Canelo Alvarez branded rival Gennady Golovkin an "a**hole" just minutes before the pair came face-to-face in a heated staredown.
The Mexican star will renew his long-term feud with Golovkin in the ring later this year as he looks to bounce back from defeat to Dmitry Bivol. Both Golovkin and Alvarez have exchanged verbal barbs prior to the fight being announced with Alvarez previously suggesting their rivalry was personal.
A press conference was held in LA where the pair were in the room together for the first time since Alvarez's victory in their 2018 rematch. Alvarez hit out at Golovkin before coming together in a fiery face-off with his rival, accusing him of pretending to be a nice guy. "It's personal for me," Alvarez said when asked about their rivalry by the media. "And this is the way I am.
"I don't pretend to be another person or say things in media or in other places and come here and pretend I didn't' say anything or I don't want to say anything. No. It's personal for me because he talked a lot of things. That's why it's personal. And I just can't wait to be in that ring. 'He's two different people.
"He pretends to be a nice guy but he's not, he's an a**h***. That's what he is. He pretends to be a nice guy and says "Oh, yes, I'm just looking for the fight, I'm happy". And then in other places he talks a lot of s***. It is what it is. Just be a man and say what you say."
Alvarez will put his undisputed 168lb titles on the line against his rival, which he won back in his last victory against Caleb Plant last year. The trilogy bout became uncertain after the Mexican star suffered shock defeat to Bivol, with an instant rematch initially planned.
Who do you think will win the trilogy bout - Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin? Let us know in the comments section below
However after stepping up in weight, he elected to switch back down to 168lbs and pursue the previous formula in which he would move on to stage a high-profile clash with Golovkin. His rival recently unified the middleweight division with victory over Ryota Murata and was ready to meet Alvarez in his next bout.
Golovkin and many others believed he won the first meeting with Alvarez which was scored as a draw. Before the Mexican controversially won the second meeting by majority decision later in 2018. The Kazakh star has yet to lose to anyone who isn't Alvarez with the loss the only one on his record.
During the press conference, Golovkin refused to be drawn in by Alvarez's comment and played down the "personal" nature of their feud. “I don’t think anything changed. Everyone had an opinion, judges, and journalists. The worst of decisions, it’s water under the bridge,” Golovkin stated when asked about his rivalry with Alvarez. "If it’s personal to him or his team. I don’t know but, in my opinion, there is nothing personal. When the fight is over, you hug but if your opponent says it’s personal maybe there is something."
