Canelo: I made Golovkin so much money

As part of the next installment of HBO’s official blog on the Canelo-Golovkin rematch, Canelo Alvarez answers questions about his personal animosity towards Golovkin.

It seems you genuinely don’t like Golovkin. Have you ever felt that way about an opponent before? And are those personal feelings a motivator, or something you need to put aside?

“You will see an aggressive Canelo Alvarez in this fight. This fight has become personal. I will use this in my favor—obviously with intelligence—for this battle. The cordiality that we had, not in the ring but outside of it, has ended because of many things. Because of the many times they opened their mouth. Everyone knows that I don’t like to talk a lot. It’s one of those times where—well, I have my way of being. I get mad. But I know how to control myself, though the cordiality between us has ended.

“I know they are bothered, but I don’t know why since it is I who has made them gain so much [money]. They say they don’t worry about that. They say they don’t fight about that, but that’s the first thing they fight about—the money, the purse. There’s nothing else they care about more. It’s hypocritical for them to say otherwise.

“I don’t know why Golovkin’s corner or team have been aggressive in their talks. It may be because of their rivalry. I don’t know. I think they’ve gone too far. They’ve gone beyond just trying to sell the fight with their statements. I don’t like talking or instigating with the fighter or even trying to make a show to sell the fight. People know that when we get into the ring, we’re going to give a great fight, period. In some sense, he might have offended me. But I always consider who’s saying what. The truth is that Golovkin is my opponent, so I understand it. With Abel Sanchez, it doesn’t worry me at all. Because at the end of the day, what about him? At the end of the day, he’s not going to get in the ring with me.”