BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has been calm, cool and collected ever since he took his throne as the super middleweight king.
Opponents have come and gone, heaping combinations of praise and respect toward him. Even archrival Gennadiy Golovkin kept it kind during their trilogy meeting, after years of animosity.
The last fighter who provoked Alvarez in the build-up stages of a fight was Caleb Plant, who scuffled with Alvarez during a press conference only to be knocked out in the 11th round when they met.
Immediately before Plant was Billy Joe Saunders, who irked Alvarez, especially throughout fight week, and paid for it with a broken eye and then retirement.
That was in 2021, when Alvarez was at the peak of his powers.
It’s also the last time he knocked out an opponent. A loss to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight and unanimous decision wins against Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia have followed.
Alvarez is now promising a turn-back-the-clock-like performance on Sept. 14 when he takes on rising upstart contender Edgar Berlanga.
After a cordial press conference Monday in New York, respect went out the door the second they met on Tuesday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, as Alvarez and Berlanga had to be separated by security after an explosive, expletive-filled eruption.
“You hit like my son,” Alvarez quipped. “You don’t bring anything to me that I haven’t seen before.”
“You’re going to see, motherfucker,” Berlanga fired back.
“Eight rounds – mark my words. I’m not going to have compassion,” said Alvarez. “These kind of motherfuckers keep me motivated.
“I don’t want to fuck you up right now because your money will be gone.”
At the age of 34, and 65 fights into a near 20-year-career, Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is embracing new ways to fan the flames, and Puerto Rico’s Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) appears armed with gallons of gas.
“I love it [when an opponent pisses me off]. When someone gets under my skin, I make them pay the hard way,” said Alvarez.
“The Chosen One” Berlanga is an eight-year pro who kicked off his career by knocking out 16 consecutive opponents in the first round, but he has shown flaws since stepping up the competition in recent years. Most recently, in February, Berlanga knocked out Padraig McCrory in six rounds.
“I’m the type of fighter who comes to fight. I won’t be running,” said Berlanga. “Canelo was once in my shoes, and now it’s my time to make my name and become a legend in the sport of boxing.
“This is gonna be a firefight. It’s gonna be different. This is a gladiator sport at the end of the day. We’re looking to take each other out. It’s going to the next level.”
Berlanga also pointed to his boxing IQ as the reason he would beat Alvarez.
Alvarez exploded in laughter.
“He thinks he has more intelligence than me and everyone I’ve fought,” Alvarez said. “C’mon bro, he’s not gonna be able to touch me. I wanna see him try.
“You’re turn is coming. You think you have more IQ than Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto? He’s nothing compared to them.
“You’re not going to do anything. You’re just going to make me laugh.
“I motivate myself because I love what I do – I love boxing. These types of fights and fighters motivate me even more. I’m going to train like never before.”
Alvarez is exuberant with confidence due to his superior skills and experience, and the fact that he’s facing his softest touch since forcing Avni Yildirim to quit after three rounds during a mandatory title defense.
That was right before Alvarez faced Saunders, in what ultimately resulted in Alvarez being crowned the pound-for-pound king and fighter of the year in 2021.
Now, Alvarez is calling the shots as the face of boxing and sport’s biggest breadwinner, picking and choosing any dance partner as he pleases.
Oddsmakers believe there is plenty of smoke and no fire around the Berlanga fight. DraftKings lists Alvarez as a -1400 betting favorite and Berlanga as a +750 underdog. In comparison, Alvarez closed as a -525 betting against Jaime Munguia, who was a +380 betting underdog.
Berlanga doesn’t present the same level of danger that David Benavidez does, and Alvarez realizes that, too. But what Benavidez does like Berlanga is talk a big game, which, along with an open checkbook, could get Alvarez further interested for his next fight.
“Look, 175 is [Benavidez’s] weight class,” said Alvarez. “And he did nothing at 175 [against Oleksandr Gvozdyk]. He’s not the same. I don’t want to say what he needs to do. If the money is right, I’ll fight anyone. Right now is the time for me to ask for the money. If they want me to fight him, they need to pay me good.
“If there is something good for me on the table, I am in [for Benavidez]. I don’t care. He just brings 25 more pounds to the table. It’s a risky fight. But I can beat that guy, but not in the way I always did. It could be [that I fight Benavidez before I retire].”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.