Canelo vs Golovkin: Alvarez talks moving to 160 pounds

What’s the difference between 154 and 160 and how you felt in the last fight? What’s the best way to go up in weight without losing speed/power/movements?

“Even if it is one pound or five, both the fighter and the opponent can feel the difference in the ring. Whether it’s punching power or being able to utilize your body to avoid being tossed around, there is a change. I felt great going up in weight to fight against Chavez Jr, but that’s a testament to the hard work that Chepo, Eddy and I had put into training camp. I had a lot of energy, and I didn’t lose my natural skill that a lot of critics thought I would by going up in weight.

“First, the key in going up weight divisions is knowing your body, and where to add the weight. This looks different for a lot of fighters – whether it’s body lifting or focusing on diet. Even though technically I am going up in weight divisions, I still have to cut weight during fight camp because I naturally sit between 172 to 175 pounds. One of the ways you can adapt to a new weight class is by training with different sparring partners who are at your desired weight class. By doing so, you test how effective your punching is, and how another fighter’s offense affects your body. From there, you can make adjustments to make sure you’re not losing speed, power or movement by either doing more cardio or focusing on adding muscle. Not only that, but rehydrating after a weigh-in is critical in your performance come fight night. Some fighters will try to add a lot of weight after the weigh-in, and if they aren’t smart can potentially look sluggish and slow. Chepo and Eddy are critical in all of this – they know my body after all these years, and make sure that I am in tip top form from start to finish.”

HBO Sports will air the special “Under The Lights: Canelo/Golovkin”Saturday, Sept. 2 at 10:00 p.m. (E/PT) on HBO. It’s the final time the two will see each other until fight week unfolds in Las Vegas.

Episode #2 of 24/7 Canelo/Golovkin premieres Saturday, Sept. 9 on HBO Immediately following the live Boxing After Dark triple header from the StubHub Center at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Canelo vs. Golovkin takes place Saturday, September 16 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at a special time of 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.