Canelo Alvarez was training his neck muscles, similar to Mike Tyson in his prime.
Alvarez is preparing to face Jaime Munguia on May 4. The Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion faces an undefeated Mexican KO artist. Munguia’s record stands at 43-0, with 34 KOs. Munguia is coming off a ninth-round knockout of John Ryder. He dropped the Brit four times before getting the stoppage. Alvarez knows he will have to be on his A-Game.
Canelo has never been stopped in his career. A big part of that has been his chin. He has faced GGG three times but never hit the canvas. His training is a key part of that. The following clips show Canelo working his neck muscles to prepare for Munguia, who will come forward. Tyson was known for doing something similar. At just 18, Tyson was known for having a 20-inch neck. Canelo is looking to strengthen that area, too.
Canelo’s Training
That will prove key if Canelo does secure a fight with David Benavidez. The Mexican Monster is the current WBC Super Middleweight Interim Champion. He has been in the position for around two years. But the WBC has not called the mandatory or stripped Canelo, leaving fans frustrated at not seeing the biggest fight in boxing.
Benavidez’s power is there for all to see, so Canelo’s chin would be tested. At 33, there are suggestions that Canelo is slowing down. His last fight against a proper 168-pounder was against John Ryder. While Canelo won a unanimous decision, he slowed down at the latter end of the fight. He was also caught repeatedly with Ryder’s uppercut.
De La Hoya Reacts
But outside of the ring, Canelo is facing more challenges. Since Munguia is represented by Golden Boy, this fight has seen him work with Oscar De La Hoya. Canelo and De La Hoya are not on the best of terms. Alvarez left Golden Boy on bad terms and has since accused the promoter of not being loyal. He has also referred to De La Hoya as a hypocrite. Now, it appears there was an attempt to cut De La Hoya out from the promotion for this fight.
“Canelo really had no choice. He wasn’t going to fight (Jermell) Charlo, he wasn’t going to fight (David) Benavidez. So, we cornered him to fight Jaime Munguia and the plan worked. You never know what will happen.
“But today I’m happy that Canelo has given Munguia the opportunity and it’s up to the fighter to take advantage of it. Obviously there was a lot of animosity, so you can imagine the negotiations. I have my people negotiating with the other side because obviously I can’t talk (to PBC) directly; I think I’m a threat or something. I don’t know. We made it happen and that’s all that matters,” De La Hoya said
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