https://www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing/videos/300821657371725/

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (September 10, 2018) — Fight Week is here. Finally. Undefeated WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golvkin will be looking to break a record everyone believed would remain untouched — the record he shares with the legendary Bernard Hopkins. On Saturday, Golovkin will attempt to make the 21st consecutive defense of the middleweight crown he has held since 2010, in a rematch against Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez. How fitting that Golovkin will be going for the record-breaker against Alvarez inasmuch as the co-promoters of Alvarez, Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya, will have front row seats to see it. Making it even more memorable, the Golovkin-Alvarez rematch will take place in the same city and on nearly the same date as the De La Hoya – Hopkins Middleweight World Championship fight which took place, on September 18, 2004.

“That was a defining fight for both Bernard and Oscar because of the way they fought and the way Bernard won. They both dared to be great,” said Abel Sanchez. “I reviewed the tape of that fight early in training camp and I saw how Bernard stopped Oscar dead in his tracks with a picture-perfect liver shot. I normally don’t like to give away our game plan but I don’t mind sharing this part of it, Gennady has trained and is prepared to do the same thing to Canelo. We have freshened it up and even gave it a name, The Ginger Snap. Personally, I think it would be poetic justice to break the record using the same type of punch that Bernard used on Oscar to unify the middleweight titles

“Saturday’s fight will define Gennady and Canelo. We are going to see if Canelo is coming to fight or coming to run, to survive, in hopes of receiving another gift from the judges,” continued Sanchez. “Gennady is ready to take the wind out of Canelo’s sails with that punch to the liver. Gennady doesn’t just fight Mexican Style, he fights like a Philadelphia fighter of old. Don’t be surprised if Gennady end things using a punch that is a throwback to those days — a classic liver shot — to puncture the Canelo myth once and for all. Bernard was the first fighter to stop Oscar and Gennady is looking to be the first one to stop Canelo.”

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“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” is streaming on HBO GO and HBO NOW.

Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third,

“24/7 CANELO/GGG 2” is the latest installment

of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 :00 p.m. PT.

Remaining tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, ;;;

www.caneloggg.com ;;;and www.hbo.com/boxing; ;;;follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,

www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

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By Norm Frauenheim-

For now, twice looks as if it is more than enough for two dangerous men who these days have only a craft and contempt in common.

From late winter, throughout spring and through most of summer, their Sept. 15 rematch at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena has been preceded by talk that says they don’t even want to be in the same ballroom, much less on the same stage, any more.

They will have to be – or at least they are scheduled to be – next week in a news conference Wednesday at the MGM Grand and weigh-in next Friday at T-Mobile that are suddenly a lot more interesting than the usual dates on a Fight Week’s traditional calendar. On the stage, at the podium and on the scale, there will be heightened attention – perhaps anticipation – at how the middleweights react when they see each other and maybe look each other in the eye.

This is no ordinary fight, because of all of the circumstances, reasons and insults that have been reported and repeated over the many months since Canelo’s positive test last February for clenbuterol resulted in a suspension and postponement of a bout, initially scheduled for May 5, that by now might have been long forgotten. The subsequent controversy and evident tension might make the September date memorable, even historical. It’s hard to predict, other than to say it won’t include too many of the traditional niceties.

In an almost deadpan tone, Golovkin, who has grown weary of all the talk, summed it up best this week in a conference call. First, GGG said he wanted to “punish” Canelo, “to size him down and to put him and his team in their place.”

Then, he said he didn’t know how it would end.

But, GGG said, “nobody is going to congratulate anybody, that’s for sure.’’

That might be the only thing on which he and Canelo agree. Both middleweights promise a victory decisive enough to end any reason for a third fight.

“It’s definitely more personal now,’’ Canelo said a couple of weeks ago “I really don’t like him. It’s personal, and I take it that way. It will make me train harder and give it the extra push to knock him out.’’

Translation: They’re sick of each other.

Yet, money, circumstances, time and more money – did we say money? – can change everything all over again. GGG and Canelo might forget their mutual contempt, especially if the September sequel’s HBO pay-per-view telecast goes the same way as last year’s bout, which ended in a controversial draw. Despite all of the hostility from both camps, neither fighter is a Mike Tyson-like hot head. Both are poised and smart, especially at opening bell. Incautious rhetoric won’t necessarily lead to reckless aggression.

“No, he’s not angry,’’ GGG trainer Abel Sanchez said during this week’s call when asked if anger had changed Golovkin’s approach. “He’s not angry. He’s got a purpose in the gym and he’s got a purpose for what he wants to do inside the ring.

“Canelo has done some things that Gennady feels he needs to pay for and he’ll do that. In the gym, it’s just another day of training. He’s the same guy that he was before. He trains hard. Just his mentality to this fight seems to be very, very focused on trying to punish Canelo — as he was when he fought Curtis Stevens.’’

But the Stevens fight in 2013 came and went in the matter of a few weeks. The GGG-Canelo hostilities have lasted as long as an NFL season.

“The reason it’s going on is because they keep accusing us of insulting them, and all we’re doing is telling the truth,’’ Sanchez said. “All we’re doing is telling you what is happening as we see it, as it’s being reported. He’s the one that tested positive, he’s the one (responsible for) the consequences for what happened on May the 5th and who we had to fight and what was done. He’s the one that created that. It wasn’t us. To continue to sweep it under the rug and to continue to not acknowledge the fact that you have screwed up is why this keeps going.’’

Don’t blink. It isn’t over yet.

What did you learn about yourself and Canelo in the first fight? Is that going to help you in the rematch?

“So many people show me their true face during and after the first fight with Canelo. I am talking about lots of different people. I know who I am and I know who Canelo is, and what he has become. I know what kind of people I am dealing with in this rematch, what everyone is about. I do not think about the first fight anymore. I did not lose that fight. I walked out of the ring with all my belts, still the world champion. The second fight is much bigger and more interesting. The last fight was a good experience because it was a learning experience. Now it is a different situation. I understand the situation. I now know that boxing is not just a sport. It is a business. That is one thing I learned from the first fight. So from that I learned how to deal with this rematch. I learned how to deal with Canelo and his promoter. Now we have new judges and a new referee. The world will see a new fight and different sides of that fight.

“I have worked very hard in this training camp, building myself up. It has been very exciting because I have been working on new things with Abel. Every day has been a good day. I am very happy and very strong. This will be the biggest fight for boxing. I cannot wait to give the fans a great fight, an exciting fight, a Mexican Style fight. This is a battle between the two best middleweights. To me, it is a fight about honor. This time I am fighting for a lot more than my world championship belts.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 takes place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

LOS ANGELES (SEPT. 5, 2018): THE MODERATOR: All these great fights I’m about to introduce will be live from Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena on September 15 as part of a special HBO Pay-Per-View Undercard featuring the highly-anticipated rematch between Lineal Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez versus WBC, WBA and IBO Middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin.

In the opening fight on this great fight card, on HBO Pay-Per-View telecast is pound-for-pound, king and former division world champion, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez from Nicaragua. He will make his highly-anticipated return against experienced Mexican warrior, Moises Fuentes in a 10-round super flyweight battle.

We also have on this great fight card former IBF middleweight world champion David Lemieux from Montreal, Canada versus Irish warrior Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan of Cork Island will go head-to-head in the 12-round middleweight slugfest.

If you think those two fights are great, we also have as the co-main event, breakout Mexican star Jaime Munguia, who will make his second defense of his WBO junior middleweight world title against rugged Canadian contender, Brandon Cook. Both fighters will also be sharing their comments on the call today.

This epic event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at a special time at 8:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are selling fast. You can still purchase tickets online at www.tmobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Fight fans can also watch the fight on closed-circuit locations in Vegas at the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, mirage and the Luxor. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resort Resorts International box office with a major credit card, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

At this time I would like to introduce Juan Carlos Torres of Zanfer Promotions.

JUAN CARLOS TORRES: Hey, Robert, thank you very much, and thank you to everybody here involved. We are very excited, again. Last year, we were a part of the biggest fight of the year, and here we go again. And not only that, but the undercard — of course, this is probably one of the most anticipated fights in the undercard because Chocolatito’s comeback, everyone wants to see him back; and Moises Fuentes is ready to take that challenge. He’s excited.

He also wants to prove that he’s not finished. He’s been a world champion a couple of times already, and he’s excited and very excited to be a part of this and we want to thank Golden Boy and 360 and Tom Loeffler for this amazing opportunity, and we just want to be ready. We just want to be there already.

So thank you to all of the participants in this call, and all the sponsors and everybody involved. Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Juan Carlos. Thank you.

Now, I’d like to hand it off to Tom Loeffler.

TOM LOEFFLER: We have a great working relationship with Mr. Honda of Teiken Promotions. We’ve done so many fights and had Roman on shows together with GGG. Chocolatito was the pioneer of the Superfly series.

We have the Superfly 3 screening this Saturday on HBO, and because of the success, because of this excitement that Chocolatito brought to the ring here in the United States, it allowed this whole series to be spun off from his success. The fight game special with Jim Lampley comes on after the Superfly series, and between Chocolatito and GGG on Sunday’s show has been a tremendous pairing.

When the Pay-Per-View starts out with Chocolatito as the first fight on the Pay-Per-View, you know what quality show this is going to be. He’s fighting Moises Fuentes as you mentioned, a very rugged Mexican warrior.

So many people are looking forward to seeing Chocolatito back in the ring. It’s been a year now and the fans can’t wait to see him, one of the most exciting, one of the most respected fighters in the sport back in the ring.

So we are excited about this show. We keep working together with Golden Boy to put this whole show together.

And at this point, I can turn it over to Carlos Blandon. Carlos is Chocolatito’s manager.

CARLOS BLANDON: Well, hello to everyone. We are really happy with Taken Promotions, Mr. Honda, with 360 Promotions, Tom, everyone in HBO; with all the sponsors that have helped this event come through, we are really happy, to Roman and us as a team, I think this is the best stage possible for Roman for his comeback, and we are very happy and thankful to God that we are given this opportunity, and we know that Roman has been training and will not give anything less than the best.

TOM LOEFFLER: Thank you, Carlos.

With that, we’d like to introduce Moises Fuentes who can say a few words, and then Roman can say a few words after Moises.

MOISES ‘MOI’ FUENTES: Thanks to Zanfer Promotions and to everybody involved for this opportunity. I have the opportunity of a lifetime to fight against a great Roman Gonzales. I’m very well prepared for this fight. I’m ready.

We feel strong and if God’s willing, we’re going to be victors that day and again, thank you to everybody.

TOM LOEFFLER: Thanks. Also acknowledging Zanfer Promotions, great friends of ours. We’ve done many fight together, and representing Moises together with Juan Carlos.

With that, someone who doesn’t need any introduction, unanimous pound-for-pound champion, and as I mentioned, everyone is looking forward to his comeback into the ring on September 15.

So with that, I want to introduce Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzales.

ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I’m very happy and thankful to God, HBO, 360 promotions. I’m very excited to be on the card with Canelo and GGG. I believe it’s a great opportunity. I’m very excited and I’m very happy and I can’t wait to give a great fight.

Q. Roman, it’s been one year since your fight with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, obviously a rough knockout loss. In the one year since that fight, what kind of doubts did you have about what you still had left to offer boxing as you were getting ready for your comeback? Did you have doubts about what you could still do?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: It was definitely a very difficult year from the loss that I suffered to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

I believe the wisdom to be able to overcome this situation — I believe that I’m back in the ring and I’m coming in great condition and I definitely want to win the fight, like every other boxer, and I believe that I am starting to set up my comeback.

Q. You’ve done so much and you’re going to be in the Hall of Fame someday, for sure. You’ve won titles in four weight classes and made a lot of history and been in a lot of great fights. At age 31 and in a small weight class, what do you still want to accomplish and what do you believe is left for you to do?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I’m very happy because of the situation and the accolades you just mentioned, about probably being in the Hall of Fame, but I feel that I still would like to obtain a fifth world title.

Q. In a different weight class?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: Yes.

Q. Just out of curiosity, also, what’s the exact contract weight for this fight?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: 115 super flyweight.

Q. Given that you were undefeated for so many years and then you’ve had losses back-to-back to the same opponent, do you think that it was just a bad style match up for you that caused you to have the two losses in a row, or is it something else?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I believe the knock out — very strong boxer and he does have a difficult style, a style that complicates boxing. When I was inside the boxing ring, I got hit and I feel he’s a really good boxer and great champion.

But at the same time, I also feel — I’m able to be back in the ring.

Q. What about the fans —
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I don’t give too much importance to the fans that don’t want to follow me. I give importance to the fans that do follow me. Everybody has their own opinion and their way of choosing the fighter they want. I love them all and I wish that God blesses everyone in this fight.

I’m very happy and I feel this is a great opportunity, and I’m ready to be able to overcome this tough year and be able to fight again.

Q. If September 15, do you believe this is your coming out party? Everyone is expecting you to win and to do good and come out on top. But what happens if that day, you come out on top? Is that a dream come true? Would that be a dream come true?
MOISES ‘MOI’ FUENTES: Absolutely. You know, I have a chance like everybody else. Nothing is written in boxing. I feel that I can beat Roman. It will definitely be something out of a dream, but I’m ready to fight and I hope I can beat him that Saturday.

Q. Roman, we know that you have a very important relationship in your life with God. I’m wondering, what kind of advice or conversations you might have had with God in the last year or so, as you’re looking whether to retire, whether to come back, and after your losses? What has that relationship been like, and how important has that been in guiding you?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I’m so thankful to God. I believe God keeps being my guide and always will be my God and I pray to God for everything and I thank God for all the blessings I’ve got through boxing and for being healthy. I ask God to take care of me in the ring, and I believe that I will succumb to whatever God’s will is on September 15.

Q. Are you nearer the end of your career than the beginning, and do you think about your legacy, and how would you like people to remember you on the day that you retire at some time in the future? How do you want people to remember you?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I believe everything that you put this God’s hand, that will come true, so I want people to see me as somebody to give them hope, a champion that will be a great fighter, made it possible, coming from nothing.

Q. How close did you actually come to retiring and is there a point where you felt you would retire and what changed your mind in terms of coming back and fighting?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: Very close. I really wanted to retire because I wanted to spend time with my children, which I had not been able to, due to so much determination within my career and the training and whatnot. But at the same time, I spoke to my family, and my family encouraged me, as well as myself, to be able to fight in the ring and I feel it wasn’t my time. It wasn’t my time, and now I’m ready to fight once again September 15.

Q. How much of your decision was that you didn’t want to end your career on the type of loss that you had last year?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: No, that has nothing to do with it. I wanted to fight. I believe I’ve received a lot of blessings for world titles, being ranked for a time as the No. 1 pound for pound, and I believe that is enough, but I was just happy to have the opportunity again.

Q. You haven’t fought in a year now. How has that rejuvenated you? How has that helped refresh your mind and your body over the past year?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: I feel I’ve rejuvenated a lot. It’s really helped me be able to come back.

Q. If you win, do you feel you’re in position to fight for another title? You have a lot of caché in the sport. Where do you feel you would be if you win this fight?
ROMAN ‘CHOCOLATITO’ GONZALEZ: Yes, I want to first finish this fight and then I’ll look forward to the next fight.

TOM LOEFFLER: We’ve put together one of the best shows, Pay-Per-View shows. We’ve got so many compliments on having Chocolatito on, Fuentes and Munguia, Brandon Cook, Lemieux and Spike O’Sullivan. It was a great team effort and I think this undercard is really going to complement the biggest fight and the biggest show of the year.

So we’re excited coming up, we’re just finalizing the last week here, and we’ll see everyone next week in Las Vegas.

BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: I’m happy to be a part of this. Canelo and GGG are two of my favorite fighters to watch the last couple years, after the first fight, and just to be in the same building as them is just like a dream come true, especially fighting for a world title. It’s been everything I’ve ever asked for, and I’ve worked so hard to get to this position.

Pretty much I’m walking around trying to get a bunch of tests done because they pretty much told me yesterday that all my medical stuff isn’t good enough. We had everything already done. They told us a couple weeks ago that it was all good to go, and then all of a sudden we get a call yesterday saying I’ve got to get a full eye exam done again, a full physical done again and a full blood test done again, and I’m leaving in a couple days.

So I don’t understand why all of a sudden they just tell us now, when we sent our stuff in three or four weeks ago. That’s the only thing I’m kind of a little bit upset about right now, but whatever. It is what it is.

I just can’t wait to get there and show everybody a great fight. I know Munguia is one of the toughest guys coming up right now, and I’m up for a challenge. I can’t wait to show the world who I am. Nobody knows who I am. Some people know who I am, but they are going to know who I am after September 15.

JAIME MUNGUIA: I’m very happy to be able to participate in this big eventful of stars. I’m happy, also, that I get to participate on the show date. I’m ready. I have trained really, really hard. I need to focus a lot. I’m excited and I can’t wait, and I’m ready for Saturday, next Saturday’s fight.

Brandon Cook is a really good opponent, a really strong opponent. He has a lot of experience and is a strong and tough opposition. I need to be very careful with him because I’ve seen a couple of fights, and he looks when he’s hurt, he’s the most dangerous. I need to really focus on the fight and really be at my best on Saturday.

Q. Given the narrative and the things happening surrounding the main event of the fight, is there a different pressure on how you approach the fight in terms of your performance, so that all of that doesn’t completely overshadow the bout that you will engage in and making your presence known in boxing on such a huge platform and such a huge night, starting with Jamie.
JAIME MUNGUIA: No, I don’t have any pressure, extra pressure. I’m very relaxed. I know that I cannot have those things, pressure, because I need to do my job. That’s what I need to do. I need to focus on my job and my fast and my training, and the rest will take care of itself.

Q. Brandon, can you answer that same question?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: Yeah, pretty much it’s the biggest of the year obviously, but I’m just happy to finally fight for a world title and to be on this stage is obviously amazing. I’m just going to do my thing like I always do.

The pressure; there no pressure, really. I’m not supposed to win, right. That’s what everybody is saying. I’m a 14:1 underdog right now and I’ve been underdog a couple times, so I know how it feels. Once that bell rings, I’ll going to do what I do best. I’m coming to fight.

The crowd doesn’t phase me. When I went to Montréal, from that ring, everybody was saying the craziest thing to me. I don’t care. I like to feed off that.

So it is what it is and I’m just really excited to be part of this amazing card. It’s going to be fun.

Q. So do you think that maybe this is a help to you in your approach to this fight? The focus will primarily be on the main event of the card but with such intense scrutiny focused on the main event, do you feel almost like you can move around and prepare in more peaceful circumstances than usual?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: Pretty much for me, I think there will be a ton of people watching this and they will be getting ready for that main event and Jamie and me are going to give the people what they want to see. They are going to enjoy this fight and with we are going to get them wound up and ready to go for the main event. I know he can fight, and I can fight.

This stylistic match going to be a great fight and it’s just going to open a lot of doors, whoever wins, obviously. He’s the next up-and-coming kid. He’s tough. He’s strong. He’s young. But I don’t care. I’m just coming to do what I got to do, and I can’t wait to get in there. I’m ready. I had two fights fall on me this year and this whole summer I’ve been training. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. I can’t wait to get out there and do my thing.

JAIME MUNGUIA: I learned a lot in the last fight. I learned not to get desperate, and in training camp, and what I trained in, and I’m basically with the mind-set to go in and do my job, and that’s it. There is nothing extra. There is no pressure, just do my job, what I do every day in the gym, and I always feel relaxed.

This is nothing new for me. It’s a fight between me and Brandon and nothing else. The rest of the card, it’s different. I cannot have any control over what happens in the main event or the other cards. I just need to do exactly what I’m doing in training camp, and that’s it.

Q. Jamie, 2018 has been a big year for you. It’s been a year of a lot of turbulence, and a year of a lot of news, a lot of activity. How do you feel this year is going for you?
JAIME MUNGUIA: A lot of turbulence, a lot of news and a lot of good results. I have a lot of activity, a lot of surprises, also. But of course, this year has been the biggest of my career so far. But the reality is that I cannot lose focus because everybody wants my title and everybody’s after me. I used to be the one who was hunting; now I’m the hunted one. So, I’ve got to keep focusing and I’ve got to keep working on the gym.

Q. In a few weeks, you will be fighting. How different is this challenge?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: I think he’s just more of a powerful young kid — more of a better boxer. I take any fight. I don’t care who it is. They are both really good. Obviously Kell Brook had his little ankle injury going on and I never ended up getting the fight, but one door closes and another one opens.

Jamie Munguia was the prospect of the year last year, so to be fighting someone like this is amazing to me. Like I said, I’m going to do everything I can to take that title back home with me. I know it’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m ready. I’ve been training all summer, man. I can’t wait for this. This is a huge opportunity for me and my life, and that’s why I quit my job last year so I could train full-time.

This is what I want and this is why I’m here, where I am today.

Q. Brandon, what have you noticed from Munguia, particularly the last two fights that have been on HBO, it seems like he’s not hardly hit. What do you see in him?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: I pretty much, what I see is when he gets somebody hurt, he tries to take their head off. His offense is pretty much his defense. He comes forward and just throws bombs, right. He’s a tough kid. He throws everything into every punch. I’m sure he says that he’s going to try to change that a little bit, but I know I’ve got to keep my hands up tight and be smart.

