Canelo Alvarez says he still believes he’s number one despite Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk taking his Pound-for-Pound crown in recent years.
The Mexican superstar faces Jermell Charlo this weekend as he aims to climb closer to Crawford, Usyk, and Naoya Inoue.
Even with a victory over Charlo, the undisputed super middleweight world titleholder will not get his spot back, which he last held in 2021. It could be a long road for the multi-weight champion. The task will need more significant wins to retake the position.
Despite the uphill struggle, Canelo considers himself the best fighter on the planet. That’s just his mindset.
“I always believe that I’m number one. My whole career. Because you need to believe in yourself. I still believe I’m number one. But I believe there is more than just one fighter alone at the top. There are a few,” he admitted.
“I still feel young and fresh. I never think about the end of my career. But I train and fight year after year. I still feel that I’m at my best.
“I’m very proud to represent Mexico. I have a lot of pride in my country. I feel amazing walking into the ring and seeing all the Mexican flags. To hear the Mexican music. It feels great to represent my country.”
Canelo ready for Charlo fight week
On training camp, Canelo added: “I feel great. This is really one of the best camps I’ve ever had. I feel great to train 100% now with my left hand.
“That’s made me more confident. When you train knowing you’re healthy, you’ll be more confident in the fight.
“I like being here in Lake Tahoe because I’m 100% focused. It’s just me and my team. We’re focused on the fight. It makes me feel ready for the fight.”
Fight week begins in Las Vegas on Tuesday with the grand arrivals. Coach Eddy Reynosos is focused on the job at hand.
“This is going to be a great fight. Jermell is a great fighter who’s accomplished a lot in his career so that the fans will get an excellent matchup,” said Eddy.
“There are times in a career when you have to change things, like training camp locations. We spent five or six years in San Diego and got a lot of great results.
“The altitude has been great for us here, and we feel very good in Lake Tahoe as well.”
Next
He added: “Canelo is ready to fight whoever it may be. Right now, we’re squarely focused on Jermell Charlo.
“That’s our task on September 30. We’ll be ready for whoever comes after that.”
The WBC has made a special belt for the event called The Puebla Title. Whoever wins the blockbuster showdown at the T-Mobile Arena will take it home.
Canelo vs Charlo for the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO 168 belts is live on Showtime PPV this Saturday night.
