By Norm Frauenheim –
LAS VEGAS – It was only a show, but a big audience saw plenty.
Canelo Alvarez promises he’s back and – at first glance – it looks as if he’s not kidding.
Canelo stepped on the scale for a staged weigh-in Friday, looking a lot like the old Canelo, or at least the one who dominated pay-per-view sales and pound-for-pound debates before his upset loss to Dmitry Bivol.
Canelo’s work in the gym was evident in a redefined upper-body. Only after opening bell Saturday against Jermell Charlo will anybody know whether Canelo has redefined his career.
But a sculpted look was a sign he’s serious about halting an apparent decline that began with a scorecard loss to Bivol at light-heavyweight and continued with forgettable victories at super-middle-weight over Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder.
“The size factor is no matter here,” said Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs), the undisputed super-middleweight champion said after stepping off the scale a day before opening bell for his bout at T-Mobile Arena with Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs), undisputed at junior middle. “I did that before and I felt good. So, it’s gonna be a great fight, and I’m ready for anything.’’
Both fighters were lighter than the super-middle mandatory, 168 pounds. Both were reported to be at 167.4 pounds at an official, Nevada State Athletic Commission weigh-in Friday morning behind closed doors at the MGM Grand.
A few hours later, they moved outdoors and onto a stage at an outdoor pavilion in front of T-Mobile. A big crowd was waiting. So were the beer vendors.
It was 96 degrees under an afternoon sun in the Nevada desert. The fighters did the sweating and some of the swearing.
“I’m a bad m-effer,’’ Charlo said.
The crowd did the drinking.
It also did the cheering, all for Canelo. Nobody is quite sure what had happened to him, post-Bivol. For a crowd full of the Canelo faithful, however, Friday’s show re-affirmed hopes that he’s back.
Betting odds suggest that he will be against Charlo on a Showtime pay-per-view card (5 pm PT/8 pm ET).
Late Friday, Canelo continued to be about a 4-to-1 favorite over Charlo, who is jumping up two weight classes. In his first fight at 168, there are questions about whether Charlo can endure Canelo’s punching power throughout the scheduled 12 rounds.
There’s also speculation about the condition of Charlo’s left hand. He suffered a reported fracture in the hand last December, eventually forcing him to withdraw from a key date with Tim Tszyu.
“I don’t speak on those things because, I don’t want to make an excuse for myself,” Charlo said to reporters Wednesday after the final news conference. “I want to go in there and be a dog.”
Also, Charlo has not been the non-stop trash talker most fans remember and expect. The bad m-effer has almost been polite. In part, he says, that’s because he hasn’t been around his notorious twin brother, Jermall Charlo.
“Just don’t got that noise in my head,’’ he said.
No noise, no chance? That’s just one question for a fight that on Friday, at least, hinted at an answer in some redefined body language from Canelo Alvarez.