I think once he feels my power, he’ll probably change his style up a little bit. I watched the lie a.m. Smith fight a couple times and Smith hit him a ton of times, but Smith didn’t hit him with too many good, clean punches, but the fight before that with alley, he pretty much just rolled alley over. I think alley is too small for Munguia. Munguia looked way bigger than him.

Size makes a big differs, too. He’s going to come in close to 170 pounds and I’m going to come in close to 168-ish. He’ll be a lot taller than me, but you’ll see the difference in our body types. I’ve been training so hard this summer for this, and this opportunity just came out of nowhere. I only had five weeks’ notice but I’ve been training all summer for this.

I did three different races — I’m a dual athlete, this opportunity came up and I jumped on it. It’s going to be a tough fight obviously but I’m ready for what he wants to bring me.

Q. You feel you’re a bigger puncher than Liam Smith, right??
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: Growing up, any time I would hit somebody, they always drop. I’ve been in a ton of street fights. That’s what got me into boxing obviously. I know how much power I have. You don’t just develop power. You’re born with it and I was born with power.

I might not have been born with the best boxing skills but I’ve learned a lot over — I turned pro in 2011, I learned a lot about how to box now. I’ve just got to be smart, like I said, and throw my punches. I know how hard I hit, and if I can hit his square in the chin, like I did to Butler or anybody else I hit, they are going to feel it. I think, no offense to Liam, but I think I hit harder than Liam Smith.

We’re going to see what happens when it comes next Saturday night.

Q. Brandon, you mentioned you were in a lot of street fight as a kid. At what point did you start boxing at the gym?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: Not till pretty much I was 19 years old. Pretty much I was fighting people all the time, knocking people out all the time. And then my coach today, one of my best friends, brought me to the gym because he used to fight. He’s like, you’ve got to try this out.

So I ended up going to the gym. First day in the gym, I called on the coach. He literally beat the crap out of me for three rounds, and I’ve never been beat up before. So I was like, whoa, this is — I had to come back. I kept coming back, coming back, and then only had three amateur fights but my fight is more of a pro style. When I first started, I kind of came forward and just tried to rip their head off pretty much.

I’ve learned a lot, now, but if it wasn’t for boxing, I wouldn’t know where I’d be. Like I was doing a lot of stupid things when I was a kid, and I’m happy where I am today.

Q. What’s your coach’s name and what is the gym you went to in Ontario?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: My coach’s name is Mike Guyett and the gym I train at is Ajax Boxing Club.

Pretty much we have our own little — we go in wherever we want, do whatever we want. He has a couple fighters, but pretty much he just trains, he putts all his time into me, and he knows a ton about boxing. Nobody is going to know who he is, but he’s like a boxing-cyclopedia. Anything you ask him, he’ll know about it. I don’t understand how he knows so much about boxing. Any time there’s a fight, any time there’s reports, he reads the boxing sheets every day. He knows everything. It’s crazy.

Q. How do you spell his last name?
BRANDON “BAD BOY” COOK: G-u-y-e-t-t. And he’s pretty much the same age as me and we’ve been doing this since I’ve been 18 years old, he’s been training me.

So we just have a good connection and he learns a lot and I learn more every time I work with him. It’s been a good run, and look, we got to a world title shot, so we must have done something right.

Q. How close is the gym that you train at in relation to Toronto? Is it close?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: It’s not far at all. It’s like 30 minutes. I travel all over the place for sparring because we don’t have much sparring in Ajax.

Like I go to a bunch of different gyms for rounds and just to try — especially to fight someone like this, I’ve been sparring with a lot of bigger guys, guys that are like 175, 180 pounds, just because I know how big Jamie is, and he’s big and tall, and he’s going to come in huge on fight night. We try to mimic every fight who we spar with, right. So, every fight, we try to find guys that are going to be the best suitable for who I’m going to fight.

Q. You mentioned earlier that you quit your job full-time to focus full-time on training. What did you do before you became a boxer full-time?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: I installed windows my whole life pretty much. I was working ten to 12 hours a day, getting up before work, 5:00 in the morning, running, going to work all day and then going to the gym. I did that my whole career until right after the fight with Kanat Islam.

So I’ve only had two fights without a full-time job, and the last two fights, I was — finished strong and most energy I’ve ever had.

It makes a huge difference being able to actually train full-time like the rest of these people do. I ended up breaking up with my ex-two years ago, and I ended up, sold my house last year and made a good amount of money, so I pretty much pay myself to train full-time. I wouldn’t be ready for this fight if I wasn’t training full-time.

Q. You were supposed to fight Kell Brook late in July and you’ve been in training camp for a long time. How did you manage not over training by being in camp for so long and training for so long?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: First I was supposed to fight Kell Brook, and three weeks before the fight, he ended up pulling out with an ankle injury and three weeks later they give me Sam, and before we get on the plane they tell us he has an eye injury from sparring.

I was just about peaked for that fight, but Eddie Hearn still let us go. Went to England for a week, had a little bit of downtime, checked out England. I still ran and did a workout but that was pretty much my week to recover and chill out.

Then I went right back, as soon as I get back, I got back into my training because I had a big race coming up and all of a sudden, we got the call for this. So really, we only had five weeks’ notice, but I was already in really good shape. So, it wasn’t for me getting ready for those races, I probably wouldn’t be in the shape I’m in right now.

But this is the best shape I’ve been in in my life. I have no excuses. The best man is going to win next Saturday night. I’m really happy with this opportunity to show everybody that there’s actually really good names coming out of Canada.

Q. You’re what would you like fans to know about you going into this fight on the 15th?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: I’m like the normal guy. I do everything that I’m supposed to do. I train — one thing about me is I train hard. That’s one thing that everybody that knows me; one of the hardest trainers — I’m pretty much the hardest guy that works in the gym. I do everything I can to win fights. Obviously, I don’t have — when I first started boxing, I didn’t have the best boxing skills, but I’ve learned a lot.

Once I come there next Saturday night, and when I fight, people are going to enjoy the fight, because the style of matchup between us, too, is going to give people a lot to think about. It’s going to be obviously a tough fight for both of us.

We’re going to be getting hit a lot, but obviously I don’t want to get hit too much. I’m sure he doesn’t want to get hit too much. This is a dream come true. Any kid, man, that grew up in boxing, always wanted to fight for a world title, but to be on the GGG-Canelo undercard is just the creme of the crop. Icing on the cake.

This is everything I ever wanted. I just want to show everybody that we’ve been working really hard to get to this, and I’m not just coming in to get paid. I’m coming there to fight. I’m coming there to give people what they paid for, and that’s a good fight.

Q. Who are your role models in boxing?
BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: To tell you the truth, the two people fighting in the main event. I’ve been watching those two since I started boxing.

But the very first — like the very best guy that I ever watched was Mike Tyson growing up. His demeanor or walking into the ring and knocking people out is just something like I’m always, wow, this guy is nuts.

I just love the way he just came in there and knocked people out just out cold just like that. People would pay top dollar just to go see that. I would even go pay to see a round. Obviously, the skill level is not as good today, but he was really small for a heavy weight. He’s always been a guy that I’ve always loved, and Mike Tyson — I don’t know, everything about him, I just like it. I love him.

You’re just going to see me, I’m going to have a big smile on my face and when that bell rings, I change my whole demeanor. I can’t wait.

Q. Do you think about the legacy of some of the other fighters from Tijuana, and how has that helped shape your career?
JAIME MUNGUIA: I had a lot of motivation because of them. As a kid, I used to watch them fight and I remember a lot of them.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be like them, and there’s been a lot of motivation because of those guys.

Q. Do you intend to stay in Tijuana for training, at least in the near future?
JAIME MUNGUIA: I’ve been training in L.A. for my last two bouts, but I don’t have any problems training in Tijuana, either.

Q. And you were part of the big public media workout at Bank of California Stadium, and you have some fans there. How did you like that experience?
JAIME MUNGUIA: I love it. The reason why is I saw everybody — the people really put their hard work and money into the sport and buy tickets, and I saw that and I loved it. Most of the people that know a lot about boxing, a lot of the people that were there gave me a lot of love, and that was even better to keep working and more motivation for the next fight.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you all for your questions. We are just going to have the fighters make their last comments.

Brandon, would you like to make a last comment?

BRANDON ‘BAD BOY’ COOK: Yeah, I just want to thank everybody for being a part of this, and you guys are going to enjoy this fight next Saturday night because we’re both coming to fight. I’m giving everybody the best show I can, and I’m just really happy for this opportunity for me and my team. We’ve come a long way and this is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to be there, in Vegas, on the biggest card of the year.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Brandon.
Jaime, any last comments?

JAIME MUNGUIA: I want to invite everybody, all the people to read about this and see the fight on Pay-Per-View. You’re going to have a main event that’s going to be incredible between Canelo and Golovkin, and you’re going to love the fight I’m going to bring on Saturday.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Wonderful. Thanks for those comments.

Okay. Everybody, that concludes Canelo versus Golovkin 2 conference call. Thank you for participating and see you at the fight on September 15.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. Munguia vs. Cook is a 12-round battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round middleweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with Murphy’s Boxing. Gonzalez vs. Fuentes is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” is streaming on HBO GO and HBO NOW. Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2” is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Limited tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are still available, and are priced at
$5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets are also available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Tickets are on sale for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

NEW YORK (September 5, 2018): RingTV.com and Cleeng today announced a partnership to stream the most anticipated boxing showdown of the year as Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez(49-1-2, 34 KOs) takes on WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) in a 12-round rematch Saturday, September 15.

Canelo vs. GGG 2, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions, will air live on www.RingTV.com Pay-Per-View in the United States starting at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The PPV broadcast will be available to watch in HD on RingTV.com & CaneloGGG.com (video promo). RingTV.com will be the online programming platform for purchasing and viewing the Pay-Per-View, with Cleeng providing all the supporting technology to drive the Sept. 15 event programming.

“Over the past several years Golden Boy Media and Entertainment has changed how fight fans experience the sport of boxing,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “We have invested heavily in making sure that boxing fans can choose how they watch their favorite fighters on the RingTV.com platform. We are delighted to deliver Canelo vs GGG 2 to fans across the globe on a world-class platform as we continue in our efforts to make boxing more and more accessible.”

“We’re excited to be a part of this historical boxing event with Golden Boy Promotions. We continue to work closely with RingTV and Golden Boy Promotions to deliver High Quality and engaging events at high traffic volume” Cleeng Inc. VP of America, Sal Romanasaid. “The Ring Magazine has been known as the ‘Bible of Boxing’ since 1922. We’re proud to be partnering with RingTV.com, which has grown Ring’s powerful influence in pro boxing to a rapidly changing, increasingly younger audience, by streaming the best available boxing events and news.”

In the co-main event, breakout Mexican star Jaime Munguia (30-0, 25 KOs) will make the second defense of his WBO Junior Middleweight World Title against rugged Canadian contender Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (20-1, 13 KOs) in a 12-round battle. Former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (39-4, 33 KOs) of Montreal, Canada and Irish warrior Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (28-2, 20 KOs) of Cork, Ireland will go head-to-head in a 12-round middleweight battle that has Fight of the Year candidate written all over it. Former pound-for-pound king and former four-division world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua will make his highly anticipated return against experienced Mexican warrior Moises “Moi” Fuentes (25-5-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight battle that will open the pay-per-view.

About Ring TV:
The Ring was founded in 1922 by Nat Fleischer. The first issue, dated February 15, 1922, was 24 pages and cost 20 cents. The cover featured black and white photographs of American promoter Tex Richard and Lord Lonsdale, a British aristocrat and boxing patron. Originally located in New York City, the magazine relocated to Long Island, New York, in 1990, and then moved to suburban Pennsylvania in 1993. It is now based in Los Angeles.

There have been only eight editors-in-chief in the magazine’s history. Doug Fischer is the current editor. The Ring began awarding championship belts in 1922. The first Ring belt was awarded to heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, the second to flyweight champion Pancho Villa. The magazine stopped giving belts to world champions in the 1990s, but began again in 2002 when it launched its new championship policy intended to reward fighters who, by satisfying rigid criteria, can justify a claim as the true and only world champion in a given weight class.

About Cleeng USA:
Cleeng offers the smartest way to sell live and on-demand video, direct to consumers. Cleeng helps sports, entertainment and media companies to protect and monetize PPV events, locally or globally. Its SVOD and Pay-Per-View solutions are used by market-leading brands like Foxtel, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Golden Boy Promotions, NHRA, France Télévisions and many more. The company has offices in New York, Amsterdam, Poland, Manilla and Sydney. Cleeng powers over 20,000+ live PPV events yearly, in over 167 different countries and processes over 30,000 transactions per minute.

cleeng.com
Twitter: @cleeng

The MODERATOR: This is Fred Sternburg, and on behalf of GGG Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and all of our wonderful sponsors, welcome to Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin’s media conference call.

We are 11 days away from the Big Drama Show: The rematch everyone has been looking forward to. Gennady is in his last week of training camp at The Summit in Big Bear Lake, California, where he’s been working hard in preparation for his 21st and division record-breaking title defense.

Joining Gennady on the call today will be his trainer, Abel Sanchez and his promoter, Tom Loeffler.

One note before we start, we’d like to invite you to participate in tomorrow’s Pay-Per-View Undercard conference call featuring Jaime Munguia, Brandon, “Bad Boy” Cook, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Moises “Moi” Fuentes. That call will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific, so you don’t want to miss that.

At this time, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Tom Loeffler.

TOM LOEFFLER: Thank you, Fred. You know, we are just excited. The fight’s almost here. It’s the last week of training camp. Abel is up there in Big Bear Lake with GGG. They are finishing up their sparring this week.

We do have the Superfly 3 show this Saturday. It will be televised live HBO. Following the fights HBO will air a special edition of The Fight Game with Jim Lampley which will be all about the GGG – Canelo rematch, so everyone tune into HBO on September 8.

There’s been a lot of things said over the weekend which we can address that on this call, whether it’s the anthems or the gloves, we can touch on that briefly.

The GGG team had nothing to do with approving or disapproving Canelo’s gloves. That came directly from the Nevada Athletic State Athletic Commission.

And also, with the anthems; it was an agreement we had reached as part of the deal; that the anthems be played before the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast.

So there wasn’t any controversy, but controversy sells and we’d just like to address the issues as they come so with that, we can turn it over to start taking some questions.

Q. You must be anxious. How has camp been going and are you looking forward to next week?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Thank you very much. My training camp is great. I feel very good. My body, my speed, my power, everything is coming back, I feel like I am 25 years old. I needed the time, and now this is the last week [of training] for me.

Q. Gennady, are you afraid or worried that your fan base could turn on you, given some of the remarks you’ve made about Canelo building up to this fight, or are you just speaking your truth?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Well, first of all, I didn’t really say anything bad. I really said only one phrase and one sentence about that, and I never said anything personal, never offended him personally, and I don’t think that my fans will turn away from me because of what I said — what I had to say.

Q. You mentioned that you feel 25 years old, but I hate to tell you, you aren’t 25 years old. Do you train differently now that you’re ten years older, than you did when you were 25? Do you adapt any different techniques? And Abel, I’d like you to chime in on that, as well.

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: I feel great and I still train hard.

ABEL SANCHEZ: To answer that question, I do train everybody similarly. They work together in the strength and conditioning, but in the sparring, obviously we modify that as a fighter gets a little bit older, just so that we don’t leave things in the gym. But he still works as hard as he’s always worked. It’s just a matter of me making the schedule so that it’s best for him.

Q. I’ve been hearing and reading a lot of the comments from Abel, and from Canelo, where Abel has said Canelo ran in the fight and Canelo said, no, that was the game plan of how he wanted to fight.

Did you think that the way that he fought you last September constituted him running in the fight? What was your opinion of the style in which he fought against you?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: It was his fighting style earlier, not just in the September fight. Well, he was always — you know, he always has a way of running on the ring, but it was his style.

However, what happened on our last fight, he was really avoiding fighting close to me. I think that’s exactly what happened, but what he’s trying to say right now, it just proves that he’s not keeping his word. He’s trying to deceive people again, and being dishonest. But it doesn’t matter what he said. Let him say whatever he wants.

Q. This would be a record-breaking victory for you in terms of the middleweight title defense record. Could you express your perspective on what it would mean to you if you were to achieve the record of the most middleweight defenses in the history of boxing?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Absolutely. It’s very important for me to beat this record. Basically, it’s like two types of victory to beat Canelo and to beat the record. For me, it’s the most important goal at this point.

Q. Tom, if you could chime in on that, as far as your perspective as far as the possibility of seeing GGG take the record that he’s now tied with with Bernard Hopkins?

TOM LOEFFLER: I think when you put it in perspective, it would be a tremendous accomplishment if GGG is able to break Bernard’s record. Most people thought, you know, that was untouchable, 20 middleweight title defenses, and you know, as long as Gennady has been champion, he’s the longest-reigning champion right now in the sport of boxing [since 2010].

And regardless of what you say about both guys, this is the biggest event in the sport of boxing. They agreed to fight each other, and to be on this big of a stage, this platform, the biggest fight of boxing, and if he’s able to beat Canelo and break the record at the same time, as he said, this would be a huge accomplishment for him, all on the same night.

Q. Wondering if there’s any frustration or regret that this fight didn’t happen five years ago or six years ago when both fighters were a little bit younger. Can this still be the mega fight that everyone wants to see?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Quite possible. Quite possible. But not even five years ago, even two years ago, we couldn’t get them to fight us. They were avoiding the fight every way possible. If you remember, they even gave up one of the belts, the WBC belt, they gave it up, to avoid us.

ABEL SANCHEZ: As far as I’m concerned, no, there’s no regrets. I think that Canelo has grown in the last four or five years, a couple years ago when they gave up the belt, they knew they weren’t ready for this level of fight it’s happening now, and we look forward to this being one of the most memorable fights of the decade.

Q. Abel in your experience, in what age do a fighter’s skills typically decline? Are you still seeing growth and improve out of him?

ABEL SANCHEZ: I’m seeing slight growth, but I think it depends on the weight and the type of fights. You have a guy like Fernando Vargas, who was put in a lot of difficult fights early in his career, and by the time he was 26, he was finished.

And then you have guys like Bernard Hopkins fighting into his 40s and early 50s, so it depends on the kind of fight and how the fighter takes care of himself. Gennady, I haven’t seen anybody dominate him in the ring, not only in sparring but in the fights, and until then, then I can say I would judge a little age. But until that happens, it’s difficult to say he’s getting old.

Q. Where are you with the hand-stacking and the wrapping controversy, and where you guys might be with the Commission and Canelo’s side on that.

TOM LOEFFLER: We want to clarify everything ahead of time with the Nevada Commission so there are no fight week confrontations, especially no fight night confrontations, like we had last time.

We’ll say that the reason why Abel was so surprised by the wraps last time was that every other jurisdiction that GGG has fought in didn’t allow the stacking or the different layers of wrapping, and so that’s why Abel filed a protest, and it wasn’t received very well.

The inspector actually threatened to remove Abel from Canelo’s locker room because of that protest. But in the U.K., Canada and California, you know, all these different jurisdictions, and New York, where GGG’s fought, you know, they wouldn’t allow that.

So this time, we want to avoid any type of confrontations and want to get everything worked out between the GGG side, between the Canelo side and Golden Boy and Nevada Athletic Commission. Everything was amicable with the officials and we want to continue, whether it’s addressing the hand-wrapping, the gloves, any other pertinent information, weigh-in, anything like that. We just want the focus of this promotion to be on the fighters in the ring, not on any controversies outside the ring.

Q. Abel, you’re not going to change the way you wrap Gennady’s hand no matter what they say; right?

ABEL SANCHEZ: No, I don’t believe two wrongs make a right. If I take Gennady or any of my fighters to any jurisdiction where they don’t allow it, I don’t want them to have any kind of thoughts that they don’t have a cast on their hands in this particular jurisdiction, like they had in Nevada and they don’t feel as comfortable. So I want to keep it as much the same for every fight as possible.

Q. Does Gennady have an opinion or does it matter?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Well, as far as I’m concerned, I haven’t seen how his hands were wrapped. I was fighting him not knowing how he was wrapped. It’s not up to me. It’s not up to me to make a judgment on that.

Q. In the most recent 24/7, Chepo Reynoso said that Gennady is like a donkey, and he does the same thing over and over again. Abel, what is your response to that?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Chepo Reynoso has never had an Olympian. Chepo Reynoso has never had a Silver Medalist. Chepo Reynoso has never had 18 world champions like I have had. Chepo Reynoso talks from Canelo. So when he gets to that level, maybe he can speak in an intelligent manner. But if you look at Gennady’s record, he’s beaten a lot of the champions during his reign; a lot of champions that are champions now he beat in the amateurs. So to hear somebody talk like that is ridiculous.

Q. Gennady, what did you think of that?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: What I want to say is I don’t want to go so low at the level of statements like that. It just shows a lack of class. It shows low class. It just shows a lack of upbringing, lack of intelligence. It just shows, again, how they behave themselves. I’m never able to say anything so low about anybody. So I just don’t want to comment about this anymore.

