SAN DIEGO (March 17, 2016) –WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and British top fighter and former two-time former world champion Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) opened training camp to the media in San Diego and Oakland respectively this week in preparation for their May 7 clash at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
“I train hard to fight hard, and I am focused this training camp to be prepared to win on May 7 and maintain my status as the champion,” said Canelo Alvarez. “Amir Khan is a talented fighter and though I know I will be triumphant as the victor on May 7, I will not underestimate the challenge he poses to me in the ring.”
“Training for this fight is off to a great start,” said Eddy Reynoso, trainer for Canelo Alvarez. “We have been in camp for a few weeks and actually started in Mexico before the press tour. We are taking the fight against Amir Khan very seriously and want to be prepared for anything on May 7. We expect Canelo to train very effectively as he always does. He is very dedicated and serious about the sport.”
“Camp is going great and I’m feeling really good,” said Amir Khan. “I’ve exceeded a lot of the targets that I set myself at this stage and am well on course. Virgil Hunter is happy with how things are going, and come May 7, I’m going to be in the best condition, physically and mentally, that I can be.
“I’m getting ready to give the fans a very exciting fight at the T-Mobile Arena,” Khan continued. “We’re working on the perfect game plan for this fight and that is what is going to win it for me. I don’t put too much emphasis on one individual thing, whether that’s speed or power, it’s about having all the boxes ticked going into the fight. I know what Canelo does well, and his key attributes, so we’ll be looking to nullify those. I’m going to keep pushing myself hard in training and will be ready to give everything come fight night.”
“I’m pleased with how our training camp is going,” said Virgil Hunter, trainer to Amir Khan. “Amir is very focused, and he is aware of the challenge that lies before him. We have seen a lot of Canelo and know what to expect so we’ll have the right game plan to overcome him.”
Canelo won the WBC Middleweight World Championship on November 21, 2015 by defeating Puerto Rico’s four division World Champion and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) via unanimous decision at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Amir Khan was last seen in the ring defeating former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion, Chris Algieri (21-2, 8 KOs) via unanimous decision in May 2015 to maintain his WBC Silver Welterweight title.
Canelo vs. Khan, a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Championships, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Casa Mexico Tequila. The mega-event will take place on Saturday, May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
I understand why Canelo is taking this fight, but it won’t answer any questions about him at middleweight