (yes, I’ve still got it. I should note, however, that I’ve fixed my shorthand for readability. It was a six-round sparring session with four- minute rounds, which is insane given the 6,700-foot elevation. I was still calling him “Alvarez” in my notes, not “Canelo.” Gennadiy is just “Golovkin,” not “GGG.”) Round 1 – Alvarez is on his toes when he jabs and moves, conceding Golovkin’s size. Golovkin, who occasionally switches stances as he advances, slips a beautifully timed left uppercut between Alvarez’s jabs. Alvarez loads up with a hook that misses and causes him to spin halfway around. Golovkin doesn’t work his jab as much as Alvarez, but it’s harder and more accurate. Alvarez lands a counter right, followed by a hook that connects and shakes Golovkin to his shoes. Alvarez stands his ground with a minute to go. Golovkin presses Alvarez back, targeting his body for the final 20 seconds. Round 2 – Golovkin stalks Alvarez behind a stiff jab and a little bit of head movement. He’s trying to cut the ring off on Alvarez, who isn’t trying to avoid confrontation, even when his back is near the ropes. Alvarez uses upper-body movement to evade Golovkin’s heavier shots. “Bien! Bien! Bien!” Chepo Reynoso yells out every time Alvarez moves his head. Alvarez lands a body-head hook combination mid-round. Golovkin fires back, but the kid leans away and attempts to counterpunch. Golovkin blocks the counter and backs away. Alvarez follows. A hard left hook 10 seconds before the bell appears to rock Alvarez. His right leg stiffens. He doesn’t immediately return to his corner at the bell. He walks it off and tries to stretch the right leg on the top rope.
Round 3 – Golovkin presses Alvarez, who recognizes the difference in strength and power but seems more dialed in. He abandons his head movement and fires back with both hands. I’m learning more about Alvarez’s temperament. If he gets hurt or starts feeling overwhelmed in a fight, he may go for broke. Golovkin blocks much of Alvarez’s fire and stays on top of him. Alvarez keeps his gloves up, but the placement allows for a sharpshooter to pierce the center, which Golovkin does. Alvarez sucks it up as he walks forward, blocking as much as he can. He gets his shots in when he lets his hands go, including a hook-cross combination.
“Muy bien!” Chepo yells when Alvarez lands a right uppercut-right cross combination off the ropes. The kid is very relaxed in the ring, even when under tremendous pressure. They load up with their best power shots to close out the round and the sparring session. “Six rounds, 24 minutes, at altitude!” exclaims Abel. “That was great,” said lightweight contender Urbano Antillon, who was training with Sanchez at the time. “Two undefeated champions going at it. You don’t see this often.” We would see it in the ring two years later when Alvarez took on Trout in front of 40,000 fans at the Alamodome
in San Antonio. That’s when Canelo was born, in my opinion. That’s when the hype and popularity finally equaled the challenge. That fight would lead directly to Mayweather, which would remove the training wheels from his career development. Risky matchups and significant bouts followed: Erislandy Lara, Miguel
“You’re gonna love this,” Sanchez said. “He’s sparring the redhead from Mexico.”
Alvarez fights in spots. He can be outworked, especially with a busy jab. He’s got a good chin, but it’s not indestructible. Round 4 – Golovkin’s hook is not as fluid as Alvarez’s, but the technique is tighter. There’s no “Bien” from Alvarez’s corner until two and a half minutes into the round when Saul lets his hands go in combination. Golovkin moves his head well, blocking expertly. Round 5 – Both jab and block at the same time. Golovkin continues to walk down a tired-looking Alvarez. Alvarez shotguns his jab effectively, keeping Golovkin from smothering him. However, Golovkin is able to land single lead power shots, particularly his left. Alvarez moves around the ring, his back occasionally grazing the ropes, but he lets his hands go in quick spurts. Round 6 – Alvarez catches a second wind as some bounce returns to his legs. He’s sticking and moving more effectively now.
Cotto, two epic clashes with Golovkin (the rematch earning 2018 Fight of the Year honors from The Ring), Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev, and his historic super middleweight championship reign, which continues today. Regardless of what happens on September 13, Alvarez has already forged a hall-of-fame legacy. Looking at the Canelo of today – the brawny, bearded and tattooed superstar who boldly speaks F-bomb-laden English – I’m reminded of how shy and young he was when I first met him. I’m also reminded of how confident and ambitious Alvarez was, and of his dedication to his dream regardless of his shortcomings. He was a student of boxing who gradually acquired the skills, experience and power to overcome a lack of elite-level speed and athleticism. A near 20-year pro career that spans several eras – cable, streaming, Mayweather, Pacquiao … Canelo – began with a kid named Saul.
junior middleweight at the time. Despite holding the WBC trinket, Alvarez only climbed from No. 10 to No. 9 in the rankings following the Hatton bout. “I know I’m at a new level now,” Alvarez told me about his choice to train at The Summit. “My opponents will be stronger so I wanted to come here to concentrate, to get into the best shape and see new tactics, new training methods. I want to know how others train.” Alvarez and the Reynosos had been there since May 5. Sanchez liked the trio and described Alvarez as a “hard worker.”
No one who watched them spar in 2011 could have imagined the scale of the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy.
system. This is like a school; it’s not a public gym with egos on the line. “This has been good for him. At home, Saul is the big dog. He was taking it easy on his sparring partners, probably letting them hit him. There was nowhere to go up [from] there. Here, he’s gotta be on his Ps and Qs, because there’s a bigger dog in this gym.” Eric Gomez and fellow matchmaker
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