Q. Canelo has promised he’ll be more aggressive in this fight and fight Gennady more. Do you feel that because he said it — do you believe the emotion going into this fight, that he’ll fight more?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Well, it doesn’t matter what they say. We’ll see what happens on September 15 because very often what they say doesn’t correspond to what they do. So let’s wait until September 15.

Q. Abel, can you comment, as well?

ABEL SANCHEZ: We’re preparing for September 15. How he talked the first time, how he boasted, how Bernard boasted about being so great that he’s going to knock out Golovkin in the tenth round of the last fight and now what he’s saying about this fight.

I just hope that he’s true to his words. The fans are expecting the Canelo that they have seen in the past, not the Canelo they saw last year. I think that if he’s true to his word, that we’ll get the classic fight we were expecting the first time, two guys that want to win, not one guy that wants to win and the other guy that is looking to survive.

Q. Can you talk about what makes Abel a good trainer?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: You should ask the commission which recognizes him as the best coach in the world.

Q. Compared to the fighter that you were before you started working with Abel, how have you evolved as a fighter in the years that you have spent working with him?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: I haven’t really changed. Most importantly, I haven’t become worse. I haven’t changed for the worse.

I am is really thankful that Abel is not bringing in any illegal and banned substances into my fighting career and hasn’t taught me something which was not — which was not allowed in boxing, so I’m really thankful for him of being such a great coach.

Q. The judging, such as it was, all three judges had Canelo winning the first two rounds, and the last three, I believe, but what do you plan to do to change that in this fight?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Well, we will continue to implement our winning strategy in this fight, as well. As far as judges, we can’t influence the judges. We can only hope that the judges will be more fair, more adequate and more competent than the last time.

Q. Would you like to see a faster start, so to speak?

ABEL SANCHEZ: You know, Gennady is a fighter that is undefeated right now and he’s got a stain [the draw against Canelo] on his record because of some bad judging, but he has a style that he has been very successful with.

That fight is a 12-round fight, not a two-round fight or a four-round fight. So what we do at the beginning of the fight will be dictated by what Gennady sees.

It’s not a matter of being able to predict what can happen; if Canelo starts of like he did in the middle of last fight, the same way in this fight, it will be difficult to chase him down and make an impact on the judges.

But like Gennady said, hopefully the judges will be as fair as possible. I think we have a great panel of judges this time. And the fight will develop. It’s a 12-round fight, not a four-round fight.

Q. The magnitude and the kind of eyeballs that are going to be on it, how much is this a showcase of what’s going on in the sport, other than what’s happening in the heavyweight division.

TOM LOEFFLER: Both GGG and Canelo, they have tremendous fan bases. This event, just like last September, when they get together, it really transcends boxing and a World Championship fight.

It really becomes an international sporting event, almost like a World Cup soccer match where you have flags and you have the fans chanting, just a similar emotion and energy in the arena, and we expect it to be at an even higher level now, with all the controversy that happened in the scoring in the first fight, and, you know, the delay, the cancellation of the Cinco de Mayo fight, I think it’s going to hit an even higher pitch with the rematch September 15.

So again, whatever controversy there is between the two sides, you have to give them credit that they are getting into the ring. A lot of people talk about fighting each other. This is the second time that GGG and Canelo fought each other in 12 months and that’s what makes it the biggest fight in the sport of boxing this year, because their fan bases, the international level, we have GGG fans coming in from all over the world for this fight.

And I think we’re going to break the level that was set last year for ticket sales, and the Pay-Per-View is also on track to be significantly higher than last year. So I think we’ll see an even bigger event this time in September.

Q. Abel, what’s it been like for you to see the growth in Gennady’s popularity from what it was five years ago or whatever, just to see how many fans he’s made throughout the world?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, from the beginning, when I first started working with him eight years ago, I sensed that there was something special about this young man, and he’s proven me right, at least to me, anyway.

It’s like one of my children doing well. All my fighters in my gym are like a family to all of us, to each other, so to see one of our kids succeed in the manner that he’s succeeding, and to have had the adulation of the fans, worldwide, and especially the Latin fans for his Mexican Style of fighting and his style of entertaining. It’s an honor to be included in the same ring and in the same sentence with Gennady Golovkin.

Q. The fan bases of the respective fighters, based on my research, I know for a fact that Canelo has lost a few fans from the first fight. From the way he ran around to the dirty tests to his reaction to the dirty tests. I’m wondering, in your opinion, more than ever, is Canelo’s reputation on the line in this second fight? In other words, if he goes in there and runs around and doesn’t fight Gennady more, is he destined to lose even more of his fans than he already has?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, I think he has a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of a lot of fans. Just because he’s losing fans, Gennady’s gaining them and other fighters are gaining them. but as long as fans continue to watch our sport and continue to support us, Gennady will do his part, Canelo will do his part what he needs to do, and if maybe in the future, Canelo will be an afterthought if he doesn’t redeem himself in the way that the fans want him to redeem himself.

He’s got a duty in this fight, not only to himself but to his people, to prove what he was telling all of us was true, and if he does, I think that he’ll be celebrated. Win, lose or draw, he’ll be celebrated because of his approach to this fight.

Q. The result for September 15, do you see any chance to fight the match with

Canelo Alvarez, because the opinion that you have right now from Canelo — guarantee a match with him —

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Well, what I’ve always really wanted to do, I want to punish him. I want to have a fight and punish him for all the bad things that he and his team have done, so basically to put them — to size him down and to put him and his team in their place.

Q. How important is this fight for the sport of boxing, and how important is it for Kazakhstan?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: It is very, very important for Kazakhstan and for Kazakhstan fans, because we are champions right now. We are on the right side. We are not dirty and we will defend our honor and defend our title.

Q. Just wondering, have you ever faced or fought anybody that you have disliked so much as you seem to dislike Canelo, and if so, how does that change your training in terms of controlling your anger at him?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: First of all, I have to say, that I always do my 100 percent, and very seriously approach any training processes, always do my best.

As far as Canelo’s team, you can see they continue to speak this nonsense and discredit themselves. So I have nothing to say about that anymore.

Q. Does it affect his training, the anger at all? Can you answer that, Abel? Do you notice a difference in his training because he’s angry at Canelo? He just said he wanted to punish him.

ABEL SANCHEZ: No, he’s not angry. He’s not angry. He’s got a purpose in the gym and he’s got a purpose for what he wants to do inside the ring.

Canelo has done some things that Gennady feels he needs to pay for and he’ll do that in the ring. In the gym, it’s just another day of training . He’s the same guy that he was before. He trains hard. Just his mentality to this fight seems to be very, very focused on trying to punish Canelo — as he was when he fought Curtis Stevens —

Q. This one just seems to have been going on and on and on, so it’s —

ABEL SANCHEZ: The reason it’s going on is because they keep accusing us of insulting them, and all we’re doing is telling the truth. All we’re doing is telling you what is happening as we see it, as it’s being reported, so he’s the one that tested positive, he’s the one that the consequences for what happened on May the 5th and who we had to fight and what was done, he’s the one that created that. It wasn’t us. And to continue to sweep it under the rug and to continue to not acknowledge the fact that you have screwed up is why this keeps going.

Q. Obviously Bernard Hopkins’ name has been mentioned because Gennady is going to try to break the record, but Bernard Hopkins played a lot of mind games with his opponent — made them fight a little crazy and maybe not to their benefit, most notably in the fight on September 29, 2001 against Felix Trinidad — could a little bit of it be something to get into their heads and maybe make them a little bit crazy, too, and so Canelo — the kind of fight that you guys want him to fight?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Really I don’t think right now about Bernard Hopkins. I’m thinking about my fight with Canelo, and as far as all the other association, we can talk about this after September 15.

Q. Abel, same thing. Could some of this be a strategy maybe to make the other side a little bit crazy? Apparently it’s a two-way thing, going back and forth.

ABEL SANCHEZ: You know, in this gym, and amongst us here, I think I can include Tom in this, we have a lot of respect for Bernard Hopkins, and we have a lot of respect for what he’s done and what he’s done in boxing and we have a lot of respect for breaking the record. But to break the record and use a page out of his own book would be something even better.

If it’s getting to Canelo, then I guess we’ve accomplished what everybody thinks we’re trying to do. We were not trying to do that. We were just talking about the facts.

Q. You know what’s on the line in terms of the title defense record, but what does this mean to you on a personal level, considering everything that has gone on with Canelo in the last year? What does this fight mean to you just on that personal level?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: For me personally, although this fight happened at a later stage of my career, this is a most interesting fight. This is a most interesting fight because we have an interesting opponent because we have an interesting situation, and it’s a most important fight in my life right now, and also it’s the most important fight for boxing sport right now.

Q. Considering all the harsh words that have been said up in the lead up, when it’s all said and done, however the fight goes, if one of you guys win by knockout, will you go over there and will you shake his hand?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Well, nobody knows how it’s going to end, what’s going to be the result. But nobody is going to congratulate anybody, that’s for sure.

Q. Do you feel this fight is for your legacy? The title defense record, it’s an amazing achievement, but do you feel that — take that aside. Do you feel come September 15, you’re going to be fighting — you’re going to be fighting for your legacy?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: Of course, everybody understands that. Everybody who is honest understands that’s a part of the legacy — of my legacy in boxing. Those honest people recognize it. Those who are dishonest, they try to forget about this.

Q. Abel, what improvements have you seen from Gennady leading into the fight last year and heading into the rematch next weekend?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, I think at this level, maturity and amount of fights; the improvements are minimal. The improvements are a lot of times more mental than they are physical, but how you approach a fight mentally, it’s just as important as the little improvements that we had.

I had a fighter back about 25 years ago, Orlin Norris fought Arthur Williams, first time he looked lackluster; and in the second bout, he knocked his opponent out in the fourth round, and the way he went into the second fight was much much better than the first one mentally.

I think when you get to this level and when you get to this stage in their careers, it’s hoping that everything goes right in the gym, hoping that there’s no controversy and hoping that everything is 100 percent in the training camp, and you go into a fight with a different mode. He goes into a fight that, as he said, he wants to punish Canelo and he has a thought in his mind what he want to do to him. We train hard and we prepare just like we did for the first one, but the mental aspect of it is the most important at this stage in my opinion.

Q. Tom, the first fight sold out rather quickly, and I was looking at the press release you sent out this morning and there’s tickets still on sale. Why do you feel the rematch hasn’t sold out yet, compared to how quickly it sold out the first time around?

TOM LOEFFLER: I think some of it had to do with a lot of fans being disappointed with the Cinco de Mayo fight being canceled. A lot of fans made flight reservations, hotel reservations, and then they were bitterly disappointed.

Naturally that wasn’t because it was Gennady’s fault, but you know, when you go through that expense, I think a lot are waiting until the final couple weeks to actually make the reservations.

As I mentioned before, this fight has a big international fan base coming in. Ultimately, we’re still on track to exceed the revenue that we did in the last fight.

You know, going back to that previous question that Abel had answered as far as Gennady’s legacy, you know, this is a huge fight for Gennady, the biggest fight in boxing this year, but there’s a lot of names in the past that we would have liked to have gotten in the ring who just simply, for whatever reason, chose not to fight Gennady, whether it was Felix Sturm, whether it was Sergio Martinez, whether it was Peter Quillin at the time; it was just the six-year anniversary of GGG’s HBO debut, September 1, 2012.

There was an article on ESPN that listed all these middleweight names, and it had Gennady having this big impact on HBO. Just look at his ratings on HBO. That’s where we’re at right now. He’s kind of have that blue-collar career: He’s willing to fight everywhere, New York, L.A., London, Monte Carlo, Panama, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and now, he’s at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Canelo Alvarez in the biggest fight in boxing.

This is definitely a legacy fight for him, and you know, I think we’ll see the best fighting the best, and that’s really what the sport is all about, and that’s what Gennady’s always wanted. He’s wanted that challenge to fight the best in the division.

Q. Around how many tickets have been sold thus far?

TOM LOEFFLER: You know, I was going to go over that with Golden Boy today, to go over what is remaining. We’re just about ten days out from the fight, but there really aren’t that many that are remaining.

So between the commitments of sponsors and pre-ordered tickets, there are still some tickets available, but you know, after today, we’ll have a better answer for that, and especially going into fight week.

THE MODERATOR: With that, we’ll wrap up the call. Gennady has to get ready for his afternoon session. Thank you for joining us today.

Tom, any last comments?

TOM LOEFFLER: I think we’ve covered everything on this call. We’re all excited about the last week of training camp. GGG arrives into Las Vegas on Monday. We have the grand arrival on Tuesday at MGM Grand. We have the Superfly 3 show this Saturday at the Forum and Jim Lampley’s Fight Game special on HBO talking about GGG fighting Canelo. We’re all looking forward to September 15.

THE MODERATOR: Abel, any last comments from you?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Thank you for everybody’s participation. Thank you for the support. We’re looking forward to a great fight. We’ll see you guys on fight week, and make sure that we put on a great fight.

THE MODERATOR: Gennady, I know you’re getting ready for the Big Drama Show. Any last comments?

GENNADY ‘GGG’ GOLOVKIN: I just want to say thank you very much for everybody. I will see you September 15 in Las Vegas.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us. We’ll see you next week in Las Vegas.

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“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” is streaming on HBO GO and HBO NOW.

Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2”

is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 :00 p.m. PT.

Remaining tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, ;;;

www.caneloggg.com ;;;and www.hbo.com/boxing; ;;;follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,

www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying

and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (September 4 2018): Let the games begin! Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez and WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will be featured in an 8-bit boxing game which will launch on Tuesday, Sept. 4 — 11 days before their eagerly-awaited world championship rematch.

Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions have partnered with GameCommerce, a global leader in Brand Playables, to design and create the interactive game. The game incorporates images of fighters Canelo and GGG, providing a fun 8-bit rendering representation of their rematch. Last year, on Mexican Independence Day, in front of a record crowd, Canelo and GGG fought to a controversial draw. The fighters resume their fierce and bitter rivalry on Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT.

In the game, the player chooses which fighter they want to be, and can even use boxing moves like a hook, a cross, an uppercut or a block to attack or defend against the opponent. This fun and interactive boxing game will be launched on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

“Boxing is such a visceral sport, especially with such dramatic fighters as Canelo and Golovkin. Through this engaging game, people will experience the fight in a lively way in anticipation of the realfight,” said Nagesh Pobbathi, CEO of GameCommerce.

Canelo, of Guadalajara, Mexico, is a two world title and lineal champion in the super welterweight division, and has captured the WBC, Lineal and Ring Magazine World titles in the middleweight division. After his historic showdown with Golovkin last year, Canelo promises to defeat Golovkin in exciting fashion to prove that he in the world’s best 160-pounder.

“Games are games, and they are fun to play. But I won’t be playing on Sept. 15. I will knock Golovkin out,” said Canelo.

Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs), from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, is boxing’s longest-reigning world champion (since 2010). Known for his Mexican style of fighting and his explosive knockout victories, this undefeated boxing superhero will be looking to make his division record-breaking 21st consecutive title defense.

“It was fun beating up Canelo in this game. Now I cannot wait for September 15, when we will get really interactive at T-Mobile Arena,” said Golovkin.

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Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events.

Limited tickets are still available, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight tickets per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To pay by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets are also available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Tickets for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 2, 2018) — Tom Loeffler, promoter of undefeated World Middleweight Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN has called out the team of Canelo Alvarez and specifically, its promoter Oscar De La Hoya. On Sunday, under the headline “Oscar De La Hoya Boldly Claims Gennady Is Unpatriotic,” Niall Doran posted on the website Boxing News and Views a story based on a video interview De La Hoya had done with Villainfy Media which was posted on You Tube on Aug. 31. The story also stated that De La Hoya “…questioned his {Golovkin’s] support of his own country.”

“I have no idea what Oscar is talking about but it is not true,” said Loeffler. “The truth is Team Golovkin had requested that the national anthems of Kazakhstan, Mexico and the United States be sung before the pay-per-view telecast began so that we could proceed with the fights seamlessly and uninterrupted. HBO supported this position and has always preferred that the anthems take place before the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast begins. To suggest that Gennady is unpatriotic and has no respect for the anthems of his Kazakhstan, Mexico or the U.S., where Gennady resides in southern California, is patently false. Oscar and Canelo owe Gennady yet another apology. This is just another example of why Gennady never believes anything from Canelo’s side.”

This link will take you to De La Hoya’s interview with Villainfy Media. His statement about Gennady begins at 2:58 of this video which was posted on You Tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15oRiI-hwU. Below is a transcription of it.

“Look, I mean, they have to stop all this nonsense. I can tell you one thing for instance. Talk about not supporting your own country? The Golovkin people didn’t want to sing the national anthems before the fight. That’s a ritual. Having a national anthem before a championship fight is what you’re supposed to do. It makes it feel like a bigger event. Golovkin’s people didn’t want the Kazakhstan national anthem to be sang, the Mexican national anthem to be sung, the American national anthem to be sung. I mean what else are they going to demand? Jesus, are they going to cancel the fight? It’s ridiculous Just go out there and fight!”

*************************

“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” is streaming on HBO GO and HBO NOW.

Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2”

is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 :00 p.m. PT.

Remaining tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, ;;;

www.caneloggg.com ;;;and www.hbo.com/boxing; ;;;follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,

www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying

and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

LOS ANGELES (AUG. 29, 2018): ERIC GOMEZ: This fight will be part of the televised Pay-Per-View, as you know, for Canelo-Golovkin II and we are very excited about this fight. The former IBF middleweight championship Lemieux out of Montreal, he’s going to be fighting against the Irish Warrior, Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan, tremendous record, 28-2, 20 knockouts, from Cork, Ireland. This special fight will be live at the T-Mobile Arena on September 15, part of the undercard on the HBO Pay-Per-View where the main event will be Canelo-Golovkin.

This epic event will be produced by HBO beginning at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PT. We are excited to bring you both of these fighters, so you guys can ask them questions and you can talk about their fight.

As many of you know, they have gone back and forth a little bit on social media. Also, on the card, not on the call today, is the Mexican rising star Jamie Munguia defending his title against Brandon Cook, and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez will also be fighting against Moises “Moi” Fuentes on the card.

You can still purchase tickets at the T-Mobile Arena. You can go online at WWW.T-Mobile Arena.com or WWW.AXS.COM or 1-888-9AXSTIX. Closed-circuit tickets are available, and you can buy them at the MGM or at the Mandalay Bay, the Mirage or the Luxor. Those are moving pretty well, as well.

Before we introduce you to the fighters and have them say a few words, I do want to thank our amazing supporting sponsors: The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events.

Now, I want to first introduce you to Gary “Spike” Sullivan and I’ll have him say a few words.

Can you tell us about your training, how it’s going, and looking forward to this fight?

GARY SULLIVAN: I can’t wait. I’m really excited for this fight. My first time fighting in Vegas. Excited about the whole event and my training is going really good. Got some really good sparring partners. Saunders recommended some sparring partners that he used in preparation for Lemieux, so I’ve been using those guys and feeling really good.

That’s great. Thank you very much, Gary.

Now, the former champion, David Lemieux, if you can make some opening comments, as well, please.

DAVID LEMIEUX: It’s been a long time I’ve been waiting for a big fight like this. I’m extremely ready and I’m extremely excited. I expect — that I haven’t seen in a while. I’m very prepared for this fight. It’s been a long time I’ve had a preparation like this. It’s going to be devastating.

ERIC GOMEZ: That’s great. That’s great. Thank you.

Q. A question for both Mr. Lemieux and Mr. O’Sullivan. Some see this as a make-or-break fight for both of you. Do either of you see it that way or do you simply see this as a fight that you just need to focus on exclusively and not worry about the bigger picture?
DAVID LEMIEUX: This fight is about getting back on top, so I’m preparing myself for that.

GARY SULLIVAN: Firstly, nothing personal against Mr. Lemieux. I think it’s going to be a good night for me and I’m not really concerned about Lemieux. I’m looking at the bigger picture. I’m looking at Golovkin-Canelo, ringside to watch after I beat Lemieux, and I can’t wait for those guys.

Q. I spoke to Billy Joe Saunders, a common opponent of both of you guys, and he says that he has no doubt that Spike O’Sullivan is going to win. What do you say to that?
DAVID LEMIEUX: That’s because he didn’t fight Lemieux in top shape. I’m going to be in top shape against spike. So, Saunders, I wasn’t at my top, but I will be against Sullivan.

Q. Does that mean anything to you, that a common opponent is picking you in the fight?
GARY SULLIVAN: I think he’s correct. He went no Lemieux’s backyard and beat Lemieux convincingly in Quebec, whereas I went to London and walked into his own backyard and gave him a much better fight than Lemieux did, and I’m now a much better fighter than I was then. I’m going to be the one that’s going to win the fight.

Q. I know this match right now — maybe the winner for fighting Canelo or Golovkin, what is it going to take for these guys?
ERIC GOMEZ: Obviously both fighters are top middleweights. They are definitely in the Top-10, probably five, in the middleweight division.

So the winner is going to be in a very good position to fight any of the champions, whether it’s the winner of Canelo-Golovkin or any of the other champions. You know, both guys, this is to get to the next level and to get to that championship stage. This can very well be an eliminator to become one of the top contenders for any of the champions.

Q. I know O’Sullivan is having a great moment right now, was in the mix for Golovkin and for Canelo in December, so he needs to prove that he deserves this spot, and David Lemieux — he has the experience, the best opposition right now because this fight — to win this fight.
ERIC GOMEZ: I guess, David, you can answer first. How do you feel about being in this big position on this under card, and do you feel you’ll be ready if you win the fight to fight the winner of Canelo-Golovkin?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Definitely, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for a while now to get back on top and I’m very confident that I’m going to not just beat O’Sullivan but look amazing against him. I’m extremely confident and I can’t wait for fight night. Give the fans what they want to see.

ERIC GOMEZ: Same question for you, Gary.

GARY SULLIVAN: What is the question?

ERIC GOMEZ: The question was how do you feel being in this big spotlight, and if you win the fight, do you think that you would be in position to fight the winner? Do you think that qualifies you to fight the winner of Canelo-Golovkin?

GARY SULLIVAN: Who is going to get the start on September 15 — I’m ready for Golovkin or Canelo, would be fantastic display given what I just.

Q. My first question is for David. Obviously this fight is the most totally different style in terms of the matchup that you had with Saunders, but I wonder, I know that there’s been a lot of conversation that the winner of this fight could go on and challenge the winner of the main event. With a loss to Saunders that was totally one-sided, you did score a victory in your last fight in May against a journeyman opponent and you also had a fight that was cancelled — why do you think a fine over Gary O’Sullivan should put you into a title fight?
DAVID LEMIEUX: Well, you know, going back to the last few years, I’ve been working against a lot of injuries that has not been fixed and it’s been put in the past. I’m in tremendous shape and feeling great. I can use both my hands. I can use everything. I can use all my tools.

So I think Lemieux is back and about to demonstrate what I can do against O’Sullivan on the 15th. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised what I bring to the table, and it’s going to be an exciting fight. I’m not the guy I was against Saunders.

Q. When you look at a David Lemieux resumé, you see several solid fights on there, several fights you won and several you lost. When you look at Spike’s record, he has a great record, also, but not necessarily the level of opposition that you have. When you look at his record, what do you see?
THE MODERATOR: I see whatever the opposition — that he lost and also quit when the opposition was really intense against Eubank. So there’s some flaws in his abilities that I’m going to take into consideration and on fight night, I’m going to execute and I’m going to use that against him.

Q. When you look at Lemieux’s resumé, he’s been a world champion and he’s fought some of the best fighters including GGG, some other guys. What makes you think that you’re in position to take him out in this fight and move on to your goals of fighting for a world title?
GARY SULLIVAN: Well, you refer to my defeat against Eubank, I got an injury — I think — since I came up that I was going to fight him, I didn’t know a great deal about him. I watched him with Billy Joe Saunders, Toribio. He got up there, got knocked down easily.

He talks about knocking me down and putting me out cold and all that. I’ve never even been on the canvas my entire career and he’s been down numerous times. He’s been beaten by several different opponents of several different stylistics fights, like Toribio — all different styles of fighter have beaten him. I think it’s going to be a really good night for me. I’m going to shine. It’s going to be nice beating a former world champion, as well. Looks good on paper.

Q. Do you look at this match up with David as an opportunity to have sort of your coming-out party? You’ve had televised fights in America, you fought Douglas on television. This is the first real big-name opponent that you’ll be in with. Is this the Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan Coming Out Party?
GARY SULLIVAN: Yeah, I would agree with that. I think the night in Quebec was a great fight there, and Douglas — beating Lemieux — I think Lemieux is going to be an easier fight for me than Douglas, no doubt about that.

Q. If you were to win the fight, do you have a preference of the champion that you would want to fight, either GGG or Canelo, one of those two guys?
GARY SULLIVAN: I have no preference. Both great fighters and I’d like to fight either one of them.

Q. David, that same question. If you win this fight against Gary on the 15th, do you have a preference of who you would like to fight for the title? Would you like a rematch with GGG or could you like to fight Canelo? Which is the guy you fight?
DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m going to fight Canelo first and then I’m going to get my revenge versus GGG — after Gary O’Sullivan.

Q. David mentioned earlier in the call that he’s not the same fighter that he was when he fought Saunders. He said he was injured in training camp in that fight. What do you make of what he has said was the reason why he lost to Billy Joe Saunders?

GARY SULLIVAN: I think it’s just an excuse. You look at David, distant look like a guy that trains like I do, doesn’t train like he’s an athlete — gets tired in a lot of his fights. Doesn’t look like a guy that trains as hard as I do. I don’t think he’s going to win this fight.

Q. What did you think that night? Did you think it was going to be as convincing of a win for Billy? Did you think he would beat David in that way?
GARY SULLIVAN: No, I didn’t. I had a good feeling he would beat him but I didn’t think he would beat him as convincingly, Lemieux being a former wormed champion and that. I thought he was a better fighter.

Prior to that I thought he was better than that. I didn’t know a great deal about him and the more I look into him, all the fights, I’ve watched a lot of his fight, and I’m not surprised Billy Joe could beat him like that. I didn’t think it was going to be as easy as that, as it was for Saunders.

Q. Without giving away any of your game plan, what have you noticed when you’ve studied David Lemieux?

GARY SULLIVAN: I think he’s a one-trick pony. He does the same thing over and over again in all his fights, all the fights I’ve watched. He’s just does the same thing over and over and over again. So, you know what’s going to be coming.

Q. You mentioned a few minutes ago that you think the fight will be even easier for you than the Douglas fight was. Why do you feel that way?
GARY SULLIVAN: He’s more similar in size to me. He’s there to be hit and I hit hard and I’m accurate. So I think I’m going to be able to land on him with more frequency than I was on Douglas, with footwork and speed and longer irons — a tougher task against Douglas than it will be against Lemieux.

Q. Spike, I wanted to ask you about the fact that you mentioned that you’re using sparring partners like Billy Joe Saunders used when he prepared for Lemieux. Billy Joe obviously really dislikes David Lemieux a ton. Curious if he went out of his way to offer you some advice on this fight or if you reached out to him?
GARY SULLIVAN: I think Lemieux — making up excuses and coming out with that crap. I think that kind of pissed off Billy Joe — I think Lemieux pissed him off and so he wanted to diss me and getting the sparring partners to replicate Lemieux — (indiscernible. )

Q. After the Billy Joe fight, you said that you weren’t 100 percent and dealing with some injury stuff but you say for this fight you’re on your game and you’re in shape. If this fight doesn’t work out for you, what do you think that says about — I’m wondering if this fight doesn’t go your way, do you reconsider if this is something that is boxing — at this level, really what David Lemieux is capable of?
DAVID LEMIEUX: This fight is definitely going to go my way. You guys watch and see, and I’m going to make spike eat all his words. To say any excuses against Billy Joe or whatever — I’m not giving uses. I’m giving facts. But now let’s see what happens on September 15. The fight is done and let’s just walk the walks and see what’s up.

Q. This obviously is meant to be a really action-packed fight and you guys both come forward. Are you looking to steal the show from — obviously it’s the biggest fight of the year in the main event but are you looking to turn some heads just with this being an action-packed fight?
GARY SULLIVAN: There’s no doubt about that, I’m going to steal the show in spectacular fashion and I’m going to absolutely obliterate Lemieux.

David, you know, it’s nothing personal. I wish you good health with your family after the fight, man. It’s nothing personal. You’re just on my road and I got to get you out of my road to get to the bigger fight. As I say, I wish you health in the future man and I wish you a happy time with your family. I’m sorry but you’re in my way and I’m just going to have to beat you.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Won’t worry, I’m going to beat your ass. It’s not going to be no walk in the park. Don’t think it’s going to be an easy fight. I’m not coming here to lose. I’m going to come here to destroy you. You’ll see. You’ll see September 15th. Keep training hard at the gym. You’re going to need it. You’re going to need every round, you’re going to need it, trust me.

GARY SULLIVAN: Maybe I’ll bring my dogs leash to bring you for a walk then on the night.

DAVID LEMIEUX: Keep talking, you’re going to see.

Q. How do you see the main event playing out?
DAVID LEMIEUX: I think Golovkin has the edge. It’s going to be an interesting fight. Golovkin is a great fighter. Canelo is a great fighter. I thought it was very — I thought it was Golovkin’s fight in the first one, so we’ll see how they train. I think if Canelo really wants to fight, he’s got the talent to do it but I think Golovkin is not an easy fighter to beat.

GARY SULLIVAN: It’s going to be hard to call. The first fight was a very good fight and I expect this one to be a very good fight. I’m not sure who is going to win it but it’s going to be interesting to watch, though.

Q. Spike, you said that you improved a lot — you were impressive against Douglas. How specifically do you think you’ve improved?
GARY SULLIVAN: Specifically, I’m more dedicated. I’m a proper athlete these days. I’m very dedicated to my training, which I wasn’t always throughout my career. The past, I suppose two years, I’ve been very dedicated to being a proper athlete.

I think the old Spike, there’s no comparison. I see that in my weight. I make weight really easy now. I look different. My body shape is different to before and you know, it’s easier when I come to training camp now. I’m just working on my technique and boxing skills, rather than what David does, losing weight in camp. I used to do that one time, as well, myself, and it’s not so good. It’s more like Weight Watchers than training camp for a fight. That’s the difference in me right now.

Q. How much do you believe in momentum and confidence, coming off the big win over Douglas, the same day you lost to Saunders, how much will that play into the fight? How much do you beat in momentum?
GARY SULLIVAN: I believe obviously the momentum is with me. I’m a pressure fighter. I believe David’s time has come and gone. He’s had his time in the past and he’s had a few heavy losses. He’s got a number of beatings and so I think the ball is certainly in my court.

Q. David, you talked a lot about the injury against Saunders. Just how bad was your shoulder, and did you have to have surgery?
DAVID LEMIEUX: It was pretty bad. Surgery was something I looked into, but I didn’t want to be off for a full year so I tried to avoid it as much as I could and leading up to the Saunders fight, I said it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay, but you know, obviously it wasn’t.

So we tried different things, and finally, we tried different things and something worked and it’s been good ever since. We’re sticking with that plan and it’s been going great, so we don’t need the surgery right now. I keep training, and everything is solid. I have my left hand back, so I’m back to 100 percent and not 50 percent.

Q. What exactly was the injury?
DAVID LEMIEUX: It was a tear in the labrum.

Q. You’ve been in this position before where you’re coming off the GGG loss and you were fighting a fellow puncher in Curtis Stevens, you and got the big knock out. Do you think you can replicate that against spike?
DAVID LEMIEUX: I think Spike resembles a Curtis Stevens style, but I think he’s less of a boxer than Steven was. Maybe a little more of a puncher, Steven — I didn’t see much of his punches. Maybe he’s a bit harder of a puncher.

But I’m not really worried. I’m the hardest puncher in the ring on September 15, so I’m very confident in my abilities and everything I’m going to bring. I’m going to be in great shape. I’m concerned about absolutely nothing. All the skeptics, you know, that say, oh, is Lemieux going to come back. Well, I’m going to show you all on September 15: Lemieux is going to come back and Lemieux is going to do a lot of damage in the middleweight division.

And the weight issue is no longer an issue.

Q. The weight issue, how have you cleaned that up?
DAVID LEMIEUX: The weight issue, it’s been cleaned up. I changed a lot of things. As I fighter, I think all fighters know that it’s easy to mess up with the weight, but changed a lot. Changes have been made. I’m stronger than ever and my body is going to be much different, so you guys will see on September 15.

Q. Where do you see yourselves in the fight? Do you see yourselves as the favorite or as the underdog?
GARY SULLIVAN: I see myself as the favorite. Easily the favorite. I have to be the favorite.

DAVID LEMIEUX: I’m the favorite. There’s been — I’m the favorite in the fight. Everybody knows that, and there’s been some surveys done on the Internet and all of them point out to me. I think I know what to expect.

Lemieux is back.

GARY SULLIVAN: You’ll be on your back.

DAVID LEMIEUX: You’re going to see who is going to be on whose back.

Q. Like to say hello to David and Spike. My first question goes to Spike. There’s a lot of young fighters in this Irish boxing scene right now. Is there a young fighter that in particular is keeping an eye on and do you expect a large Irish crowd come September 15?

GARY SULLIVAN: Yeah, there’s a great core. Sean O’Kern (ph) he’s a really good fighter. I think he’s about 15-0. He’s trained at my gym in Ireland. A good fighter moved through the ranks. I think he’s the one to watch out for mostly in my opinion.

I think the Irish love Vegas. There will certainly be a good few Irish at the fight.

Q. It seems like coming off a loss, you only get stronger mentally. You have a great knockout over Curtis Stevens, a few big wins. Seems like you almost have something to prove mentally going into this fight. Is that how you feel just coming off a loss that you have something to prove to show the people that you are an elite level fighter and you’ve just caught a bad break in the Golovkin and Saunders fights?

DAVID LEMIEUX: Yeah, well, actually I have a lot to prove. The last two years haven’t been in my favor but things have changed. I’m ready to be back on top, so I’m ready to give the best of what I got, and I’m ready and I’m more ready than ever to do it against a guy like Spike O’Sullivan. Let’s give the fans a great show.

ERIC GOMEZ: Thank you very much.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. Munguia vs. Cook is a 12-round battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round middleweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with Murphy’s Boxing. Gonzalez vs. Fuentes is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” is streaming on HBO GO and HBO NOW. Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2” is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Limited tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are still available, and are priced at
$5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets are also available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Tickets are on sale for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

DENVER – August 28, 2018 – Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for a highly anticipated rematch. The first fight sold out in only two weeks, and once again fans across the country will be able to get front-row seats to the 12-round, mega-fight — “Canelo vs. GGG 2” – live at their local movie theater. Fans won’t want to miss this epic match-up of two of the most explosive, heavy-handed fighters in the sport today. And they have promised they will not leave the rematch in the judges’ hands.

The live broadcast of “Canelo vs. GGG 2,” presented by Golden Boy Promotions, GGG Promotions and Fathom Events, is set for Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. CT/ 6:00 p.m. MT/ 5:00 p.m. PT/ 4:00 p.m. AK / 3:00 p.m. HI.

Tickets for “Canelo vs. GGG 2” can be purchased online by visiting
www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 450 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website(theaters and participants are subject to change).

In the co-main event, breakout Mexican star Jaime Munguia (30-0, 25 KOs) will make the second defense of his WBO Junior Middleweight World Title against rugged Canadian contender Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (20-1, 13 KOs) in a 12-round battle. Former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (39-4, 33 KOs) of Montreal, Canada and Irish warrior Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (28-2, 20 KOs) of Cork, Ireland will go head-to-head in a 12-round middleweight battle that has Fight of the Year candidate written all over it. Former pound-for-pound king and former four-division world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua will make his highly anticipated return against experienced Mexican warrior Moises “Moi” Fuentes (25-5-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight battle that will open the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast.

Canelo said, “I’m delighted to once again participate in one of the most important boxing events in history. This second fight is for the benefit and pleasure of all fans who desire to see the best fight the best. This time, [Gennady] Golovkin won’t have any excuses regarding the judges because I’m coming to knock him out.”

Golovkin said, “It feels right that the rematch returns to the scene of the crime. This time there will be no drama with a decision. I won the first fight and left the ring as world champion wearing all the belts. And I am going to win the second fight. It is going to be a record fight and a golden night for me and boxing at T-Mobile Arena.”

Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said, “There is no better place to host the historic rematch between Canelo and Golovkin than T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Las Vegas on a fight weekend during Cinco de Mayo is electric, and I know fans will travel from around the world to be here to participate in the celebratory atmosphere. Historic boxing matches like Canelo vs. GGG 2 belong in a place like Las Vegas, which offers fans the full and rich experience they are looking for on a big fight weekend.”

“Canelo vs. Golovkin: Supremacy left the fight world clamoring for this epic rematch. We are proud to once again team up with some of the very best in the boxing business to bring this fight to cinemas nationwide,” said Ray Nutt, Fathom Events CEO. “Fight fans are in for a real treat when these warriors head back into the squared circle and we’re excited to be bringing it to their local cinemas.”

For artwork/photos related to “Canelo vs. GGG 2” visit the Fathom Events press site.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. Munguia vs. Cook is a 12-round battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round middleweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with Murphy’s Boxing. Gonzalez vs. Fuentes is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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. Bout card subject to change without notice.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is the leading event cinema distributor with theater locations in all top 100 DMAs® (Designated Market Areas) and ranks as one of the largest overall theater content distributors. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom Events offers a variety of unique entertainment events in movie theaters such as live performances of the Metropolitan Opera, top Broadway stage productions, major sporting events, epic concerts, the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics series, inspirational events and popular anime franchises. Fathom Events takes audiences behind the scenes for unique extras including audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events’ live Digital Broadcast Network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 941 locations and 1,496 screens in 181 DMAs. The company also provides corporations a compelling national footprint for hosting employee meetings, customer rewards events and new product launches. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com

How frustrating was it to hear the judges’ scorecards after your fight with Canelo? Did you use that as an incentive for this training camp for the rematch?

“It was terrible. It was terrible for me. It was terrible for the people. Of course it was terrible for the sport…for the sport of boxing, because statistics showed I landed more punches. The fans saw I wanted to fight and Canelo did not want to fight. The fans who watched it live saw the judges bringing crazy scorecards. When the decision was announced, everyone was saying, “Oh, come on! This is not real! This is not true!” Everybody was very mad because these people, the judges, killed the sport that night. This time, the world will be watching the fight and the judges. Judges hurt the sport of boxing that day. Maybe the judges had a bad day. This is business.

“It is a new situation for me. This is my first rematch. I’m very excited because this fight is a completely different situation for us and for the fans. They get to see a fight with a real champion, two pound for pound champions. It is new. This is the biggest fight for boxing. I’m very happy because I am fighting at the highest level, the first class for boxing.

“Training camp with Abel Sanchez is always hard and exciting because Abel works me hard and he is always teaching me new things. What I have to prove I only have to prove to myself and no one else. My incentive is my desire to be my best when I fight and to be better than I have ever been before. Canelo is my most important fight because he is my next fight. That is the only thing that makes Canelo special. There was nothing special about him in the first fight. He did not fight Mexican Style like he promised. Over the last twelve months, Canelo has showed everyone his true self.”

24/7 Canelo/GGG 2 debuts TONIGHT Tuesday, August 28

at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 takes place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 26, 2018): Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC, WBA and IBO Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) hosted a Los Angeles media workout in front of thousands of fans at the new Banc of California Stadium ahead of their historic rematch. The fight will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

Jaime Munguia (30-0, 25 KOs), who will defend his WBO Junior Middleweight World Title in the 12-round co-main event against rugged Canadian contender Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (20-1, 13 KOs), also participated in the workout.

Here’s what the participants had to say at today’s event:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Lineal Middleweight World Champion:
“We’re getting close to the fight, and I feel good. This fight is personal because of all that’s been said, and it will be difficult to regain the respect that we once had. The statements that have been made about me have given me more motivation to train harder. I have watched the first fight several times. The error that I made was that I had opportunities to counter that I needed to have taken advantage of. I need to do that in the rematch.

Like I’ve said many times, the first fight gave me the guideline for the second fight. I know that I can do many things in the ring against him. I know that I can hurt him. I hurt him in the first fight, and I’m going to hurt him even more in the second fight. My objective is the knockout and I’ll be looking for that from the opening round.”

Golovkin knows who I am. He knows who I’m about. Let me put it even better–he still doesn’t know how much more I have left to show. I’m looking forward to showing him that on September 15. I have to win convincingly. It has to be a knockout to erase any doubts. I’m very motivated for this win. I’m confident, but not overconfident about my opponent because I know who he is, but I’m confident in my preparation.

There is no such thing as a Mexican style. There have been many fighters from Mexico with different styles. My style is mine. I’m Mexican and that’s what is important. Maybe Golovkin uses ‘Mexican Style’ to get fans, but he’s a hypocrite. If something were to happen in Mexico, he wouldn’t be there to support them.

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion:
“Canelo, he is not a champion. He is a liar who has no respect for the sport of boxing or its fans. I want to stay world champion and bring all my belts home. I am ready to star in another Big Drama Show. I do not think about Canelo in training. I am not worried about him. I only worry about doing my job in training camp and doing my job in the ring against Canelo on September 15. In the last fight I did not feel any real power from Canelo. Just slaps. He is not the hardest puncher I have fought, but he is fast and quick. He is the most skilled fighter I have fought. He is a very good fighter.

I am happy to get at Canelo again. It is another big chance to beat him again. Of course I want to knock out Canelo. It would be nice if Canelo came to fight this time. I don’t believe what he says about how he will fight me this time. He said the same thing before our first fight. I will definitely be more aggressive in this fight.

Was I upset that Canelo failed two drug tests? Yes. But I was more upset at Canelo’s team. The excuses they gave, their attitude, and Canelo’s reaction, it showed that they have no respect for the sport or the fans. They showed their real faces. They are fakes. I do not feel anger toward him because the rematch was canceled the first time.

