WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and former two-time world champion and resurgent contender Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) made their second stop on a three-city international press tour in New York City today at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square to discuss their upcoming May 7 showdown at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
The fighters met in Times Square in New York City before a large crowd of fans for the second press conference of the tour, which was preceded by a stop in London on February 28 and 29. Canelo and Khan will conclude the media tour in Los Angeles at Universal City Walk on Wednesday, March 2. All events are open to the public.
Below is what the fighters, their teams and promoter had to say at the New York City press conference:
CANELO ALVAREZ, WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion:
“When I come out, I bring 100 percent and this will be no exception.
“I love coming to New York City, the fans are always great here.
“Amir Khan is a strong fighter, and I know he will be prepared come May 7. It will be an exciting night for the fans.”
AMIR “KING” KHAN, Former Two-Time World Champion:
“I’ve been in training camp for the past six weeks doing strength and conditioning. I felt really strong, too big for my weight class, and I’ve been killing myself trying to come down in weight. Maybe it turns out that Amir Khan is meant to be a middleweight.
“This is a great opportunity for the world title up against a great fighter. I am ready, and I believe in myself.
“When I got the call from Oscar asking, ‘how do you feel about fighting Canelo?’ I said, ‘with my skills, speed and power, I really believe you guys will see something different in this fight.
“Since the Olympic days I want to represent at the highest level. Fans have been supportive and the media have been great. Great Britain is going to take over like we always do. Fans can expect a very exciting fight.
“You have two styles – speed and power and strength and explosiveness. We both have youth, and we both want to fight the best. On May 7 we will be ready for this, and guess what? I am going to win the middleweight world championship.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“Alvarez will be making the first defense of his title, and this is the first ever boxing event at the brand new 20,000 seat arena T-Mobile Arena in the heart of Las Vegas.
“We all know that styles make the fights, and the styles of these two fighters make this event a can’t-miss for diehard fans.
“This will be a classic fight of speed vs. power. Amir is light-speed hand and footwork. Canelo is strength and presents a solid defense.
“I remember when I was favored because I was bigger and more powerful. No one ever thought he would win, but we all know what happened in my bout against Manny Pacquaio – he retired me.”
“This fight will be extremely fan-friendly. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 2. This will be Canelo’s third fight since signing an exclusive agreement with HBO – the best network for boxing. Golden Boy promotions will exclusively promote this fight.
“It will be a mega fight with high intensity action between two the most powerful and popular fighters on May 7.
“Amir Khan is a warrior, a fighter who will take on anybody to become great. Nowadays you have fighters that don’t want to fight each other. Amir steps up to the plate and dares to be great.
“I remember the fight Amir Khan had with Marcos Maidana. Maidana went down, and Amir did not. Amir did a tremendous job. That’s who he is – he has heart and passion and fights to the very end. That’s what makes boxing what it is today – the best sport in the world.
EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer for Canelo Alvarez:
“We’re facing a very disciplined fighter, young, strong, fast, and very tough. So we have to have a great training camp with a lot of discipline and smarts, and we need all of that so we can be victorious on May 7, and be the best fighters in boxing.”
JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager for Canelo Alvarez:
“We’re here once again in this beautiful city because it’s such an important fight, and we have to be here in New York. Amir Khan is a brave fighter; Canelo is a valiant fighter as well. I have only have one thing to say – It’s Amir against Canelo. I’m picking Canelo. Who will you pick?”
SHAH KHAN, Father and Manager of Amir Khan:
“When we got the call and I asked Amir about Canelo, and Amir said ‘yes, I want that fight’ straight away. After Mayweather, Canelo is the best out there. It is a privilege, and this will be a great night for boxing.”
MAURICIO SULAIMAN, President of WBC:
“It is great to see Amir Khan move up and challenge Alvarez which will be one of the greatest fights in recent history.”
PETER NELSON, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports
“It’s a privilege to be associated with the event, which will be a referendum on speed vs. power. This year is a boxing election year; let’s see if it’s half as tumultuous as the elections going on right now. The politics of boxing have been a deterrent for a lot of boxing fans, but the quality of this fight is going to bring them back.”
Tickets priced at $1,500, $1,200, $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. Tickets go on sale Wednesday March 2, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.
Canelo vs. Khan, a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Championships, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Casa Mexico Tequila. The mega-event will take place on Saturday, May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
B-roll and images of the fighters are available for use and download here: bit.ly/canelokhan. Video and photo credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions
