EDDY REYNOSO is adamant Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez still has ‘a lot to give’ to boxing and confirmed they will pursue a knockout against Jermell Charlo.
Canelo puts his undisputed super-middleweight title on the line against Charlo at the T-Mobile Arena here in Las Vegas on Saturday night amid suggestions that the Mexican is on the slide.
Even so, he remains an overwhelming favourite with the oddsmakers on The Strip against a man who is jumping up two weight classes from his position as the world’s No.1 light-middleweight champion.
But despite that apparent size disparity, the pair both came in at 167.4lbs at Friday’s outdoor weigh-in.
Over the course of nearly 18 years as a professional, Canelo has handled a number of injury problems and most recently underwent surgery on his left hand.
But Reynoso says all of those problems are now in the past and it will be a fully fit Canelo who faces Charlo on Saturday.
“The physical setbacks are over and done with,” Reynoso said.
“We are dealing with some adversity in the past but Canelo has the best fusion of experience and youth – he is still young and has a lot to give. We are 100 per cent ready and 100 per cent healthy and we are ready to show that on Saturday night.
“We will certainly try to go for the knockout but we know Charlo is a great fighter.
“Fighters like to talk a lot when they don’t have the fight but once they do have the fight they tend to be a bit more respectful. A high class champion like Charlo has been nothing but a class act, very respectful, and when fight night comes, the respect comes with it.
“He’s the kind of fighter who will come and try to fight his own fight, right? He will try to use his reach and then throw combinations once he gets a little bit closer but not too close.
“We are just going to win because Canelo will impose his quality, his experience and all his skills will allow him to win on Saturday.”
It has been suggested that, should Canelo come through Saturday night unscathed, his next fight could be against another smaller guy, Terence Crawford, the current welterweight king.
Reynoso said: “We went from super welter to where we are now. Canelo has walked around at the same weight since he fought Floyd Mayweather 10 years ago.
“Why couldn’t Crawford do it if Canelo could? Anything is possible. This is a very peculiar fight where fans would be really into it but you never know, until it becomes reality, it would just be speculation.”