But I did lose all respect for him. Canelo is not the biggest name in boxing, just the biggest scandal. I feel very comfortable. It has been a great training camp. Abel has had me working on new things which I find very exciting. The cancelation of the rematch in May was a good life experience but it was not a good experience for boxing. I believe new judges and a new referee could be better for boxing and the fans.”

JAIME MUNGUÍA, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion:
“Fighting on this card is a great opportunity, especially on a date that is so important for Mexicans. I have the obligation to give a great fight to all the fans. I know Brandon Cook is a tough opponent. He is older than me and has a lot of experience. But I think I’m stronger than him and have a reach advantage. I’m confident I’ll walk away with my hand raised.

This fight is an obligation to come in even better than last time. I need to show that I’ve gotten a lot better. I never knew that I would get so far in my career so quickly, but things happen for a reason. The Liam Smith fight gave me a lot of experience. It showed me all the errors I made that I am now working on in the gym.

A lot of fighters would love to be fighting frequently. It’s an opportunity that any fighter would desire. So I have to take advantage of that. If my body allows, I will continue be an active fighter as a world champion.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“This fight is something different. This fight is personal. I’ve never seen Canelo so angry. He really wants to knock Golovkin out. As a promoter, I want to see him knock Golovkin out. This fight is every important for Mexican people. This is a Mexican date, and I’m excited we can bring fans an exciting and memorable event during Mexican Independence Day Weekend.”

TOM LOEFFLER, Promoter of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin:
“This is the biggest fight, the biggest boxing event of the year. The two best middleweights going mano a mano for all the marbles. Gennady is going for the all-time consecutive title defense record to further burnish his place as the top pound for pound fighter of his era.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. Munguia vs. Cook is a 12-round battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round middleweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with Murphy’s Boxing. Gonzalez vs. Fuentes is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” premieres Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 11:30 pm (ET/PT) on HBO. Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2” is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Limited tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are still available, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets are also available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Tickets are on sale for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

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Benjy Esteves will be the 3rd man in the ring for the Canelo Alvarez – Gennady Golovkin rematch on Seotember 15tth in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Originally Tony Weeks was named, but Golovkin’s camp baled at that selection. Both camps agreed on Robert Byrd, but Byrd’s wife Adelaide had a controversial scorecard in the 1st bout, so the Nevada Athletic Commission settled on Esteves.

The judges for the bout will be Steve Weisfeld, Glenn Feldman and Dave Moretti.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler strenuously objected to Weeks as a possible referee for the fight. The reason was because of an issue that Abel Sanchez, Golovkin’s trainer, has with Weeks stemming from his work in a December fight in Las Vegas between junior lightweight Denis Shafikov, whom Sanchez trains, and Rene Alvarado.

“Tony was giving the prefight instructions in the dressing room, and Abel was trying to clarify something,” Loeffler told ESPN following the commission meeting. “The gist of it was Abel didn’t agree with some of the instructions Tony was giving, so he didn’t feel comfortable with Tony in this fight. When Abel voiced that to me last night, I told Eric, and I made it clear to the commission that we have nothing against Weeks. If they want to assign him to a different fight on the show, no problem. It was just the [main event] Abel had a problem with.”

“Benjy is very experienced and fast in the ring,” Loeffler said. “The main objective from both sides is to focus on the fighters, not the officials. We have accomplished that going into the fight. Neither side has an issue with the officials.”

“We’re very pleased,” Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez told ESPN. “They are the top guys with the most experience, and that is what we want. We have no issue with Benjy whatsoever. What we want [is for] everyone to be comfortable with the officials. We don’t want any controversy with the officials, and we don’t want any excuses after the fight, and I think we achieved that today. I understand Tom’s position about Weeks. We had the list of potential referees two weeks back and then it got changed [Tuesday] night, so it was of concern.”

LOS ANGELES (AUG. 22, 2018): ROBERT GASPARRI: Thank you everyone for participating in the Canelo vs. GGG2: Trainer’s International Media Conference Call today. Live from Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, the September 15 action will feature the highly anticipated rematch in the middleweight division between Lineal Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC, WBA, and IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs). This epic event 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.

This mega-event will be matched with a stacked undercard, featuring breakout Mexican star Jaime Munguia (30-0, 25 KOs) who will make the second defense of his WBO Junior Middleweight World Title against rugged Canadian contender Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (20-1, 13 KOs) Also on the card, former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (39-4, 33 KOs) of Montreal, Canada and Irish warrior Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (28-2, 20 KOs) of Cork, Ireland will go head-to-head in a 12-round middleweight battle. Opening the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast, former pound-for-pound king and former four-division world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua will make his highly anticipated return against experienced Mexican warrior Moises “Moi” Fuentes (25-5-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight battle.

We’ll be hosting the first-ever public workout at the home of LA’s newest soccer club, LA FC, at the Bank of California Stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The event is set for this Sunday, August 26. Doors open to the public at 2:00 p.m. Fighters will start working out at 3:00 p.m. Come to this event. It’s open to the public, and it’s going to be really, really spectacular. Media must RSVP by today by 5:00 p.m.

We would like to say thank you to Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. Without their continued support, we wouldn’t be able to pull events like this off.

Without the sponsors’ continued support, big events like this couldn’t happen. At this time I’d like to turn it over to Tom Loeffler, Gennady Golovkin’s promoter. Tom?

TOM LOEFFLER: That was a great introduction. I’m still at the Las Vegas airport after the officials have been selected, as you mentioned. This is just a tremendous — not only a tremendous main event but a tremendous undercard, all these great warriors on the same show. GGG is training very hard up in Big Bear, California, with Abel Sanchez. He doesn’t want to leave it in the judges’ hands this time. I know Canelo is predicting a knockout. Literally the gloves are off for this promotion.

Without further ado, I just want to introduce who we think is the best trainer in boxing. He’s the reason behind GGG’s Mexican style that’s gained him so many fans around the world. I want to introduce Abel Sanchez all the way from the Summit Gym in Big Bear, California.

ABEL SANCHEZ: Thank you, Tom, and thank you to everybody that’s on. I appreciate the call. We are training hard, like Tom said. Look forward to this conference call and answering a lot of questions that are needed. Thank you.

ROBERT GASPARRI: Thank you, Abel. Now I’d like to introduce the man behind the machine, Jose “Chepo” Reynoso. Chepo?

CHEPO REYNOSO: Good morning. Every day we’re getting closer to this big event, and to put everything in its place after all that’s been talked about.

ROBERT GASPARRI: Thank you, Chepo. Now I’d like to introduce you to another important cornerman who has been with Canelo’s team since the fighter was a teenager. I’d like to introduce to you Eddy Reynoso. Eddy?

EDDY REYNOSO: Good morning. Greetings to everyone.

Q. There seems to be a certain amount of personal hostility between the two camps with insults. A lot of it has to do with the two drug tests that Canelo failed. But it also seems to have filtered down to the trainers. If anger — if this anger is real, how does it translate to how the fight is fought? Sometimes I think it probably could be a good thing for a fighter, sometimes maybe not. So, I’d like to ask both participants whether this rancor between the two camps will actually have an effect on the fight.

ABEL SANCHEZ: First of all, there has been no insults from our side. I have not insulted them in no way, shape or form. What I’ve said have been facts. I may have stated an opinion as far as me saying that he ran, but everything else is a fact. He tested positive. He is not the champion, Gennady Golovkin is the champion, was the champion going in, was the champion coming out. So everything that I’ve said has been the truth. If I’m lying about what I said, then I would need to explain it, but I have not insulted anybody. They’ve been the one with the insults.

EDDY REYNOSO: Well, there’s been no insults on our side. At the end of the day, we’re not the ones who are going to be fighting, so we’re relaxed, we’re working hard, and there’s no negativity on our end, and if we received anything, we take it somewhere else.

CHEPO REYNOSO: Canelo has always been respectful with all opponents and all teams. This time has not been an exception. It’s been Abel who has heated things up with his statements regarding Canelo and that he runs, but a fighter can’t run in the ring, you run on the racetrack. In a fight you can’t run. Maybe he moved a little bit, showed some movement just to show his quality as a fighter, but I think that he moved really well, he moved necessary, and he may have put a little water in the gunpowder of Golovkin, and that’s why he wants to heat things up, because he showed his quality as a fighter. So, we’re relaxed, we know what we have to do, and we haven’t been doing any insults.

Q. Mr. Sanchez, Canelo’s, one of the most effective punches is his counter right hand and the upper cut, and I thought Gennady was backing straight up and not able to counter that very well. Do you think he can improve that in this fight, improve the counter to the upper cut and the right hand?

ABEL SANCHEZ: First of all, Canelo has got a lot more than the right-hander and upper cut. He’s an excellent fighter. But in the first fight he was able to land those, and of course we’ve reviewed the fight. We’ve gone over the fight. We hope that we can do a better job. But I’m sure Canelo is going to try to — Canelo and Chepo and Eddy are going to try to counter everything we do well. It’s a good fight between two very good fighters. Hopefully we get the fight that the fans expect. But yeah, of course we worked on that.

Q. Abel and Jose, as far as the last fight goes, how much film study has been done by you of the last fight? How many times have you seen it? And also, in planning for the fight, who was primarily responsible for the strategy? Was it the trainer, was it the fighter, or was it a mixture of both?

ABEL SANCHEZ: First of all, we’ve watched it twice, once on tape and once live. As coaches we can work on a strategy. We can work on a lot of things that we want to do in the fight, but when the fight presents itself, depending on how the opposition is fighting the fight, things can change. We can try to have A, B and C plans available. We work on everything in the gym just in case. But when the fight starts, the fighters, at least my fighters anyway, they’re going to do what they feel is best at that particular moment. We’ve worked on all the aspects, and hopefully they can implement what we worked on.

Q. My question is for Abel. I was just wondering if you’re aware of the blog post that Canelo put up on HBO.com this morning.
ABEL SANCHEZ: Actually, I am not. Tell me about it.

Q. This is Canelo saying this, obviously, so please don’t take offense. He said that you don’t know boxing, and the word dumbass was in the blog post. So, he was very critical of you saying that he did a lot of running in the first fight. Can you respond to that?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, I’ll go back to what I said in the previous answer. The insults have not come from our side. The insults have come from them, and it’s an obvious insult to me. They’re the ones that are lowering themselves to doing that way. Have I gotten into his head to be able to respond to me like that? There’s no reason for it, but that’s the character that I’ve been talking about, the man.

Q. Do you feel that you’ve gotten into his head at this point, the way he’s responding?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, I feel that he’s responding. If by responding means that he’s reading these things and it’s affecting him, my reason for saying the things that I said is because they’re facts, like I said at the beginning of another question. Tell me where I’m lying, other than my opinion about his running. Tell me where I’m lying. Did he not test positive? Did he not cancel our fight? Did he not cause an uproar with fans and with tickets and with reservations because those were consequences from what he did, not from what we did? So, there’s no reason for me to be insulting anybody. They’re the ones that are lowering themselves to that level.

Q. Earlier the commission meeting took place, and obviously Tom voiced his objection to Tony Weeks being the referee for the fight, and he explained part of that was some of the things that you were concerned about, about Tony Weeks being the referee. Can you explain why you thought he might not be the referee for the fight?

ABEL SANCHEZ: First of all, we had been told it was going to be Kenny Bayless, and we had agreed to Kenny Bayless at the beginning. When the name Tony Weeks came up, I had several other fighters with him, and I felt he didn’t do a proper job. I felt in one of the fights while he was giving the instructions, I felt how he addressed a question of mine was very irresponsible and insulting. So, I felt I had a problem with that, and there’s a lot of other great referees in this world, and I felt that he wasn’t qualified in my opinion to do this kind of fight.

Q. Which fight was it that you took issue with what he said to you?

ABEL SANCHEZ: It was the fight against Shafikov versus the young man’s name — the Shafikov fight at the Hard Rock last year.

ROBERT GASPARRI: It was Shafikov versus (Rene) Alvarado last year, last December.

Q. This goes to both camps. Maybe start with you, Abel. What was the biggest takeaway from the first fight for each of you guys regarding your opponent, whether it was something surprising or expected in that first fight?

ABEL SANCHEZ: First of all, I was surprised that he moved as much as he did. He’s fought 40-some fights in one manner and promised the fans a certain kind of fight. I think the fans expected that, and I think that’s why the fans paid for the fight. We knew that he was an excellent fighter. Other than the moving, nothing surprised us. I knew that he was going to be there. Of course, this fight I’m talking about knocking him out, but that’s just talking to not only pump up the fight but hopefully to get the kind of fight that we deserve.

EDDY REYNOSO: We didn’t really learn anything from the first fight. Nothing surprised us from that first fight. He’s the same fighter as always. He comes forward and he throws a lot of punches. What we did learn, that’s what we’ll show in that fight in the rematch in September.

CHEPO REYNOSO: Nothing really surprised us from Golovkin in the first fight. We met him in 2011 in Big Bear, and he’s a strong, well-prepared fighter that we’ve known for a long time, so there was nothing new, and if Abel feels that — if he was surprised Canelo moved a lot, that’s because he’s a complete fighter, and we’re going to show that on September 15.

Q. For Abel, after everything that’s happened, after all the tests that showed that Canelo didn’t do anything bad or negative in this fight, would you accept an apology from either Canelo or his team?

ABEL SANCHEZ: I think he’s asking me if I would apologize to them, and my answer to that is no, I would not apologize. He tested positive. Why would I apologize to somebody who tested positive? That he’s not tested positive since then, I have not said anything about it since then. The consequences have resulted for us and for the team and for boxing from his carelessness, so no, I wouldn’t apologize to him.

Q. How important is it to show that not only is Canelo a complete fighter but that he’s a clean fighter?

EDDY REYNOSO: There’s nothing to show. Canelo’s career has always been clean, and it showed that in the investigation. So there’s nothing to show. All we have to show is each fight taking it one by one, starting with Golovkin, but there’s nothing to show.

Q. Abel, I asked Canelo this last week and I want to ask you the same thing. He said that he will not — after the fight, he will not shake Gennady Golovkin’s hand. He will not apologize for the comments you and Gennady have made in the lead-up to this fight. After the fight will you go up to Canelo’s camp and shake his hand regardless of win, lose or draw and say, “good fight” and wish them congratulations and things like that?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, I will make an effort. That’s what I’ll tell you. Children act like he’s acting now. Of course, I will make an effort to try to do it, but if he doesn’t want it, that’s okay. That’s the child in him.

Q. I can feel the hostility in your voice, and you can see it when you hear Gennady talk. Is this the most vitriol that has come from you and Gennady in any of Gennady’s past opponents?

ABEL SANCHEZ: I would say if there is a reason, the reason would be because they’re trying to sweep it under the rug like nothing happened. We’re not idiots. The fans are not idiots. Something happened. Yes, he was cleared by the Nevada commission, but something did happen. There’s consequences from that. We’re still feeling the consequences from that. That there is a middle — that we’re mad about it, of course we’re mad about it, but we have to go on and we have to fight the 15th. But the fact of the matter is those things did happen. We cannot sweep it under the rug. He did test positive, regardless of whatever reason he seems to claim. But the fact is he did.

Q. How do you let emotions not get in the way of what needs to be done on September 15th?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Emotions will never get in the way. Emotions get in the way when the questions are asked. Once they step through the ropes, once we’re in the dressing room, all those things are not going to be asked. All those things are on the back burner. We are concentrating on the task at hand. Gennady is a professional, as Canelo is, and I’m sure when they step through the ropes, it’ll be about that fight. Those other thoughts and those other questions will not be on their mind, as they will not be on mine, either. I’ve got a job to do that night, and I’m going to do it regardless of what happened in the past. But when those questions are asked, it’s difficult to act like it never happened.

Q. For both trainers, on September 15th, will we see the very best of GGG and Canelo? Obviously at this point in their career, it’s difficult to show new things and show new parts of their plans and who they are as fighters, but will we see the very best of GGG and Canelo September 15th?

ABEL SANCHEZ: I think that great fighters bring out the best in other great fighters. I think that the fans are expecting a great fight, as they expected the first time. Golovkin will do his best to make that. Hopefully Canelo comes prepared to do the same thing.

CHEPO REYNOSO: The best of Canelo is yet to come. Obviously, this is his second fight at 160 pounds. His body is still processing. He’s still getting conditioned at this new weight. So, I maintain that the best is yet to come on September 15. You will see a better Canelo and you will see him end that very understated streak of that very basic fighter Gennady Golovkin.

Q. Some people might say that there aren’t any good fighters that are coming from Mexico, but in this very big fight, we have an important Mexican fighter on the card. How does it feel to be representing Mexico on this card, both as cornermen and in the ring?

ABEL SANCHEZ: First of all, I think there’s a lot of great coaches in Mexico other than these two that are going to be in the ring on September 15th. They just haven’t gotten the opportunity. But given the opportunity to coach the fighters that are coming up, because of these fighters in this sport, I think it’s important. The fact that we are two Mexicans leading the charges in one of the most important fights of the last couple years, I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud to be Mexican and to be representing Mexico and to be representing my fighter in this particular fight.

EDDY REYNOSO: It’s a pride for me. It’s going to be a big night for we Mexicans, and that’s why we’ve been working hard with Canelo, and it’s going to show with Mexican boxing, there’s always going to be something to talk about. It’s always special.

CHEPO REYNOSO: It’s an honor for people like us to be part of an important fight like this, coming from the bottom, bringing a kid who came into the ring boxing at only 13 years old, and now he’s fighting at the mecca of boxing in Las Vegas. So it’s an honor, and we feel very proud and it’s satisfying to be involved in such an important fight, and we’re going to show the results of all this hard work on September 15.

Q. Abel, if GGG wins this fight, he will have recorded 21 middleweight title defenses, would break the record held like Bernard Hopkins. You’ve been his coach for those fights. I’m wondering your perspective on the historical achievement he could accomplish in this fight.

ABEL SANCHEZ: Both G and I, Gennady and I, have a tremendous amount of respect for Bernard and for what he’s accomplished and what he continues to accomplish in the sport. It would be an honor to be mentioned, for my fighter to be mentioned in the same breath with Bernard Hopkins. I think it’s important to set goals and to set tables that we want to reach, and to reach this one I thought would never be possible. I thought it would never be possible for any fighter, and for me to be involved in that or that possibility is mindboggling.

Q. One thing about that potential record, there are some who look at it and say, even though GGG has been a tremendous fighter for so many years, the reality is a handful of those defenses he made at the beginning were actually of the second-tier WBA belt before he got the full title. What’s your point of view on those who say, well, even if he wins, it’s not really the record because there was another WBA champion at the same time for the first four or five of those defenses or whatever the number was?

ABEL SANCHEZ: You know what, everybody has an opinion. The one thing that I do — I can say about Golovkin’s career, he’s never had a rematch with anybody. On that record that you’re talking about, Bernard, he had rematches with Antoine Echols and Robert Allen. You can look at it in a way that those kind of counter each other, but we never fought a rematch, and not only did Golovkin break the record or is going to break the record, he did it in a fashion that Bernard didn’t. He did it with most knockouts. So I’m content with the fact that he’s going to break it.

Q. And Bernard also happened to have a no-contest in there. For Eddy and Chepo, do you have any additional — would you take additional satisfaction in a Canelo victory knowing that they had stopped GGG from breaking a big record like that?

CHEPO REYNOSO: We are working to win this fight. We’re not worried about breaking records or preventing people from breaking records. What we do want to do is make sure that we take away his undefeated record. Whatever comes for Canelo with his record, it’s going to be a result of this fight. But we just have the win on our minds.

EDDY REYNOSO: What interests us right now is the fight, just as my father said, not his record or my record. What really interests us is winning the fight and to keep forward in boxing, and we’re going to be ready to show that on the day of the fight.

Q. Abel, in assessing your fighter after 24 hard rounds with elite competition in 2017, nobody wants a scandal, but did you actually think the scandal and the result and fight with Martirosyan actually helped Golovkin, maybe warded off some attrition and everything else, gave you a chance to reevaluate things again with respect to this match with Canelo?

ABEL SANCHEZ: No, I wouldn’t say that it helped me evaluate anything. I think that the fight against Martirosyan was a fight that we wanted because this kid has been in camp. This kid has been training, and I think he deserved to at least get in the ring with somebody to vent those frustrations that he had from this Canelo fight not happening on the 5th. But the facts are that he did do 1.3 something, 1.4 on HBO, he did set a merchandising record at the event, he did set a gate record at the event. The gate record was the all-time record on StubHub. The fans wanted to see him fight. So the fact that Tom was able to put that together in three weeks, even though we were being blocked in every way, I think was a tremendous effort by Tom, and the fans treated us for that. They came out.

Q. My next question is for Eddy Reynoso. Canelo has been very vocal about wanting to knock Golovkin out from the opening round. You mentioned earlier that this is his first rematch fight. He’s still getting acclimated to 160. You’ve had a chance to review things and study things. You just now called Golovkin a very basic fighter. You seem very confident. How confident are you that Canelo is going to go out here on the 15th and knock out Gennady Golovkin?

EDDY REYNOSO: Look, we’re confident in our work. We’re having a great preparation. We have all the tools and the arguments to win a great fight and defeat him.

