Canelo Alvarez talks Billy Joe Saunders, adding to his power and staying ready
WBA-WBC super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez previews his May 8 unification fight vs. WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Video transcript
KEVIN IOLE: Hey, everybody. I am Kevin Iole from Yahoo Sports.
And it's that time again. We're getting ready for another Canelo Alvarez fight. And I heard a really good rumor, 60,000 seats already sold in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. And joining me right now is the man of the hour Canelo Alvarez. May 8th on DAZN he will fight Billie Joe Saunders in a super middleweight championship fight. Canelo, how's it going my friend?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: Good. Good. Thank God. Training, getting ready for another one. And I can't wait to get back in the ring.
KEVIN IOLE: Canelo, I heard the other day some Texas officials were saying that there's already 60,000 tickets sold at AT&T Stadium. Can you confirm that?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: I don't know. But Eddie Hearn is here right now. He can confirm that.
EDDIE HEARN: Hi, Kevin.
KEVIN IOLE: Mr. Hearn. So we're getting Eddie Hearn joining us here. Eddie, I heard from Texas that you have 60,000 tickets already sold. Is that accurate?
EDDIE HEARN: 60,000, yeah. We've got we've got about another 5,000 or 6,000 to go. We were thankfully allowed [INAUDIBLE] the Dallas Cowboys. So we're going to be at full capacity come fight week.
KEVIN IOLE: OK. And what will that gate be in in American dollars? What will that gate come out to be?
EDDIE HEARN: That's for us to know, and for you to realize it's a lot of money.
KEVIN IOLE: OK. Thank you, Eddie. So that was Eddie Hearn giving us a little update.
Canelo, this is, I would say, one of the bigger fights of your career, because you're trying to do something that very few, if any, Mexicans ever done, win an undisputed championship. Billy Joe Saunders is kind of a technical guy. A little, you know, awkward guy. What do you think is his strength? And what is the biggest problem he presents you?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: He moves really well. He knows how to move. He's fast. He knows how to box. And that's why I'm training. I have the experience to deal with that.
I know it's going to be a difficult fight, especially in the first rounds. And I'm getting ready for that.
KEVIN IOLE: You know, he seems, Canelo, to be a little different than a lot of guys you fought. I mean, you know, more defensive minded. I mean, I think it goes back to maybe somebody like [INAUDIBLE] or maybe Austin Trout, somebody like that. And is it difficult when you're not fighting those kind of guys on a regular basis to now adjust to the way they fight and the timing is different and maybe the footwork might be different?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: Yes, it's different. You have to work the fight different. You have to be patient. You have to wait around round by round, but you also have to win them. And you can get them in the first round or eighth round or the 10th round. And I'm not the same fighter that I was in 2014. I have more experience. I think that will benefit me.
KEVIN IOLE: You know, Canelo, the one thing that I notice that you get bigger and stronger is it seems like, you know, your body punches. I mean, people can't take your body punches as much as they used to. Do you feel like you notice in the gym that each day as you go by that you're adding to your power? And is that something that you consciously tried to improve?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: Yes. Ever since I was 28, 29, I felt stronger. I think it's the work in the gym and working on the technique of punching harder. And it's something that you learn and it comes with discipline.
KEVIN IOLE: And you know, I want to ask you this, because it seems like, you know, a lot of people think sometimes it comes from the upper body. To me, it seems like, you know, you're-- you know, you turn into those punches so well, and it seems like maybe your power comes from your lower body. Would you agree with that?
CANELO ALVAREZ: Yeah. [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: Yes, it's everything. Knowing how to rotate your body with your shoulder in the exact moment. When to counter. You learn, and it's something that isn't always appreciated from the outside. It's a lot knowing how to rotate your body and work in the precise moment.
KEVIN IOLE: Billy Joe Saunders, undefeated 30-0. I don't believe he's even been knocked out as an amateur. I could be wrong on that, but I don't think he has. Is knocking him out a goal? Is that-- I mean, I know you're a guy that likes to finish fights and hear the crowd cheer that. Is that a goal in this bout, to be able to become the first person to finish him?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: It's something I always think about, for the people, for my story. I get ready for 12 rounds, but it's definitely something I think about.
KEVIN IOLE: How much could the [INAUDIBLE] to you. You know, you went from Callum Smith, and instead of going, you know, that six or nine months off, you know, you took that fight in February. Do you think that that made a big difference in terms of going to be able to help keep you sharp, because you at least had a camp and some ring work in that little time there?
CANELO ALVAREZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
INTERPRETER: No, I don't think it will help. I'm always like that, even when I take time off. Even if I would have taken five months off, I'm always ready for the fight.
KEVIN IOLE: All right, guys. Canelo Alvarez on May 8th in Arlington, Texas. Going to be a huge crowd there. Catch it on DAZN. Canelo, thanks, my man. Good luck to you.
CANELO ALVAREZ: Thank you, Kevin.
KEVIN IOLE: See you, guys.
