Canelo Álvarez can 'control his hand 100%' ahead of Jermell Charlo battle of undisputeds
Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez is stepping back into the boxing ring Saturday in a battle of undisputed fighters. He takes on Jermell Charlo, who is moving up two weight classes in an attempt to take the Mexican fighter's super middleweight belts.
Charlo, whose twin brother Jermall has also been talked about as an opponent for Álvarez, is undisputed in the super welterweight division.
Álvarez believes the matchup with Jermell is a good fit.
"I think this fight is in the making for a long time," Álvarez told USA TODAY Sports of the 9 p.m. ET matchup on Showtime PPV. "So this is the perfect time to make this fight. He’s undisputed in his weight class, I’m undisputed in my weight class, so I think it’s good for boxing. It’s good for the fans waiting for this fight to put on a long time, so it’s a perfect time."
Charlo's last fight was a knockout of Brian Castaño in May of last year. The win earned him the WBO belt to make him the first super welterweight undisputed champion of the four-belt era.
Álvarez is coming off a win by unanimous decision in a super middleweight match against John Ryder in May, which was fought in Guadalajara and hailed as his homecoming fight. The 33-year-old admitted it wasn't his most dominant performance after he recovered from surgery to repair a hand injury.
For this fight, he's been training in Truckee, California, close to Lake Tahoe, with his longtime trainer, Eddy Reynoso.
"Right now, I’m able to control my hand 100% and I’m able to train 100% with Eddy Reynoso," he said, referencing a previous hand injury that required surgery. "So it’s gonna be different because I have that confidence of my training, of my hand, of everything. So it’s gonna be different."
Canelo vs. Charlo will be at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Álvarez said that returning to the familiar venue does not affect his mindset and had a bold statement about his current preparation.
"I think it’s just it’s all about my hand. It’s all about how I train, how confident I feel," he said. "So I think it’s all about that. But I just feel great right now. I feel one hundred percent. Training, I think is one of my best camps I ever had."