Q. Eddy, Chepo, what have you seen within the last year that really stood out in that last fight that you could have corrected? Obviously, there was a lot of good defense, but what were some things that you could have fixed or done better for this next fight? Is it going to be a similar fight or something different?

CHEPO REYNOSO: After seeing — I’ve seen the fight a few times, and I saw that Canelo won, and I think he showed a lot of great defense, enormous defense. He showed good waist movement, he made him miss a lot. As I said previously, he put water in his gunpowder, which means that he neutralized him. If he needs something — if he thought he needed something in that fight, maybe he needed to throw a little bit more, maybe he needed to land a few more punches to remove any doubts about the decision, and we hope that on this occasion things will be different.

EDDY REYNOSO: We did a good fight. I thought we did a good fight. We fought defensively. It was a great demonstration by Saul. Obviously, he needs to throw more punches. That’s not a secret, even though I thought we won the fight clearly. But to win it even more clearly, he would have to throw more. We’ve been analyzing the fight a lot, and we’re going to work on that and hopefully walk away with a victory and demonstrate what we’ve learned on September 15th.

Q. I have a very, very simple boxing question for you. We talked about great fights, great fights. All of the great fights I’ve seen and all the great fights anybody has seen has been because the styles come together in such a way that make it a great fight. I give you Ali-Frazier in Manila, Hearns-Leonard in Vegas, and you know the fights. I don’t have to tell you. So my question is this: Do these fighters each have a style which will make this a great fight because of the styles, or is that lacking in what becomes a good fight?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Good point. All those great fights that you mentioned, both come back because both fighters went out there to win the fight, not to survive 12 rounds. If Canelo comes out to try to win the fight, then I think we’re going to have a classic. I think that could have been the first time, but he came out to survive the first fight and didn’t really throw punches to try to win the fight. Yes, I think it’s a positive. It’s very possible if both fighters go back to what they did leading up to this fight.

CHEPO REYNOSO: Canelo went out there to fight, and he showed what he can do in there, and Saul knows what to do in there. It’s not going to be us just doing things in the ring. It’s Saul who’s going to do what’s convenient for him in the ring. He should worry about giving advice to his own fighter and we’ll give advice to our fighter because we’re not here to take advice from him.

EDDY REYNOSO: The same thing that my father said.

Q. For Canelo’s team, on September 15th it will be one year since Canelo last fought. How much does that affect him, and did he have to spar more for this fight due to the lack of ring activity?

EDDY REYNOSO: If I said that inactivity doesn’t affect a fighter, I’d be lying. In any sport, whether you play baseball or football, whatever, inactivity is going to have an effect. But we’re confident in Canelo’s youth. And he’s always working in the ring, he’s disciplined, he stays active, so inactivity won’t be a factor in this fight.

Q. For GGG’s team, the body contact was absent in the first fight from GGG. Do you guys plan on bringing that back and being more active to the body in this fight?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, first of all, the body attack was absent on both sides. Canelo is a very good body puncher and did not throw any body punches. Why? Because they’re at a distance. When Canelo is running away and not exchanging or not being at distance, it’s difficult to lunge and reach for somebody who’s not there.

I’m not trying to give any advice to Canelo’s team. What I’m saying is I answered — I’ll answer this question with Jerry’s question. In order to have a classic fight, both fighters have to fight the fight that they know how to fight, not a fight to survive and not a fight to do what’s best for you but best for the fans. I think that we owe the fans that.

Q. Just curious, the judges were announced today, and obviously Team Golovkin was okay with those judges, but I’m just curious, are you still remiss to let this one go to the cards? Obviously you’ll take a knockout if you can get one, but do you believe it’s imperative you need to get a knockout in order to win?

ABEL SANCHEZ: I don’t think it’s imperative. I think that the onus and the microscope is going to be on judging, and I think that we have some judges that have been — that have shown to be very fair in the past. So if we win the fight, then we’ll win it. If we lose it, then we’ll lose it. But I think that a knockout will leave no doubt. I think a knockout on either side will stand to greatness and great legacy for the winner. Of course we’re going to try to knock him out, but in order to do that, there’s got to be a willing participant on either side, a willing participant to give us the kind of classic fight where somebody gets hurt.

Q. Abel, a question quick on the last one. Given the controversy of the fight a year ago, what was the process of selecting the judges? Did they give you a number of names, or was it pretty straightforward they just assigned a judge?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Tom Loeffler is the one that deals with the direct talk with Mr. Bennett from the Nevada commission. They had a pool of judges that they got together, and they were selected based on what they’ve done in the past and based on the Canelo side and our side being in agreement with them. But the same with referees. There was a pool of them given to us, and we chose what we thought was in the best interest of the fight, of our sport. Hopefully they’ll be fair and the winner does win.

ROBERT GASPARRI: Abel, would you like to make any final comments?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Yes, I’d like to thank everybody that was on. I’d like to thank the promoters and the Canelo team for their time. I hope this fight lives up to all the talk, and we’ll see them on the 15th.

CHEPO REYNOSO: Thank you to all who participated in this conference call. The truth is in boxing, only in boxing do you have the opportunity to make things very clear, and that time there might not have been some clarity, but for this fight we’re going to put things in their place and make things clear about who is the very best at 160 pounds. Thank you very much.

EDDY REYNOSO: Thanks to all who joined. There’s nothing more to say, but just to say that we will keep working and keep moving forward in the preparation and the fight, as well, and our focus is on boxing, nothing else. We’re going to leave everything else to the side. Thank you.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. Munguia vs. Cook is a 12-round battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round middleweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with Murphy’s Boxing. Gonzalez vs. Fuentes is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” premieres Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 11:30 pm (ET/PT) on HBO. Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2” is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Limited tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are still available, and are priced at
$5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets are also available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Tickets are on sale for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

LOS ANGELES (August 20, 2018): Fans at T-Mobile Arena and millions watching at home will be treated to a stacked undercard featuring current world champions and returning contenders in support of the Sepember 15 fight between Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0, 34 KOs). The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 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.

“This historic rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin can only be supported by an equally great undercard,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “That’s why some of the best champions and contenders from all over the world will be featured on this event of international proportions, while some of our brightest prospects will have the opportunity of a lifetime on this undercard so they can one day headline events of this magnitude.”

In the co-main event, breakout Mexican star Jaime Munguia (30-0, 25 KOs) will make the second defense of his WBO Junior Middleweight World Title against rugged Canadian contender Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (20-1, 13 KOs) in a 12-round battle.

“I’m very motivated to be in such an important card,” said Munguia. “It will be the most important boxing event of the year. For me it is an honor to be on this card supporting Canelo Alvarez, who is also Mexican, on a date that is so special for Mexico, for me and for all of the people. We will do our best to please the public. I promise to not disappoint, so don’t miss my fight and don’t miss Canelo vs. GGG 2.”

Cook said, “It’s always been a dream for me to fight for a world title. To be on the biggest fight card of the year with two of my favorite fighters is a dream come true. Jaime Munguia is an exciting, young, up-and-coming fighter. He has great punching power in both hands. I’m going to do everything possible to bring that world title back home to Canada. I can’t thank Golden Boy Promotions enough for giving me this opportunity. I have a great team behind me and we will be ready September 15. I’m coming to fight.”

Fernando Beltran, CEO of Zanfer Promotions, said, “It can’t get any bigger for boxing than a Pay-Per-View fight in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day. That’s where Jaime Munguia is fighting and that’s where he deserves to fight. He always shows his best on the biggest stages and during biggest moments, so be ready for a spectacular performance from Munguia”

Former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux (39-4, 33 KOs) of Montreal, Canada and Irish warrior Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (28-2, 20 KOs) of Cork, Ireland will go head-to-head in a 12-round middleweight battle that has Fight of the Year candidate written all over it.

Lemieux said, “I’m looking forward to fighting ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan next. I have some unfinished business at 160. We’re going to take one fight at a time. Spike is an action fighter, like me. He’s a tough cookie and comes to fight. This is a fight for the fans. Come September 15, I want to steal the show.”

O’Sullivan said, “This fight is just another step towards fulfilling my ambition of becoming a world champion and providing a good life for my family! David Lemieux is just an object in my way that I fully intend smashing through! Then, I want Canelo or GGG-either one, it doesn’t matter! I’m going to war!”

Former pound-for-pound king and former four-division world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua will make his highly anticipated return against experienced Mexican warrior Moises “Moi” Fuentes (25-5-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight battle that will open the HBO Pay-Per-View telecast.

Gonzalez said, “I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be back in the ring. This will be my second fight in Las Vegas, and I look forward to fighting on this great show. I have been training hard in California and will give a good show for the fans. I respect Moises Fuentes, and he will be a strong challenge for me. I want to thank Mr. Honda of Teiken Promotions, along with GGG Promotions for making this possible for me to be on the biggest show in boxing. I look forward to seeing all of my fans again and promise a good performance in the ring.”

Fuentes said, “This will be a difficult fight because of Gonzalez’s style of fighting. But it won’t be impossible. In boxing, nothing is written. I still have what it takes to do it-a good record and a lot of potential. I’m confident I will win this fight and Gonzalez will be a big trampoline for me to join the highest levels of boxing.”

On the non-televised portion of the card, super lightweight knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr.(10-0, 10 KOs) of Dallas, Texas looks to add another stoppage victory to his record as he takes on experienced warrior Roberto “Massa” Ortiz (35-2-2, 26 KOs) of Torreon, Mexico in a scheduled 10-round 140-pound fight.

Rising welterweight prospect Alexis “Lex” Rocha (11-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. will risk his undefeated record against Carlos Ortiz (10-2, 10 KOs) of Torreon, Mexico in an eight-round welterweight clash.

Undisputed WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO Champion Cecilia Braekhus (34-0, 9 KOs) of Cartagena, Colombiawill defend her titles in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Francisco Esparza (8-0-1, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas will take on a soon-to-be announced opponent in either a four or six-round featherweight fight.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. Munguia vs. Cook is a 12-round battle for the WBO Junior Middleweight World Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan is a 12-round middleweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with Murphy’s Boxing. Gonzalez vs. Fuentes is a 10-round super flyweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate,
“THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

“24/7 Canelo/GGG 2” premieres Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 11:30 pm (ET/PT) on HBO. Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, “24/7 CANELO/GGG 2” is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007.

Limited tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are still available, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets are also available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Tickets for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,
www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying
and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 20, 2018): On Thursday, Sept. 13, two days before the highly anticipated rematch between Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and Kazakh wrecking ball Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, another battle between Mexico and Kazakhstan will take place in the super lightweight division as Pablo “El Demoledor” Cesar Cano (30-7-1, 21 KOs) faces Ruslan Madiev (12-0, 5 KOs) in the 10-round main event of the Sept. 13 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. ESPN3 will live stream the fights beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m PT.

Cano is a 28-year-old puncher who has faced many names in the 140 and 147-pound division. The native of Tlalnepantla, Mexico has taken on the likes of Sugar Shane Mosley, Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, Ashley Theophane, and Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera in his career. Cano’s best victory was against Johan “El Terrible Perez, where he earned the interim WBA Super Lightweight Title. Cano is hungry to return to the top of the 140-pound rankings, but he’ll have to get past a tough fight against Madiev to do so.

“I am very happy to be back in an important main event on ESPN,” said Pablo Cesar Cano. “I’m going into this fight with hunger for the victory and a desire to vindicate myself against a good fighter like Ruslan Madiev. I have no doubts that our styles will mesh well to give a great fight.”

Madiev is a 25-year-old warrior who has maintained an impressive undefeated record since debuting in 2013. The native of Karaganda, Kazakhstan currently calls Big Bear, Calif. his home, where he trains under the experienced eye of renowned trainer Abel Sanchez. Madiev will look to become the next star to come out of Kazakhstan as he takes on a experience Mexican warrior in Cano.

“I’m very excited to fight in Las Vegas on such a massive weekend for boxing and look forward to testing myself about Pablo Cesar Cano,” said Ruslan Madiev. “I’ve been training hard in Big Bear and will be prepared for victory on September 13.”

Maricela “La Diva” Cornejo (12-2-, 5 KOs) will return in the 10-round co-main event against Franchon “Hard-Hitting Diva” Crews-Dezurn (3-1, 1 KO)in a battle for the Interim WBC Super Middleweight Title. Cornejo has been on an impressive run but will face her toughest test against a former amateur standout.

Raul “Cougar” Curiel (4-0, 3 KOs) will participate in a six-round welterweight battle against Ryan Pino (7-2, 3 KOs) of Bronx, N.Y.

Three members of the international training camp of Jose “Chepo” and Eddy Reynoso will return in separate bouts. Mexican contender Horacio “El Violento” Garcia (34-4, 25 KOs) will battle across eight rounds of action in the featherweight division. Bilal Akkawy (17-0-1, 14 KOs) of Sydney, Australia will fight in an eight-rounder in the super middleweight division. Jaba Khositashvili (3-0, 2 KOs) of Akhalkalki, Georgia will participate in a six-round super middleweight battle. These last two fighters are chief sparring partners for Canelo Alvarez.

Xu Chan (13-2, 1 KO) of Kunming, China will fight in an eight-round 126-pound battle.

Opponents for these fighters will be announced shortly.

Cano vs. Madiev is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with 360 Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights will take place on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2018 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. ESPN3 will live stream the fights beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m PT.

Tickets for Cano vs. Madiev are priced at $75, $50, $25, and $10, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Tickets go on sale Monday, Aug. 20 at 10:00 a.m. PST. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or The Joint Box Office at (702) 693-5000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.goldenboytickets.com
and www.ticketmaster.com.

Special Offer: VIP Seating for the Canelo vs. GGG 2 weigh-in: Purchase a ticket Cano vs. Madiev and receive VIP seating to the Canelo vs. GGG 2 weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, Sept 14. The Cano vs. Mediev ticket stub must be presented at the Canelo vs. GGG 2 weigh-in for VIP seating.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, http://www.espn.com/boxing/,
and www.hardrockhotel.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @ESPN, and @ESPNBoxeo. Become a fan on Facebook
at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya. Follow the conversation using #GBPonESPN and #CanoMadiev.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting link:http://bit.ly/CanoMadiev into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

About The Joint
The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas is a 4,255-person capacity venue that serves as a sophisticated, intimate and unparalleled entertainment destination. The Joint features seven luxury suites, a VIP studio level, state-of-the-art sound system, superior video system and a production package tailor-made for artist comfort. It has received numerous accolades including “No. 1 Hottest Club in America” award by Billboard Magazine, “Casino Of The Year – Medium Capacity” award by the Academy of Country Music, “Best Live Music Venue in Las Vegas” by MetroWize.com, “Best New Major Concert Venue” at the Pollstar Awards, “Best Live Music Venue” in AOL City’s Best awards, “Best Rock Residency Program” by Las Vegas Weekly, “Best Concert Venue” by Las Vegas Review-Journal and more. The Joint delivers unforgettable live music experiences with performances by both legendary and groundbreaking artists including Paul McCartney, the Killers, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Nine Inch Nails, The Who, Imagine Dragons, Prince, Arcade Fire, Muse, Drake and No Doubt. The venue has been home to successful residencies with Carlos Santana, Tiësto, Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, KISS, Rascal Flatts and Journey. For more information visit www.thejointlasvegas.com. Follow The Joint on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (August 15, 2018) – “He ran, he stalled, he didn’t conquer,” so sayeth trainer of the year ABEL SANCHEZ about former two-division world champion Canelo “Beef Jerky” Alvarez, (49-1-2, 34 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico. Sanchez is putting his star pupil GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (38-0-1, 34 KOs), from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, boxing’s longest-reigning world champion (since 2010), through his paces at The Summit, the high altitude training camp in Big Bear Lake, Calif., in preparation for the Mexican Independence Day rematch between the two top pound for pound fighters. Golovkin, the beef-eating undefeated World Middleweight Champion with the positive attitude and the negative random drug test results, is hard at work training for his record-breaking 21st consecutive title defense. Canelo vs. Golovkin 2, takes place Saturday, September 15, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

“The last fight between Gennady and Canelo was a real contrast of styles,” said Sanchez. “Gennady had to chase Canelo, who boasted that he was the true Mexican warrior, around the ring. It reminded me of the four corners offense those old Dean Smith-coached basketball teams used to play. I’m seriously considering asking the Nevada Athletic Commission to install a 24-second clock to force Canelo to engage. Compare the activity between the fighters in their first fight. Gennady did everything in that fight. Gennady wasn’t the one who got booed by the fans when those crazy scorecards were announced. And Gennady is going to do even more in the rematch. I read that Canelo isn’t eating beef in this camp. Let’s just hope he stopped eating duck too.”

*******************

24/7 Canelo/GGG 2 debuts

Tuesday, August 28, at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Remaining tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, ;;

www.caneloggg.com ;;and www.hbo.com/boxing; ;;follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,

www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying

and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

August 14, 2018

WBC middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin has submitted his 30-day advance weight to the WBC.

On August 14, Golovkin weighed 168.3 pounds, well within the 10 percent limit of 176 pounds. 7-day advance weights are also monitored with a 5 percent limit, which in this case will be 168 pounds.

Did you ever worry that this rematch might not happen? How close were you to moving on to another opponent?

“Of course I wanted the rematch to happen but it was never a worry for me if it did or did not happen. That is because after Canelo failed two random drug tests in February everything changed. After I beat Vanes Martirosyan on May 5, I authorized my promoter Tom Loeffler to begin a new negotiation for the rematch with Canelo. Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions assumed I would fight under the terms of the May 5 rematch and they were unhappy when I gave them my terms. What they refused to admit was that it was their side that changed everything once Canelo failed his drug tests. That was their fault not mine.

“My team and I treat everyone we do business with on a professional level. Whether we agree or disagree we show respect. But Golden Boy decided that they would share my proposal with the media and insult me — every day. I guess they thought the media, the event partners, and the fans would agree with them and put pressure on me to accept their terms. It did not make a difference to me. It did not make a difference to the fans, they just wanted to see the fight. I knew what I wanted. I knew what was fair. So it was easy to deal with Golden Boy. I did not care what others thought. I am the champion. Canelo was the challenger. If they wanted the rematch, this time it would be on my terms.

“How close was I to moving on to another opponent? I actually had. Golden Boy gave me a deadline to accept their latest “final offer.” They were very public about that too. I had a deal in place to fight WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders in August and I was planning to start my training camp in Big Bear. Tom told the Saunders team that if Canelo agreed to my terms we would take that fight first. We were honest with them. That is how we deal with people. One hour after the deadline for Golden Boy’s “final offer” passed, Tom received a call from them saying they would meet my terms and the deal was done.”

24/7 Canelo/GGG 2 debuts Tues., Aug. 28 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 takes place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

LOS ANGELES (August 13, 2018): Tickets for the closed circuit viewing in Las Vegas for the historic rematch between Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC, WBA, IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) will go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 10:00 a.m. PT. Closed circuit viewing of one of the most important matchups in middleweight history will be available at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, The Mirage Hotel & Casino, and Luxor Hotel and Casino.

“We want to give fight fans every single opportunity to watch this historic rematch live in Las Vegas, and buying a closed-circuit ticket is a great way to experience this important moment in boxing. There’s nothing more electrifying than gathering with other fight fans in the boxing capitol of the world,” said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya.

Tickets for the closed circuit telecast of Canelo vs. GGG 2 at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and Luxor are priced at $100, not including applicable fees. Seating is general admission at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage while Luxor will have assigned seats. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 10:00 a.m. PT. Tickets may be purchased at any MGM Resorts International Box Office, by phone with a major credit card at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/canelovsggg2.

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,”O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

Tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are on sale now, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at all price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,
www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying
and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured 18 Sports Emmy® Awards, will return for its 24th boxing installment with 24/7 CANELO/GGG 2, it was announced today by Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports. The behind-the-scenes show follows two elite fighters – Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin – as they prepare for their highly anticipated middleweight championship mega-fight title rematch Saturday, September 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

24/7 CANELO/GGG 2 debuts TUESDAY, AUGUST 28 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT.

The show will also be available on HBO On Demand®, HBO NOW, HBO GO® and partners’ streaming platforms.

24/7 CANELO/GGG 2 will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access, along with in-depth interviews and a profound lookback at their first encounter which ended in a controversial draw. Both men have made it clear they do not plan to leave the decision in the judges hands the second time around.

Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is again holding camp with renowned trainer Eddy Reynoso. The Mexican superstar, who recently turned 28, has established himself as the sport’s top pay-per-view attraction. Canelo will be making his 2018 ring debut in the sports most anticipated rematch on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs), from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, now living in Los Angeles, is training with the acclaimed Abel Sanchez. The undefeated knockout machine, who turned 36 earlier this year, will attempt a historic record-breaking 21st title defense which would pass sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Bernard Hopkins. Golovkin made his 2018 ring debut on May 5 in Carson, CA. with a spectacular knockout over Vanes Martirosyan.

Canelo’s fifth “24/7” appearance and Golovkin’s third, 24/7 CANELO/GGG 2 is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007. Among the most-honored sports series on TV, it was called “a masterfully entertaining reality show” by ESPN The Magazine.

“Canelo vs. GGG 2” will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 15 at 8:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00 p.m. (PT), and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.

