By Miguel Rivera
Abel Sanchez, trainer for IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin has been throwing numerous verbal jabs in the direction of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez - ever since the Mexican superstar tested positive for traces of clenbuterol in his pre-fight drug tests that were taken in February.
Canelo is training for a planned rematch with Golovkin on May 5th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Their first contest, which took place in September, ended in a controversial twelve round split draw.
Canelo has since taken additional tests and came up clean. The boxer and his team have blamed food contamination as the root cause for the test failures. The WBC and WBA support Canelo's position on the matter.
Eric Gomez, President for Golden Boy Promotions - who guide the career of Canelo - is not bothered by the numerous statements that are being made by Sanchez.
He says Sanchez is already preparing some post-fight excuses for when his fighter is beaten.
"Abel is always barking, but you know what they say a 'dog that barks, it does not bite,'" Gomez told Jad El Reda.
"For me, he's worried because of this fight. He knows that Saul [can] beat his fighter. He's looking to make excuses after the fight. "
"I'm 100% sure that this fight is going to take place. "We have sent data, all the information we have, everything, [to the Nevada State Athletic Commission]. In the end, when they finish the investigation we can talk and publicly and provide the details of the situation. They are preparing well because the fight will happen. If they think the fight is going to be canceled, they are very wrong.
"[Canelo] is going to take care of himself, he has told me 'this will never happen to me again. What happens, is people do not understand that a fighter is not on a diet all year, he is only on a diet when he is preparing for the fight. Between fights is when they eat their sweets, their chocolates, their cookies, if they drink, they drink. This is what is happening here, he was not in training, he was not in his camp and he did not take care of the diet.
"He is calm, he feels good, because he knows it was only a mistake. It was something he did not do on purpose and it was a mistake with food, not taking care of his diet."
2023-10-20 15:43:39
