CANELO ALVAREZ cannot stand Gennady Golovkin — and he is ready to make him pay.
The Mexican snarls at mere mention of the Kazakh warrior ahead of this weekend’s third fight of their trilogy.
Canelo is determined to dish out punishment for “talking s*** about me” — and to reclaim top spot in boxing’s pound-for-pound list.
Their rivalry goes back years but hit a new level after Canelo failed a drugs test in 2018, delaying their second fight.
That eventually ended in a razor-thin Canelo points win after the first bout in 2017 was a controversial draw.
With Saturday’s bout taking place at super-middleweight, this is a chance for the Mexican — the undisputed champion at that weight — to make up for losing his last fight at light-heavyweight to Dmitry Bivol and become the pound-for-pound finest in the eyes of the boxing world.
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Middleweight champ Golovkin, 40, will fight at 168lb for the first time although the extra weight should suit him.
But Canelo is determined to celebrate Mexican Independence weekend in style.
The 32-year-old snapped: “I just want to punish him really hard. He pretends to be a nice person but he’s not.
“He talks a lot of s*** about me and that’s what I don’t like. He’s a great fighter but as a person? I don’t think so.
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“It’s one of the biggest fights of my life because of the rivalry and this third fight will be the most important.
“The rivalry goes back years and I love that it’s personal. It makes me train like crazy.
“I listen to what he says but at the end of the day, he is just making excuses. I listen but don’t take it to heart.
“What I don’t like is when it comes to talking in person, he lies. I know I won both fights, I have nothing to prove.”
Both fighters were bristling during a pre-fight face-off this week and Canelo, who boasts a record of 57-2-2 with 39 KO’s, added: “This is as edgy as I have been before a fight for a while.
“I am the best fighter in the world right now and I don’t need to take risks but I love a challenge.”
GGG says Canelo lost touch with reality while losing comprehensively to the bigger, stronger Bivol.
The Kazakh claims his ageless, baby-faced look is down to his health regime and the fact he’s never done drugs — a swipe at Canelo who got off with a six-month ban after claiming contaminated beef was to blame for the trace levels of clenbuterol four years ago.
Golovkin, who has won 42 of his 44 fights with 37 KOs and holds three belts at 160lb, said: “We saw what he said about a possible fight with Oleksandr Usyk and others, even now he continues to say that he’s not afraid of any challenges and saves his face.
“At the same time what he said in the press conferences, he didn’t take Bivol seriously. He lost touch with reality and believed he was invincible.
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“The confidence is there, but after clearly losing the fight, you are raising your arms and saying you only lost a couple of rounds. That’s what I am talking about.
“I anticipate he will make less mistakes, I know what type of fight we are facing and I am ready.”