The executive producer of 24/7 CANELO/GGG 2 is Rick Bernstein; senior producers, Dave Harmon and Bentley Weiner; producer, Harley Glantz; writer, Aaron Cohen. Liev Schreiber narrates.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. (August 2, 2018): Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) has stepped up training camp in his second home of San Diego, Calif. as he prepares to face WBC, WBA, and IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) in the most anticipated bout of 2018. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

After a controversial split draw that left the boxing fans wanting even more – Canelo shared his revamped routine as he prepares for the historic rematch, which will take place on Mexican Independence Day Weekend.

Details for Canelo’s training are as follows:
Running every morning (except Sunday) at around 6:00 a.m.
Training in the gym from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (jumping rope, shadowboxing, hitting the bags, working on strategy, etc.).
Sparring sessions at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Diet consists of chicken, fish, and select vegetables.
This week Canelo will complete his fourth week of training and third week of sparring.
Canelo’s camp still has five weeks’ worth of sparring left and he will complete 66 rounds of sparring this week.
This is what Canelo shared as he nears the halfway mark of his intense training camp in preparation for the fight of his career:

“The last fight gave us the blueprint for this rematch. We don’t necessarily have to change the strategy; we just have to add to what we did. We have to throw more punches in every round. We need to do that to remove any doubts about the victory. For that we will work on our conditioning. That’s what we needed a little more of in the first fight in order to be able to throw punches constantly in each round.

“We have been training very well. We’ve been working hard on the conditioning. That’s what we’ll need a lot of in the second fight. We’re focused. We’re focused on the style of Golovkin. We know that he’s not going to change. He’s going to go out to do the same thing he always does and come forward. He may want to change, but when things get tough, he’ll go back to the style he’s been using his whole life and which he has never changed.

“I’ve fought with very difficult fighters who are very difficult to land shots on and difficult to fight. I’ve fought with strong fighters as well. He’s a strong fighter. He’s a dangerous fighter. He is one of the toughest fighters I’ve faced. This is one of those fights we’re I’ll be the most prepared of my career.

“I’m automatically a faster fighter than he [Golovkin]. My reflexes are quicker than his, so I could see punches [in the first fight]. But he has a lot of experience. He landed some shots on me, but that’s due to his experience, and I could see punches as soon as he began to throw them. In the fifth round, I was hit with the kind of shot to knock someone out. It was between the ear and the neck, but I didn’t feel anything.

“I knew who Golovkin was from the beginning. He’s been at 160 pounds for pretty much his entire career. I’ve always said that when I move up to middleweight, I would fight the best. He’s supposed to be the best, and I felt very good in the first fight. His power is nothing out of this world.

“I don’t know why Golovkin’s corner or team have been aggressive in their talks. It may be because of the rivalry we have. I don’t know. I think they’ve gone too far. They’ve gone beyond just trying to sell the fight with their statements. I don’t like talking or instigating with the fighter or even trying to make a show to sell the fight. People know that when we get into the ring, we’re going to give a great fight, period.

“In some sense, he might have offended me. But I always consider who’s saying what. The truth is that Golovkin is my opponent, so I understand it. With Abel Sanchez, it doesn’t worry me at all. Because at the end of the day, what about him? At the end of the day, he’s not going to get in the ring with me.

“It got more personal this time around. The little respect that we had for each other was lost. I’m using this as motivation. Everything that he has said has made it personal. What they said about who I am as a person has made it personal. But I will use it intelligently to my benefit this Sept. 15.

“I dedicate this fight to everyone who has always supported me. To my family and my team, and to all the people who will watch the fight. It will be a great fight.”

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at 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.

Tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are on sale now, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, and $500 not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700 and $500 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com
or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,
www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

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Deerfield Beach, FL (July 25, 2018)—Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin’s rematch is all set for Mexican Independence Day on September 15th in Las Vegas, but what better way to add a little war to the card than having two Mexicans do battle.

Roberto Garcia just witnessed Jaime Munguia’s unanimous decision over Liam Smith on Saturday night and if Munguia is ready to return to the ring on September 15th, Garcia is ready as well.

“What better way to celebrate Mexican Independence Day than to have two Mexican’s do battle,” said Garcia. “We are both warriors. One veteran taking on one youngster. We both come to fight. Let’s get it on.”

Garcia is thankful to Zanfer Promotions (Munguia’s co-promoter with Golden Boy) for giving him his career defining fight against Julio Cesar Chavez’s son, Omar Chavez.

Garcia won that fight on Aug. 12, 2017 in a 10-round unanimous decision to win the WBC Silver Middleweight title.

Garcia lost his title in his first defense after traveling to England and losing a unanimous 12-round decision to Martin Murray on June 23, 2018.

“Two warriors doing battle, “Thunder vs Lightning” , both fighters coming forward all night , I’ll KO the “Kid” somewhere late in the fight or I win by unanimous decision.”

No doubt the fight would be epic.

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 18, 2018) – Undefeated Las Vegas native, 21-year old Damien “Sugar” Vazquez (14-0, 7 KOs), wants to get in the ring with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs), when he makes his return to the ring, rumored to be on the undercard of Canelo vs. GGGon September 15, 2018.

Vazquez is the younger brother of former three-time super bantamweight world champion, Israel Vázquez. He’s been making noise in the lower weight classes since he captured the NABF Junior Flyweight Title as a teenager, at age 17. Before turning pro, Vazquez compiled an impressive record of (83-3, 46 KOs), unheard of in the amateurs. Vazquez is currently rated WBA #14, putting him in position to land a big fight, possibly a dream bout with Roman Gonzalez.

“If Chocolatito is seeking an opponent for September 15th, then who better than me,” said Damien Vazquez, who on March 28, 2018, captured the vacant WBC Youth Silver Super-Flyweight Title against Luis Golindano (10-1, 7 KOs). “I think it makes a lot of sense to make this fight because the fight is in Las Vegas, my hometown, and I’m Mexican. This would make for a classic showdown on Mexican Independence Day in Las Vegas, Mexico vs. Nicaragua, let’s make it happen. It’s time for the new blood to take over.”

Vazquez, who is managed by Greg Hannely, of Prince Ranch Boxing, is trained by former world champions Joel Cassamayor and Bones Adams. In addition, Vazquez owns his own promotional company, Sugar Promotions. His last four bouts have taken place in Aguascalientes, Mexico, all televised on the local government channel.

“My fanbase has grown tremendously in Mexico, since we’ve been promoting shows in Aguascalientes,” Vazquez continued. “It would be an honor to share the ring with a legend like Gonzalez. I know we would both put on a great show for all the fans who’ll be watching. It will be an explosive fight, that I can guarantee.”

“Look, Damien is a world class fighter who is hungry to make a name for himself,” said Oscar Vazquez, who runs and operates Sugar Promotions. “If Tom Loeffler makes this fight with us, he will not regret it, that I can assure you.”

“Damien has worked very hard to get where he’s at today,” said manager Greg Hannley. “If this opportunity presents itself, then there’s no doubt in my mind that Damien will step up to the plate and give the fans a great show. He’s a true Mexican warrior, who fights with a lot of heart.”

By Norm Frauenehim-

About 1,500 miles and an international border separated two fighters who only have a weight class and mutual contempt in common.

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin were in opposite virtual corners – Canelo in Guadalajara and GGG in Big Bear, Calif. — at an unusual news conference last week that could only happen in today’s social-media world. It was social in name only, of course. But that gave it an edge. It was effective, because it was new.

But it’s effectiveness was also rooted in drama as genuine as it is timeless. GGG and Canelo don’t like each other.

They staged their satellite newser Tuesday on the Golden Boy Promotions Facebook page for a big audience that watched because it’s clear they want to unfriend each other in their Sept. 15 rematch (HBO PPPV/8 pm. ET) at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena with more than a key stroke.

The middleweights never smiled. They had a tough time even looking into the cameras throughout the hour-long session. It was awkward enough to almost be painful. Almost.

Real pain, of course, is the inherent promise in the controversial build-up for a rematch postponed by Canelo’s two positive PED tests in February and then testy negotiations that only heightened dislike the rival camps have for each other.

A clipped tone spoke volumes Tuesday. At one point, moderator Mauricio Pedroza asked Canelo for what he had to say to GGG.

“Nothing, we’ll see September 15,’’ Canelo said.

Then, there were moments when Canelo and his corner expressed their anger at GGG trainer Abel Sanchez, whose consistent wit and criticism of Canelo’s tactics in last September’s draw represent some rhetorical jabs in the early rounds of the psychological gamesmanship. Sanchez questions Canelo’s courage.

“I think that on the 15th when Oscar and Canelo are having breakfast, Oscar needs to remind him, he needs to bring his courage to the venue that night because he’s going to need it,’’ Sanchez said Tuesday. “If he intends to knock out Golovkin, he’s going to have to fight him. And if he fights him, he’s going to get knocked out. I said that before. He would have gotten knocked out the first time, but he decided to make it a track meet that night.

“But if he comes to fight and if he comes to knock out Golovkin as he said he’s going to; if he doesn’t defraud the fans again, then he’s going to get knocked out. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again.’’

During the course of the news conference, GGG suggested the fight itself is a path for both sides to regain respect for each other.

“I do have respect to all the fighters, all the athletes, all the champions who fight at this level,” he said. “And I think at the very end, we will find a way to shake each other’s hand, regardless of the outcome, regardless what we think before the fight. As two men, we should be able to stand against each other and shake each other’s hand at the end.’’

But it sounds as if Canelo has other ideas, especially when it comes to Sanchez.

When it was time for questions from the media, there was a reference to what GGG had said about eventually shaking hands.

Question: “This is for Canelo. As a Mexican, do you believe Abel Sanchez deserves a handshake? Can you actually shake Abel Sanchez’s hands?’

Canelo: “He deserves that and much more.”

The chance at much more is selling this one.

LOS ANGELES (July 3, 2018): MAURICIO PEDROZA: To everyone, watching on Facebook Live today, we want to hear from you. Leave your questions for the fighters, the promoters in the comments section below for a chance to have your questions answered live on the air today.

So stay tuned for that. All right. Let’s get this started. Let’s go straight to our fighters, to our promotors and we go live to Guadalajara, Mexico.

Both fighters have already started their training camps and we will introduce everyone around this fantastic fight. Joining Canelo from his gym in Guadalajara is his manager and co-trainer Jose “Chepo” Reynoso, his trainer Eddy Reynoso, and the and chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya who will open our press conference with a few remarks.

Oscar, welcome.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you very much. Thank you for having us. I want to express my gratitude to everybody around the world watching us live for the first time ever holding a press conference on Facebook. We greatly appreciate the support, and today, as of 10:00 in the morning, tickets went on sale. They are going extremely well, extremely fast, and we are grateful to all the fans who can be watching live on September 15 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

I want to thank Team Canelo. I want to thank Team GGG for making this fight once again for the fans. The fans got to witness an incredible, incredible fight the first time around, and we strongly believe that the second fight will be a continuation, round No. 13, of their first fight televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

The telecast does begin at 8:00 Eastern. This will give an opportunity for the fans across the globe to watch this fight at an earlier time. So we want to thank HBO and their teams.

Mauricio Pedroza: Thank you, Oscar.

Joining GGG live from the summit gym in bear, California is his trainer, Abel Sanchez and promotor for GGG, Tom Loeffler, who will also begin with a few remarks. Tom?

TOM LOEFFLER: Today, this rematch really feels like it’s a much bigger event than the first time. There was a lot of controversy around the scoring for the first fight, and both guys don’t want to leave it in the judges’ hands this time.

We’re up here where Abel Sanchez has his training camp in Big Bear, California. GGG is training to make a much more decisive victory over Canelo the second time around. You see we have all the titles here.

GGG is the champion, and if Canelo wants to become a champion, he actually has to fight and try to take the titles away.

So we are looking forward to seeing everyone September 15 at T-Mobile and on HBO Pay-Per-View.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Tom, thank you very much.

So first question is for you, Canelo. What happened, and what would you like to say to your fans that were disappointed in you?

CANELO ALVAREZ: The reason for the cancellation, we all talked about that. The main thing is the fight got here, the fight got done. I did it for the fans. This is the fight you wanted to see and come September 15, I can assure you it will be a much better fight than what you would have seen in May.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: How disappointed were you the fight didn’t happen in May?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: Of course we were all disappointed. I was disappointed and the fans were disappointed that this first May 15 bout didn’t happen, but right now everybody is happy that we all agreed to have this next fight on September 15.

So both us and our fans should be happy.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Gennady, do you really believe the reason Canelo tested positive for clenbuterol was tainted meat?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: First of all, I respect the fighters of the level of Canelo, and the fact that they screwed up, it was not my decision to disqualify him, and I think it was a team failure, but it doesn’t matter right now. It doesn’t matter right now. It’s important that we’re going to have a fight.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Abel Sanchez, do you believe the reason Canelo tested positive for clenbuterol was tainted meat? You were very vocal when this news first came around that Canelo might be suspended.

ABEL SANCHEZ: We had been waiting for the commission to do their investigation, and come on, whatever the findings were, unfortunately they made a mistake. We have a fight on our hands September 15. They found him innocent of anything, any wrongdoing, so we have to go with that.

My personal feelings have nothing to do or should have nothing to do with the actual findings of the commission.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: But why are you saying you think they made a mistake? What mistake did they make?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, they felt that he made a mistake. They felt that he ingested some bad beef. Hopefully this time that they are in Mexico, he doesn’t do that again. We’d like to have a fight on the 15th and the fans deserve that.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Even though your rematch against Canelo Alvarez says was cancelled, you still fought in May in Los Angeles at the StubHub Center against Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyan. What were you trying to prove in the fight?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: Well, because I like to be active, I like this box, I like this sport, and I like the fans. You know, the fans wanted me to fight, and why shouldn’t I? Why shouldn’t I fight, particularly on such an important day, May the 5th.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Did you watch GGG’s fight in May?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Yes. Yes, I did see the fight in May. Of course I would. He’s the opponent that I have at hand and that’s my job to watch him.

As far as what I thought about the fight, look, you can’t call that a fight. You have no opponent. That’s not my level of opponent. I didn’t pay attention as far as that being a fight.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Oscar, could you take us through the negotiations that have taken place over the last few months?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: The negotiations are the negotiations. The bottom line is that we have a fight. Obviously we know who the A side is, and that’s Canelo Alvarez.

We obviously know that all of Mexico is behind Canelo Alvarez. Everywhere I go, everywhere we walk, the Mexican National is behind Canelo Alvarez, and I strongly believe that, look, Canelo going into the ring last, wanting to win those belts, for honor and pride.

You know, he’s going to show it up in the ring, and we strongly feel that you know, it’s a big advantage and once that first bell rings, you know, we have a fight.

So we strongly feel that, look, whatever the negotiations were, we’re extremely happy with and the fans are going to be even happier when they see a fight on September 15.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Tell us why is it so important for this rematch to take place on September 15? So important, that you had to put up your own money to make happen.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, that was the big hail maker — I mean, you know, we can all here talk about percentages and this and that but there was a few things that I had to throw in myself.

But the bottom line is, is that look, Canelo has the bigger piece of the pie, and because he’s the champion, he’s the draw. He’s the one that brings in the people. On September 15, you will have millions and millions of fans supporting Canelo and supporting GGG, as well.

But this fight had to be made because we didn’t want to experience another Hagler/Hearns or Hagler/Sugar Ray Leonard because we didn’t see the second fight that didn’t take place. We didn’t want to see – like Trinidad and myself, we didn’t see the second fight.

So this fight had to take place. The first time was a draw and finally we have it. September 15, will be such an important day for boxing. I strongly feel that the way this fight is going to turn out, the fans are going to be extremely happy, extremely proud and boxing will once again rise to the pinnacle of where it should be.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Why is it so important for GGG, for this fight to take place and to make the compromises GGG has had to take in order to ensure the rematch? For example, letting go of your position that the percentage for the rematch should be an even and even split.

TOM LOEFFLER: On our side we know who the champion is. It doesn’t matter who is announced first. Doesn’t matter whose name appears first on the poster.

GGG is the champion. He’s going to walk in with his belts and the important thing is he’s going to walk out with his belts. There were a lot of back and forth with the negotiations but again, we have to give both fighters credit. We have to give GGG credit. We have to give Canelo credit. We have to give Oscar and Golden Boy Promotions credit.

The bottom line is, we are not just talking about the rematch. We are actually seeing the rematch happen September 15. A lot of fighters can’t even fight the first time, and here are two of the biggest stars in boxing fighting the rematch.

Neither side wants to let it go to the judges. Canelo is predicting a KO. GGG doesn’t want to go through the same thing he went through last year in September — where his fate is in the hands of three people. He wants to make sure he controls his destiny and wants to make sure there’s going to be no question who walks out of the ring as the champion on September 15.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: We heard Oscar describing why Canelo Alvarez is the main man in this fight, so why do you think you deserve a 50/50 split?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: I always believe that and I know Oscar says, and I not always agree with what Oscar says. For example, I don’t believe all Mexico will be rooting for Canelo. I understand that all Oscar think that Canelo is the main locomotive behind this fight, but I think we’re both worthy of this fight.

As far as the 45 to 55, yes, we made a concession. I think that we make a big concession, but I think it’s right now, it’s the most important thing that we are going to have a fight and our fans will love it.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Canelo, Gennady just said he doesn’t believe that whole of Mexico will be rooting for you. Do you agree, and why do you think GGG believes he has some part of the Mexican fans behind him?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Look, I’ve always had detractors, regardless I’m fighting him or who I’m fighting. There’s always that side of the fans that are the detractors, but I have much more, many more, that love and support me.

And now, that little respect that I had or that we had, it’s been lost, and come September 15, it’s just him and I in the ring, whether I have the support or not. It’s just going to be him and I, and he’ll see.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Now I want to go back to Oscar De La Hoya. As a fighter, does being in a fight like this motivate you more in training camp, especially when you just heard Canelo saying he doesn’t respect GGG anymore?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, that’s exactly what a fighter needs, and that’s exactly why this fight is going to be such a great fight.

Like Canelo said, the little respect they had for each other is out the window, and when you’re a fighter and you have no respect for your opponent, magic happens. Magic takes place inside the ring. You train harder in the gym. You run extra miles. You assure yourself that you’re in tiptop shape but more importantly it’s mental, the mental aspect of it is at its highest level. That’s why I think that these bullfighters are going to be in tiptop shape come September 15 and we will see an amazing fight.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: As a fight fan and promotor, how excited are you for the fight and how excited shot fans be for the fight?

TOM LOEFFLER: Not only as a promotor but as a boxing fight, this is the fight everyone is looking forward to. This is the fight the fans are looking forward to, that the media has been asking about.

And GGG, I get a lot of comments, a lot of messages on social media from fans in Mexico saying, please knock out Canelo, don’t let it in the judges’ hands this time and GGG is going to come out that way.

I know Oscar is down there in Mexico with Canelo. Make sure, Canelo, less Mexican meat, more Mexican style this time, September 15. Make sure everything goes the right way.

There’s two warriors getting in the ring. The gloves are off this time around. Both guys, you know, feel disrespected by what happened last May 5, so I think the fans are going to win coming up September 15 when these guys get in the ring with each other.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Oscar De La Hoya on May 15 Tweeted the following, “In the meantime, @GGGBoxing making 3million and #Canelo making 40million without you. #signthecontract. #scared. #CaneloGGG2. #stopcrying.”

We just talked about respect. Gennady, how do you respond to this, to what Oscar De La Hoya had to say about you on May 11?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: Oscar De La Hoya can say a lot of things, and it’s not always correct.

As far as the money concerned, I’m a fighter, and I go and work, do my work. I fight. As far as Oscar De La Hoya, I suggest that he should take care of his own fighter and if he wants him to make more money, let’s have a fight. Put him on the ring.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: I want to go back to Abel. This quote from Canelo Alvarez, this past week on RingTV.com, “The truth is that this fight means a lot to me because of all that has happened and all that has been said.”

Alvarez said, Friday, one day officially before tickets go on sale, “I will prove with my fists that I am the best and Golovkin will eat all his words and speculations. I will demonstrate who the best when I defeat Golovkin soundly on September 11 during Independence Day weekend, and I will make it clear that Mexican boxing is the best.”

Abel, do you think Canelo has what it takes to knockout GGG?

ABEL SANCHEZ: All those same things were said prior to the first fight and it ended up being a track meet.

I think that on the 15th when Oscar and Canelo were having breakfast, Oscar needs to remind him, he needs to bring his courage to the venue that night because he’s going to need it.

If he intends to knock out Golovkin, he’s going to have to fight him. And if he fights him, he’s going to get knocked out. I said that before; he would have gotten knocked out the first time, but he decided to make it a track meet that night.

But if he comes to fight and if he comes to knock out Golovkin as he said he’s going to; if he doesn’t defraud the fans again, then he’s going to get knocked out. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Canelo, you just heard Abel saying you didn’t want to fight the first time. I want to go back to you now and let you answer that statement because it seems like from GGG’s camp, you were never willing to engage during the fight. Will this time be any different?

CANELO ALVAREZ: I did my fight. I did what I set out to do. I did what I trained to do but I did a great fight.

