Alvarez slams ‘hypocrite’ Golovkin ahead of rematch

LOS ANGELES — Saul “Canelo” Alvarez branded middleweight rival Gennady Golovkin a “hypocrite” on Sunday as their war of words escalated ahead of next month’s eagerly anticipated rematch in Las Vegas.

World middleweight king Golovkin and Alvarez will climb into the ropes at the T-Mobile Arena on September 15, a year after their long-awaited first encounter ended in a controversial draw.

A planned rematch in May was cancelled when Alvarez failed a drug test, a development which infuriated Kazakh star Golovkin, who later accused his Mexican rival of doping.

Acrimony between the two camps has simmered ever since, and on Sunday both men traded verbal body blows in comments to reporters at an open workout in front of fans at Los Angeles’s Banc of California Stadium.

Alvarez, 28, said the bad blood between the duo made it unlikely that he would ever form a friendship with Golovkin once the fight was over.

“For me that would be very difficult,” Alvarez said.

“All of the things that have been said. For me, personally, it’s very difficult to leave that door open.”

Alvarez also bridled when asked to comment on Golovkin’s frequent assertion that his trademark aggressive style had made him popular amongst Mexican boxing fans.

“It’s hypocritical,” Alvarez said. “He’s a hypocrite. Maybe he uses it to get fans. If something tragic were to occur in Mexico, he wouldn’t be there.”

Alvarez, who fought cagily in the first fight 12 months ago which most neutrals believe Golovkin should have won, also rejected suggestions that his opponent had a more “Mexican” style of boxing.

“There’s no defined Mexican style,” Alvarez said. “There have been many fighters from Mexico who have different styles. My style is mine, I’m Mexican.”

Alvarez meanwhile said he is confident that Golovkin has not yet seen the best of him. “He doesn’t know what I have left to show,” he said.