Bad blood ahead of big showdown
ACRIMONY: BOTH FIGHTERS LET FLY IN VERBAL SPARRING
Las Vegas
Twelve months of steadily simmering acrimony reaches boiling point here today when world middleweight king Gennady Golovkin faces off against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in their long-awaited Las Vegas rematch.
Golovkin, the unbeaten WBA, WBC and IBO champion, will be chasing a place in boxing history as he attempts to make a record-breaking 21st consecutive defence of his middleweight crowns against Mexican idol Alvarez at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena.
But the Kazakh champion’s tilt at the record books has become a footnote in a build-up dominated by the furore that erupted when Alvarez failed two drug tests in February, scuppering a planned May 5 rematch.
Alvarez, who was later suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, insists the banned substance – Clenbuterol – entered his system via contaminated meat in his native Mexico.
Golovkin, who most observers believe should have been awarded victory in last September’s drawn first fight, has rubbished Alvarez’s explanation for the failed drug tests.
The 2004 Olympic silver medallist, (38-0-1, 34 knockouts), has repeatedly accused his Mexican opponent of doping, raising the temperature in Las Vegas this week by voicing his suspicions again.
“These stories about contaminated meat are nonsense,” Golovkin said, claiming to have seen injection marks on Alvarez’s body in photos of his opponent.
“You couldn’t deny there were some injection marks on his hands and his arms. Injection marks were evidently there,” Golovkin said.
“Everywhere, biceps, stomach, pretty much all over his body you could see injection marks.”
Alvarez, whose only defeat in a 52-fight career was a 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather, admits the accusations have riled him.
“Those are the kicks and screams of someone who is drowning,” Alvarez said of Golovkin’s doping claims.
“Those are the excuses that they are making because of what is coming on Saturday, which is a loss for them.
“I’m bothered by all the stupid things they’ve been saying and I’ve been using it as motivation in my training for this fight.”
Yet while Alvarez was able to frustrate Golovkin in their first fight, he did little in the way of meaningful damage.
Only a freak scorecard from judge Adalaide Byrd, who triggered uproar after ruling it 118110 Alvarez, denied Golovkin a victory. –