But on September 15, I’m going to do the necessary adjustments and the necessary things to win. This man just likes to talk. He likes to talk a lot and bring up every excuse possible, but you’ll see, on September 15, what Canelo Alvarez is all about and what he’s capable of doing.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Gennady, you just heard Canelo saying that was his fight, that was his strategy, but he says it’s going to be different.

How about from your side? How different is your strategy going to be to face with Canelo once again?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: As the champion, I know my strategy and of course in this upcoming fight, a lot will depend on Canelo and the more Canelo had show, the more interesting will be the fight.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Eddy, why is your fighter the better fighter?

EDDY REYNOSO: He’s a fighter with more arguments. He has more talent and is more versatile. He knows how to walk in the ring and make you miss, counterpunch, attack. I mean, he has the total package.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Chepo, what did you learn from that first fight that can expose GGG’s weaknesses?

CHEPO REYNOSO: He’s an intelligent fighter and regardless of what people thought, I thought he clearly won the fight, clearly but come September 15, I can assure you two things. Not only is he going to take away GGG’s undefeated record, he’s also going to shut up Mr. Abel Sanchez.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Abel, you just heard Canelo saying, we’ll see a different Canelo, even Chepo Reynoso said we’ll see a different Canelo. What did you learn from Canelo Alvarez on the first fight, and do you think we’ll see a different Canelo Ãlvarez September 15?

ABEL SANCHEZ: Well, in the first 40-some fights we saw Canelo fight, he fought a totally different fight and he promised the fans he was going to give them the same type of action against Golovkin. After the first couple rounds, he found out he couldn’t.

I hope September 15 coming up is different because I think the fans deserve what we have been promising them. Golovkin fights in his style. He’s the champion. He’s going to go at Canelo, and if Canelo thinks he can knock him out, then I think we’ll see a classic fight.

It doesn’t matter how smart Canelo is, when he gets hit and he get hurt, he’s going to be knocked out. Smarts have nothing to do with it. He’s going to get hit and get hurt.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Several times Sanchez called Alvarez a cheater after all the controversy surrounding his suspension. How did that make you feel, and what do you think of Abel Sanchez as a trainer?

CHEPO REYNOSO: I think Abel Sanchez likes to talk. He talks too much. At the end of the day it’s going to be Canelo Alvarez and GGG fighting with their fists and not with their mouths. He likes to be the star of the movie, and it’s not him.

This is about Canelo and GGG. And what we need to do as corner men, as trainers, is do our job quietly because it’s not about us.

Abel, learn to be quiet, please.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Oscar, what have you seen so far from Canelo’s team and the way they are preparing for September 15?

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, it’s clear that for team canal low, it’s a totally different mind-set. It’s a totally different fight. Just being an ex-fighter myself, I know what type of preparations you must do in order to fulfill your goal, to fulfill your goal come September 15 against GGG, and I can assure you, I mean, it’s clear that Canelo is in a stronger state of mind. There’s obviously bad blood, and therefore, that’s why it’s going to be an amazing fight.

Look, Canelo, yes, he can box. He can move. He’s the more skillful fighter. He can do all that stuff, but he can also fight. And GGG hasn’t seen that, but I’ll assure you one thing: Come September 15, it’s all business. It’s all going in there and proving not to everyone who is watching but proving to GGG that he’s the better fighter.

So will Canelo be in different shape? Will he be in better shape in will he be stronger, faster? He’s going to be all that, and then some.

So on our side, we strongly feel they haven’t seen Canelo the way they are going to see him September 15. We have seen GGG. We know what he does. All he does is come forward and fights and that’s it. Canelo has many other things he does, so come September 15, you’ll be able to witness them.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Oscar, I want to give you a chance to respond to one of Tom’s comments, also Gennady’s comments, when they say that Mexico is actually split. It’s divided. Not everyone is rooting for Canelo, and some Mexicans are rooting for Gennady Golovkin.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Everybody has their fans. Everybody has their fans. There’s a reason why when Canelo fights on HBO Pay-Per-View, which he’s the only Pay-Per-View star in boxing, there’s a reason why they support him. There’s a reason why he generates the numbers he does. There’s a reason why the gates are so high. There’s a reason why the numbers are so high.

Look, every fighter has their naysayers, and every fighter has their non-supporters, but the truth of the matter is that Canelo has millions and millions of fans all over the world just like GGG.

But we have to recognize one thing; that Canelo is the Mexican champion, the star of Mexico, the star of boxing.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: GGG, you just heard Canelo Alvarez saying how he has lost some respect for you. Let me ask you something. Have you also lost respect for Canelo Alvarez, the boxer, or even the person?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: Respect is respect. We have different mentality. We have different understanding of what respect is. I think Canelo team, by doing what they did, and they lost some respect from their fans. But it’s not important.

I do have respect to all the fighters, all the athletes, all the champions who fight at this level, and I think at the very end, we will find a way to shake each other’s hand, regardless what the outcome, regardless what we think before the fight. As two men, we should be able to stand against each other and shake each other’s hand at the end.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: I remember before the first fight, you both were behaving in a very respectful manner. Why does this time feel like more personal to you, actually to both of you, but for you, is this personal this time?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Yes, absolutely, it’s changed, totally. They disrespected me for everything they have been saying, everything they have been doing, all their actions. Now it’s different. It’s personal.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: A lot has been said from both camps about you and GGG, but one of your biggest critics so far is Abel Sanchez, and you haven’t really talked to him yet, so we’ll give that you opportunity to address him correctly.

What do you want to say to Abel Sanchez who is listening to you right now live?

CANELO ALVAREZ: I have nothing to say to him. He knows what I think of him.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Abel, what do you think about Canelo? He’s listening now. You’ve talked a lot about him, as well.

ABEL SANCHEZ: I talked about him because of what his actions have been and I think the consequences it has caused for us as a team here, the GGG team.

He’s an exceptional fighter. Two guys at the top of their game are going to duke is out on the 15th. I hope we get the kind of fight that we are expecting.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Gennady, is there anything you would like to say to him?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: Well, I want to tell him that we should be ready for the fight. You know, we should be ready for his fight for us. We should be ready for his fight for our fans. We should get ready. I think we should both be in the best shape for this fight, and the better we will be for this fight; the more, the sweetest taste the victory will have for us.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Canelo, you have the floor. What do you have to say to Gennady Golovkin?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Nothing. We’ll see you September 15.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: And to all of you watching, is there anything you would like to say to GGG? Is there anything you would like to say to Canelo? Let us know in the comments section below for a chance to have your questions answered directly. But before we check out what the fans have been posting in that comments section below, let me ask you one question to all of you in our Facebook Live broadcast.

I want to start with Gennady Golovkin. Why aren’t we all hanging out in the same room? Why are you in Big Bear, California? Why is Canelo in Guadalajara, and why aren’t we shaking hands in person?

GGG, I’ll start with you.

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: We are in a space, we are in a room where it’s best for all of us and which is more comfortable for all of us. It’s better to meet on September 15 and show all the best of what we can demonstrate.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Canelo, usually when we are promoting a fight, we have both boxers looking at each other, sometimes shaking hands, sometimes having a little more action than that.

Why didn’t you want to face Gennady Golovkin before September 15? Why didn’t you want to be in the same room with him at the same time?

CANELO ALVAREZ: I assure you we’ll see each other face-to-face before September 15. We already got the tour and we already got the promotion. It wasn’t necessary for this one. But I’ll see him very soon.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: That’s fair. Well, we certainly have a lot to look forward to this September 15. In just a moment, we will open the phones to ask questions from members of the media.

Q. This is for Canelo. As a Mexican, do you believe Abel Sanchez deserves a handshake? Can you actually shake Abel Sanchez’s hands?

CANELO ALVAREZ: He deserves that and much more.

Q. Canelo, real quick, do you feel like the things that Abel and Gennady are saying to you about making this a toe-to-toe fight just a tactic to draw you in, when it may make more sense for you to box yourself to victory in this fight?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Yes, that’s probably their tactic. You know what, the sentiment that I have inside of me, it’s going to help me a lot, intelligently, to bring out what I have to do. I know what I have to do.

Q. This first question is for Canelo. There are lots of rumours that have spread around about you wearing a knee wrap in different pictures. Is there anything wrong with the knee and can you address that?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Simply put, it’s a brace just to support. I’ve been training really hard. It’s part of rehabilitation and I’ve been working really hard, and that is not going to be a problem, trust me.

Q. The numbers from your last fight show that GG out-landed you by 49 punches and out-threw you by 198. Do you feel that you need to increase your work rate in order to win the rematch?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Yes, that’s part of the plan and part of what we are working on. Yes, we know what we have to do, and yes, we have to throw more punches. To win fights, you have to throw punches, and that’s what I do in all my fights.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Now it’s time to take a look at the questions and comments for the fighters and their teams on Facebook Live. We’ll go straight to that. We’ll start with Rob.

Q. Asking them both, what will be the difference from the first fight? Gennady, what do you think will be the difference from fight No. 1?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: I think this fight will be interesting. It will be tougher fight. It will be fiercer fight and I think we made our conclusion from the first fight, and this fight will be more colorful and more interesting.

Q. Canelo, what do you think the difference will be from the first fight?

CANELO ALVAREZ: Without a doubt it’s going to be a different fight. It’s going to be a better fight.

Look, we know what we have to do. I’m going it take even a stronger strategy, a better strategy, and it’s going to be a much better fight. We already know each other. Now we know what we have to do.

Q. To Team GGG, are you doing anything different in this camp from the last time you fought Canelo?

ABEL SANCHEZ: We prepare ourselves and we prepare Gennady to be the best Gennady can be. We won the first fight. A lot of people know we won the last fight. He knows he won the last fight.

Some adjustments obviously will be made in camp but Gennady fights in a style that is not only fan-pleasing but a style that he has mastered with a 23-knockout streak, in, what, 20 defenses, making it the 21st on the 15th. I think that’s the best in history. He’s tied Hopkins’ record. He’s got a knockout ratio, the best in middleweight history. I think the changes are going to be minimal. But I think it’s all going to defend if Canelo brings his courage.

Q. Gennady, are you doing anything different for this second fight, this rematch?

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN: No. As always, I’m going 100 percent what I need to do and I’ll be ready 100 percent for this fight.

Q. Can you talk about your impressive footwork and mobility in the first fight, and now that you’ve had surgery on your knee, do you think your footwork might be even better in the rematch?

CANELO ALVAREZ: That’s always been part of my arsenal. I know how to move inside the ring. The knee is not a problem. We’ve been working hard now and we’ve been training here and it hasn’t given me any issues and if it does come up during the fight that it gives me problems, we’ll already have a Plan B, a strategy, behind that, as well.

MAURICIO PEDROZA: Thank you, everyone, for joining us today watching this special Facebook live GGG special event. A reminder that tickets for September 15 are on sale now and they are going fast. You can also join Canelo GGG September 15 live from the T Mobile Arena on Pay-Per-View.

# # #

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet, Venom, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are on sale now, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of eight (8) per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing,
www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying
and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

https://www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing/videos/10155786765155756/

LOS ANGELES (June 29, 2018): Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion
Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) will return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for their historic 12-round rematch on Saturday, Sept. 15. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 will go on sale Tuesday, July 3 at 10:00 a.m. PT, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 8 per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

To purchase tickets during the Pre-Sale, subscribe to our newsletter by going on www.goldenboypromotions.com and clicking VIP Connect. The pre-sale is schedule to run from Saturday, June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PT thru Monday, July 2 at 10:00 p.m. PT. Follow Golden Boy Boxing on its Social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) at @goldenboyboxing.

In September 2017, Canelo and GGG met in the ring for the first time across a competitive 12 rounds of action that ended in a split draw. The battle drew a record crowd for an indoor boxing event in Las Vegas, selling out T-Mobile Arena in less than two weeks and bringing legions of fans from Mexico to Kazakhstan and everywhere in between.

Canelo, the 27-year-old native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is without a doubt boxing’s biggest star. After capturing two world titles and the lineal championship in the super welterweight division, Canelo moved up to middleweight to capture the WBC, Lineal and
Ring Magazine World Titles with a unanimous decision victory against Miguel Cotto in November 2015. Canelo has maintained his status as the lineal champion ever since, and in a historic September 16 showdown with Golovkin last year, he silenced all doubters by facing one of the most avoided fighters in boxing. Canelo was born ready and he promises to defeat Golovkin in exciting fashion to prove that he is the world’s best 160-pounder.

“The truth is that this fight means a lot to me because of all that has happened and all that has been said,” said Canelo Alvarez. “I will prove with my fists that I am the best, and Golovkin will eat all of his words and speculations. I will demonstrate who is the best when I defeat Golovkin soundly on September 15 during Independence Day Weekend, and I’ll make it clear that Mexican boxing is the best.”

Golovkin, the 36-year-old wrecking ball of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, was a dominant amateur standout and Olympic Silver Medalist before turning professional in 2006. Since then, Golovkin has been on an historic trajectory, knocking out one opponent after another to unify and retain several middleweight titles. During this run, Golovkin maintained an unblemished record that included a 23-fight knockout streak, which ended with a unanimous decision victory against Daniel Jacobs in March 2017. After going the distance against Canelo, Golovkin scored a second-round knockout victory against former 154-pound contender Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyanin May of this year.

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin said, “I am happy that the deal is done and the rematch is back on. I am ready to get back to work in Big Bear with Abel. This is the biggest fight for boxing, the fight everyone wants. It is a fight to see who is best. It is for boxing history. I am happy to be defending my titles on Mexican Independence Day, a great stage for true Mexican-Style boxing. Canelo can walk to the ring last. Canelo can be introduced last. The important thing is who leaves the ring last, and that will be me, as world champion, the people’s champion. See you at the Big Drama Show.”

Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions, said, “There is serious bad blood between these fighters. The fight is personal, and the stakes are high. Canelo will without a doubt want to shut Golovkin up, and the only way to do it is by knocking him out on September 15. I have no doubts that our champion will walk away with the victory.”

Tom Loeffler, promoter of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, said, “It’s hard to believe that there could be bigger drama than the negotiations we just concluded to make the rematch – again. The rematch has a much bigger feel to it because of all the controversy and is the biggest fight in boxing. It’s also the third consecutive time Gennady has taken over a major Mexican holiday to showcase his exciting Mexican-Style of fighting. This rematch transcends a championship boxing match and has become an international sporting event where it will be shown in over 150 countries worldwide. Gennady is bringing his belts and his resolve to prove he is still the best middleweight of his era and boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound fighter. He won the first fight against Canelo in the eyes of millions of viewers who tuned in last September and he will do it again on Mexican Independence Day, with his record-breaking 21st consecutive title defense. It’s his destiny.”

Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports, said, “The biggest fight of 2018 is now upon us: Canelo-GGG 2. On September 15, the rematch will prove middleweight and pound-for-pound supremacy. We are pleased to present it live by HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Richard Sturm, President of Sports and Entertainment for MGM Resorts International, said, “We look forward to celebrating Mexican Independence Day weekend for what boxing fans worldwide anticipate will be one of the sport’s greatest rematches. T-Mobile Arena is the industry leader in hosting championship events including Boxing, UFC and most recently the Stanley Cup Finals. Our community is prepared to once again show why Las Vegas is the Sports and Entertainment capital of the world.”

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, Interjet and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.com and www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, ‘
www.facebook.com/gggboxing,and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying
and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

MARTIN MURRAY can start dreaming of a rematch against Gennady Golovkin if he successfully unleashes his fury on Roberto Garcia.

The St Helens man challenges for the Mexican’s WBC silver middleweight title at London’s o2 on June 23, in another blockbuster ?ght being screened live on BT Sport.

If Murray wins and makes one successful defence he will become mandatory contender for Golovkin’s WBC world title. The British braveheart was beaten in 11 rounds by GGG in February 2015, but the chance of a rematch is consolation for WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders pulling out twice through injury.

Golovkin would mean a big money ?ght, but he cannot overlook Garcia who has stepped into replace Saunders.

Murray, 35, said: “I was devastated when Billy pulled out because I took myself away from the family for two sets of training camps which are invaluable and it is time you can never get back. “I was obviously gutted, but I will take my frustrations out on Garcia. He is gonna get it.

“I hear that if I win this and make one defence I become mandatory contender. I don’t know the crack there. All I do know is that beating him puts me in a great position.

“I am hoping that is the case because I have never been a mandatory challenger. I have always been a voluntary defence for my world title ?ghts.

“I’m a seasoned campaigner and been in with all types of ?ghters. Garcia is more suited to me than Billy Joe Saunders.

“I won’t have to go looking for him like I would Billy. He is going to be in my face, he is a tough ?ghter, on a winning run and con?dent.”

Murray who has won 36 of his 41 ?ghts ?rst saw Saunders pull out of an April date and then next week’s scheduled showdown fell apart. There was friendship between Murray and Saunders, but the ill-feeling is now real and if they could ?nally meet there is needle.

Murray added: “If the Billy Joe ?ght it ever happened would sell because there is real animosity because of that he did twice and he isn’t a man of his word.” Garcia will be accompanied by his legendary promoter Don King when he arrives in Britain early next week.

Garcia v Murray head a high quality bill that includes Anthony Yarde’s WBO Intercontinental light heavyweight title defence against Dariuz Sek. In a battle for the vacant English heavyweight championship KO King Daniel Dubois meets trash talking Tom Little. Others stars on the bill include Ohara Davies, Darryl Williams, Johnny Garton, Raza Hamza, Archie Sharp, Umar Sadiq and Harvey Horn.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – There’s a long-held theory that negotiations are part of any fight. It’s a little early to pick a winner or loser in the agreement for Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez rematch.

Let’s just say the business picked up a badly-needed win. Meanwhile, there are plenty of reasons to anticipate many more twists and turns to what will finally be an opening bell in a sequel to last year’s controversial draw.

If there are hints in Wednesday’s succession of no deal to an agreement within about the time it takes to eat lunch, we can expect just about anything. Don’t miss the rules meeting. Brace for noisy debates about judges, the referee, or whether the gloves’ padding is made of horse hair or foam.

Everything will be contested, mostly because the only thing each of these corners really like about each other is the money they can generate.

There’s plenty of that and it’s why the rematch was always inevitable. Timing was really the key here. If there ever was urgency attached to doing a rematch, GGG-Canelo II was it.

If they waited until, say next year, after struggling against an emerging Billy Joe Saunders or against no-name Spike O’Sullivan, the potential money would have dwindled to a fraction of what it is now.

GGG and his promotional rep, Tom Loeffler, acted as if they knew that from the moment the rematch was in apparent jeopardy after news of Canelo’s two failed PED tests in February.

GGG, Loeffler and trainer Abel Sanchez acted proactively, carefully, and yet with an unwavering focus on securing a deal for a bout on the first good date, September 15.

In the wake of Canelo’s withdrawal from their initial date on May 5, there was controversy about GGG’s decision to fight anyway on Cinco de Mayo against overmatched Vanes Martirosyan at StubHub Center. The fight – a GGG victory in an overwhelming second round stoppage – was forgettable. In terms of his career and what it meant to his chances at more favorable terms in a Canelo rematch, however, it is huge.

The Martirosyan fight provided a forum for GGG to further question Canelo, who was not enrolled in VADA, the voluntary drug testing program attached to the WBC. It also provided GGG a forum to say he wanted more equitable terms.

A few days after Martirosyan, Canelo announced he had agreed to resume voluntary testing. Would that have happened without the criticism from GGG and fans that were amplified by the Martirosyan fight? No way.

Canelo was in a defensive posture, telling a skeptical public to trust that the positive tests were simply the result of eating tainted Mexican beef. But there’s no trust without verification. Overwhelming doubt expressed by fans before and after Martirosyan left Canelo and Golden Boy with no choice.

They were back in VADA.

Then, they were back at the table.

However, GGG also had let it be known he would not agree to the original terms, 70 percent for Canelo and 30 for GGG. He came to the table asking for 50-50. That was a good starting point, but that’s all it was. Canelo still ranks as the draw.

According to reports Wednesday, GGG first said no to a 42.5 percent in a deal that gave Canelo 57.5. GGG demanded 45 percent, take it or leave it.

Canelo promoter Oscar De La Hoya initially said no. About an hour later, however, they had a deal, although terms weren’t disclosed.

Not sure exactly what happened, but a guess is that HBO somehow got involved and saved what figures to be a pay-per-view moneymaker. Floyd Mayweather Jr.-versus- Manny Pacquiao in 2015, a record revenue setter, would probably not have happened without late involvement from Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS, Showtime’s parent company.

Whatever happened, GGG is getting a big raise from a likely bigger total revenue pool than what he collected a year ago. In the process, he also appeared to grab the high ground in a contentious give-and-take that will continue to sell the rematch until Sept. 15.

But will that represent a GGG advantage at opening bell? Not sure about that one. Canelo has been mostly quiet. Not sure whether his relative silence represents anger or some self-doubt. Before the positive PED tests, I would have picked him to win the rematch. He’s younger and has shown he learns from adversity. He emerged from his one-sided-loss to Mayweather as a much better fighter.

Can he emerge once more? He’ll have to against a fighter and management team that has proven it can wage a patient, well-coordinated fight on both sides of the ropes.