Abel Sanchez: Canelo will have GGG in front of him, not Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

No one likes him: Gennady Golovkin slams 'boring' Canelo Alvarez after Chavez Jr win

HBO broadcaster Max Kellerman (center) speaks to Gennady Golovkin (left) and Canelo Alvarez after the Sept. 16 fight between Golovkin and Alvarez was announced following Alvarez’s victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past Saturday. Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, stands between Kellerman and Golovkin/Photo by Getty Images

 

Trainer Abel Sanchez had just watched Canelo Alvarez of Mexico out-box and out-punch countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Sanchez then sat on a makeshift dais inside the ring to discuss the Sept. 16 bout between his fighter – middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin – and Alvarez, which was announced immediately after Alvarez defeated Chavez by three scores of 120-108.

Sanchez was impressed with Alvarez’s work, but he reminded a reporter that Alvarez will be in with a different kind of beast when he challenges Golovkin at a site still to be determined.

“I think Canelo displayed great boxing skills,” Sanchez said. “But he’s not going to have Chavez in front of him (in September), it’s going to be Gennady Golovkin.”

Golovkin, 35, is 37-0 with 33 knockouts. He was on a string of 22 consecutive knockouts that was snapped in March when Daniel Jacobs went all 12 rounds with Golovkin in a hotly contested bout won by Golovkin by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112.

Alvarez, a former junior middleweight and middleweight champion, is 49-1-1 with 34 knockouts. At 26, he is nine years Golovkin’s junior.

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Claressa Shields ultra-confident about her boxing skills ahead of pro debut

Cleraa Shields (r.) beat Dutch fighter Nouchka Fontijn by unanimous decision.

Claressa Shields, right, celebrates her gold-medal victory over Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands in Rio De Janeiro/Photo by  Alex Livesey, Getty Images

 

Claressa Shields does not lack confidence, nor should she. Shields won back-to-back gold medals for Team USA in the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games. Now she’s on the brink of turning pro.

Shields on Saturday will take on Franchon Crews in a super middleweight bout underneath the light heavyweight title fight between champion Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view).

Shields worked out for reporters Monday in Las Vegas. She touched on many subjects, including her decision to take her talents to the professional ranks rather than go for a third gold medal.

“When deciding to go pro, I thought about my legacy,” said Shields, 21. “I didn’t want to disappear for four years and win another gold medal, but have people not know my name or what I look like or how I box.”

Shields also discussed her talents, and her words demonstrated how self-assured she is about them.

“Expect to see a really good fight, a very skilled fight from me, this Saturday,” said Shields, of Flint, Mich. “The world is going to see a level of boxing that no woman boxer has ever shown before. I’m a smart fighter. I’m an entertaining fighter. I throw everything well and have great combinations.”

Crews, of Baltimore, will be making her debut as well.

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Ireland’s Jason Quigley excited to show his wares under ‘Canelo’-Khan

Jason Quigley Meet & Greet

Jason Quigley/Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images North America

 

A fair amount of talent will grace the undercard of Saturday’s middleweight title fight between champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view). Jason Quigley of Ireland is right up there with the best, make no mistake about that.

Quigley is technically sound, he punches very hard and he has his head on straight.

“Every fight has the same meaning for me because I treat it like a world-title fight,” Quigley said at a recent workout, showing his mental make-up.

Quigley, who won a silver medal for Ireland in the 2013 World Amateur Boxing Championships, is 10-0 with nine knockouts. He’ll take on James De La Rosa (23-3, 13 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight fight.

De La Rosa is coming off a fifth-round knockout loss, but it came against undefeated Hugo Centeno Jr. (24-0), so this still figures to be Quigley’s toughest test to date.

“De La Rosa is another obstacle and hurdle I have to jump over to become a world champion,” said Quigley, 24. “I’m ready to fight anyone and ready to shine on May 7. This is my chance to blow onto the scene.”

Talent breeds confidence, and Quigley is full of it, which only adds to his arsenal.

“De La Rosa is coming off a knockout defeat and he is getting in the ring with a knockout artist, me, on May 7,” Quigley said. “He’s got to have doubts.”

For an up-and-coming fighter, this bout is a big deal for Quigley. Apparently his homeland followers think so, too, and some will be in attendance. For that, he’s stoked and appreciative.

“There are a lot of people traveling out from Ireland for this fight,” said Quigley, who these days trains and lives in the greater Los Angeles area. “The Irish fans are unbelievable. The way they have supported me has been amazing.”

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