Canelo Alvarez’s trainer has described Ahmed Elbiali as a “sack of potatoes” after the Mexican’s former sparring partner accused him of being “tired of boxing”.
Alvarez is preparing to defend his undisputed super-middleweight titles against undisputed super-welterweight world champion Jermell Charlo in a marquee fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.
While the 33-year-old has got back on track with wins over Gennady Golovkin and John Ryder after defeat to Dmitry Bivol last year, questions have lingered over his fitness and ability to sustain his effort across an extended bout.
Elbiali, who helped prepare Alvarez for that meeting with Bivol, criticised his old sparring partner late last year, suggested that the Mexican was “tired of boxing” and “very lazy”.
That has prompted a furious response from trainer Eddy Reynoso, hitting out at the Egyptian and saying he is “talking s***”.
“Very good joke coming from a sack of potatoes,” Reynoso posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“That’s why it’s so complicated to give opponents the opportunity to spar with champions, because they treat them well in the ring and they think they can, so they come back talking s***!”
Alvarez’s last fight was in May as he beat Ryder on a long-awaited return to the ring in his home country.
Opponent Charlo has only been beaten once in 37 previous fights, but has been struggling with an injured hand.
It is now nearly 18 years since Alvarez made his professional debut and Elbiali believes that the rigours of such a long career may have taken their toll on the four-weight world champion.
“I think he’s just very lazy. Not volume, he’s genuinely tired,” Elbiali told the And Still podcast.
“I think he’s genuinely tired of boxing. Not in a bad way too. I think both, physically and mentally. He’s been boxing since he was 15, he’s had numerous surgeries all over his body.
“When you’re being that consistent and working that hard, but you’re putting s*** in your gas tank, it’s gonna hurt.”
Elbiali subsquently recalled one sparring encounter where Alvarez fatigued quickly.
“Imagine sparring a world champion of his calibre and his legacy, but in the third or fourth round he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’
“He said, ‘I’m tired, I can’t right now.’ I swear to God, they just stopped sparring because he’s tired.”
