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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Alvarez & Lemieux Established
Favorites
By Daniel Cloutier
LAS VEGAS — The Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez will proceed to
the first defence of his WBC middleweight championship of
the world Saturday evening in the ring of the T-Mobile Arena
in Las Vegas, where he will fight the British Amir Khan, a
former WBA super lightweight champion of the world.
Khan (31-3-0), who was fighting in the welterweight (147
pounds) division in 2014 and 2015, will live his first
experience in the middleweight (160 pounds) division.
“I feel strong at 160 pounds, and I still fast like i was in
the welterweight division, said Khan. Alvarez is established
favourite, but I don’t care. I know my speed, my technique
and my intensity will make me cause a huge surprise in Las
Vegas. I know that Alvarez is very strong physically, I know
he is powerful puncher, but I am positive I will be able to
take all his punches. I know I am a tough fighter and I am a
boxer with experience and determination. I am more than
ready to take this challenge. I am sure my fans will be
proud of me Saturday evening.”
Alvarez (46-1-1) looks very calm at few hours of the first
defence of his title. "Yes I am calm and extremely confident,"
said Alvarez. "I respect Khan, I know he is a good fighter
with a lot of experience, but I am the new WBC middleweight
champion of the world and nobody will dethrone me. I hope
Khan will be aggressive Saturday evening. I hope he will not
move constantly in the ring like Floyd Mayweather Jr. always
did. I like intense fight. If Khan is ready to challenge all
my punches, no doubt the crowd will assist to a spectacular
bout. A lot of people asked me if I am ready to face Gennady
Golovkin to unify the WBC, WBA and IBF world titles, and the
answer is yes, but it’s certainly not Golovkin who is my
mind now. Its Amir Khan. I got a great training camp, and I
will certainly be able to fight intensively inn each round,
no matter if the fight is long or short. For me, it’s not
important if the fight is long or short. The important
factor, it’s my win… and believe me, I gonna win. The moment
to get a perfect performance for me is Saturday, it’s the
week-end of the Mexicans celebrations of Cinco De Mayo.”
At the weigh in, Alvarez and Khan got identical weights of
155 pounds.
The referee of the bout (12 rounds) will be Kenny Bayless,
from Las Vegas. The three judges will be Adelaide Byrd and
Glenn Trowbridge, both from Las Vegas, and Glen Feldman,
from Connecticut.
The Las Vegas bookies established Alvarez favorite by five
to one.
The promoter of the Golden Boy Promotions Group, the former
champion of the world Oscar De La Hoya, said he see Khan as
a very serious opponent. “I am very confident to see Canelo
keep his WBC world title, but he knows and I know that a
fight with Amir khan cannot be a picnic, said De La Hoya.
Khan is certainly a dangerous opponent. Its a matchup
between a powerful puncher and a boxer extremely fast.
Canelo will need to fight with intensity and concentration
from the beginning to the end of the bout. I know how much
Canelo is proud to be world champion, and he will certainly
give everything to stay champion. No doubt in my mind, the
winner if this great fight will become the biggest star of
the international pro boxing scene”
Before the bout Alvarez-Khan, the Montrealer middleweight
David Lemieux (34-3-0) will face Glen Jersey Boy Tapia
(23-2-0) in a NABO North American championship (10 rounds).
Tapia also will live his first experience in the 160 pounds
division. He was fighting in the super welterweight category
(154 pounds) before take this match up with Lemieux.
“I am so impatient to be back in the ring, said Lemieux. It
will be my first presence in the ring since my defeat with
Gennady Golovkin (TKO in the 8th round last October at
Madison Square Garden in New York). I wanted an important
bout for my return in the ring, and it’s exactly what I
have. Tapia is a good fighter and he has the reputation to
be mean in the ring. I hope it’s true. I hate to chase an
opponent in the ring. If Tapia really want to fight with me,
the bout will certainly be intense and spectacular. You know
me, I will certainly try to win by KO or TKO. I like very
much my chances to win before the 10th round. My plan is use
my power to hurt Tapia in every rounds of the bout. We will
see how long time he will resist. I am positive I will be
back in the winning circle in few hours”
Lemieux has been established favourite by… nine to one, by
the Las Vegas bookies. Tapia (23-2-0) believes he will be
successful in the middleweight division.
“I lost my last fight in super welterweight division (TKO),
but I have been obliged to loose a lot of weight before the
bout, said Tapia. About 12 pounds. I feel so much
comfortable at 160 pounds. I feel stronger and more
energetic. I really believe I will a winner in the
middleweight division. Lemieux is a strong puncher, I know
it, but I am sure i am better technically and strategically
than him, and I am a good puncher myself. I know Lemieux
will try to knock me out, but I am positive he will failed.
I know exactly what to do to dominate the action in each
round, what to do to control the action. I am sure I gonna
win this bout.”
At the weigh in, Lemieux posted a weight of 160 pounds,
versus for 159.6 for Tapiia.
The Californian welterweight Mauricio Herrera (22-5-0), the
Brazilian middleweight Patrick Teixeira (26-0-0), the super
bantamweight Mexican Diego De La Hoya (14-0-0), the Irish
middleweight Jason Quigley (10-0-0), the super featherweight
Lamont Roach Jr. (10-0-0), from Washington, D.C., the super
welterweight Rashidi Ellis (14-0-0), from Boston and the
Californian super lightweight David Mijares, will be
involved in the preliminaries bouts of this boxing show.
Herrera will fight the Californian Frankies Gomez (20-0-0),
Teixeira will meet the New Yorker Curtis Stevens (27-5-0) in
a WBC South American championship, De La Hoya will face the
Californian Rocco Santomauro (13-0-0), Quigley will be
opposed to the Texan James De La Rosa (23-3-0), Roach will
fight the Mexican Jose Arturo Esquivel (9-4-0), Ellis will
meet the Mexican Marco Antonio Lopez (24-8-0), and in the
opening bout of the evening, Mijares will make his pro debut
in fighting the Texan Omar Reyes (1-2-0).
At the weigh in, Herrera posted a weight of 145.6 pounds,
Gomez 146, Teixeira 159, Stevens 168, De La Hoya 122,
Santomauro 121, Quigley 160, De la Rosa 162, Roach 132,
Esquivel 132, Ellis 150, Lopez 148.6, Mijares 139.6 and
Reyes 142 pounds.
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