‘This Canelo beats 24- to 26-year-old Canelo,’ says Alvarez

The ongoing battle with Father Time is not a fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is concerned about heading into his matchup against Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Alvarez has been fighting professionally for nearly 20 years, racking up 65 fights and 496 rounds of experience.

The Mexican star, who turned 34 in July, hasn’t scored a knockout in his last five fights despite dropping his previous three opponents.

Alvarez believes Berlanga will be the first opponent he knocks out since stopping Caleb Plant in 2021 to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. 

“I believe in my skills and my experience,” Alvarez told BoxingScene. “I am a strong fighter. I am smart. I have a lot of talent. I know every style and everything about boxing. I am ready to do whatever I want.

“[I am] winning by knockout – eight rounds or less.

“We’ll see Saturday [what his biggest danger is]. He’s going to see the truth and face something different. I just can’t wait to be there in the ring.

“I would love for [an entertaining war]. That’s what I hope for the people. I hope the people enjoy this fight.”

Alvarez is expected to steamroll past Berlanga. An easy night at the office would create even more calls for Alvarez to take fights against the likes of David Benavidez, Terence Crawford or the winner of next month’s light heavyweight title unification fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.

Alvarez insists that he needs to be paid handsomely for each fight.

“Could be, why not? We are in boxing. It could be,” he said. “You know already [how much I want]. Right now I am 100 percent focused on my fight against Berlanga. You know the answer.” 

Alvarez doesn’t think the fight against Crawford, who made his 154-pound debut last month against Israil Madrimov, would be competitive. 

“What we saw [from Crawford] in the last fight – that’s why there are weight classes,” said Alvarez. “That’s why I think it’s an easy fight for me. He moves a lot and he’s a good fighter, and he’s a good boxer, and he’s going to complicate the first four rounds. Then I’ll figure him out, and that’s what I think.”

Alvarez has admitted that the bigger Benavidez would be a tougher task, but he has solutions for him, too. 

“[I would beat Benavidez] with my skills and with my talent,” he said. “I’m a strong fighter who has a lot of experience in this sport. 

“I am still in my prime. This Canelo beats the 24-, 25-, 26-year-old Canelo. I love what I do. I still enjoy boxing. I still enjoy all of this, and that is motivation. I don’t know [when I’ll retire]. I am just going fight by fight.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.