As you may surmise, these words were uttered from Floyd Mayweather in response to a reporter’s inquiry about rumors of Canelo Alvarez destroying sparring partners in preparation for his September 14th bout against Mayweather. The sound byte appeared on Showtime’s All Access a preview show chronicling the fighters as they prepare for their bout. Now, usually Floyd “Money” Mayweather isn’t as testy with the press when quizzed about opponents. Traditionally, he opts to make fun of them, distract the press with his riches or on rare occasion show respect for an opponent. However, it seems as if unwittingly Mr. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has done what no other opponent has done in quite some time – get under the skin of Mayweather before the opening bell! So what are the other interesting bits about this super-fight?
The Latest Golden Boy (only with a dash of red)
Could it be that Mayweather is getting testy because Canelo has been receiving quite the lion’s share of attention on their 11-city national press tour? Maybe its because Oscar DeLa Hoya is touting Canelo as a superstar, when the reality is that many of Canelo’s fights have been on Mayweather undercards. Or maybe its because Mayweather has beaten everyone in the Golden Boy stable and resents them trotting out yet another prospect – no matter how full of talent, potential and legitimacy Canelo is. Perhaps it’s all of the above. In any event Mayweather has made it clear that whether the hype is manufactured or real, Canelo’s fans can’t fight for him. At the kick-off press conference in New York City, Mayweather told the crowd as much.
“Mexico has produced some legendary champions. I take my hat off to them. I respect the country of Mexico, but something I’ve always enjoyed about the sport of boxing is that my fans can’t fight for me and his fans can’t fight for him.”
In response Canelo stated, “I’m younger and bigger, which are very important keys, but you must remember that Floyd is a very intelligent fighter, but I’m going to have the right game plan.” Irrespective of either man’s take, this bout will be the toughest either has had in quite some time. Make no mistake this is a super-fight; right up there in the tradition of Leonard-Duran or Tyson-Holyfield, it’s a quality match-up between a sure-fire Hall of Famer and one in the making.
