The official weights certainly don’t indicate a difference in size.
Super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo both weighed in Friday at 167.4 pounds – 0.6 below the division limit — for their pay-per-view fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
That’s about 12 pounds more than Charlo, the 154-pound champ, has weighed for any fight in his career and about 15 more than he did for his most recent bout. He’s moving up two divisions to challenge Alvarez.
#CaneloCharlo final face off🔥
Order now: https://t.co/hm8UTDaKgQ pic.twitter.com/3CvEB2CH7E
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) September 29, 2023
Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) also hasn’t taken part in a fight of this magnitude, which might’ve been reflected in his demeanor at the relatively uneventful weigh-in outside T-Mobile, at Toshiba Plaza.
He rocked from side to side when he was being interviewed after he stepped off the scale as hundreds of mostly pro-Alvarez fans looked on. That might’ve been a product of both nerves and excitement.
“Every time I step into the ring you know what time it is,” he said. “No matter how they have him hyped up – he’s popular here – I love it, I enjoy it. … Hey, it’s time. I’m a bad motherf*cker.”
Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) was more at ease because he has taken part in many high-profile fights. This is his 16th fight in Las Vegas.
The Mexican star was asked whether his perceived size advantage will be a significant factor. After all, Charlo is not accustomed to being hit by or hitting an opponent who has shared the ring with bigger men.
Alvarez dismissed the notion.
“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” he said. “The size factor doesn’t matter. I did that (fought at a higher weight) before and I felt good. It’ll be a great fight. I’m ready for everything.”
This story initially appeared on Boxing Junkie, another USA Today property.
