The Breakfast Club - Canelo Álvarez Talks Oscar De La Hoya, Ryan Garcia, Fight With Charlo, Matchup With Crawford + More

Episode Date: August 16, 2023

Canelo Álvarez Talks Oscar De La Hoya, Ryan Garcia, Fight With Charlo, Matchup With Crawford + MoreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone.

The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did

the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16th, 2017, was assassinated. Crooks Everywhere unnerves the plot to murder a one-woman WikiLeaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country

into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. I'm Amy Rova. And I'm TJ Holmes. And we are, well, not necessarily relationship experts. If you're ready to dive back into the dating pool and find lasting love, we want to help. Listen to I Do Part 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club.

We got our brother, Ak, with us today. Ak from the zone. What up, Ak? What's up? What's up? Thanks for are The Breakfast Club. We got our brother, Ak, with us today. Ak from The Zone. What up, Ak? What's up? What's up? Thanks for having me once again. We got a special guest with us, the boxer. Usually, they have the ring and the belts and everything.

But ladies and gentlemen, we have Canelo Alvarez here. That's why Ak is here, right? That's why Ak is here. But usually, they have it on the sheet. Four-division champion. There you go. 17 world titles. There you go.

12 linear titles. There you go. Canelo Al lineal titles there you go canelo alvarez ladies and gentlemen welcome thank you thank you how are you feeling brother very good very good i'm just here promotion the fight and i'm ready you got a jamel charlo on september 30th man what's your predictions for the fight no i'm gonna win i know you're not saying that charlamagne's not good with predictions it's a good fight it's a win. That's a prediction. I know you're going to say that. Charlamagne is not good with predictions. No, it's a good fight. It's a good fight.

He's a good fighter too. And I like this kind of fight because he's on the spirit too in other way class. But I like this kind of fight because the people enjoy these big fights. So I'm happy to be involved in big fights like this. Do you ever feel like you're letting people down if you don't knock them out or stop them? Because people feel like your last three performances weren't your best. No.

You know, in boxing, you never know if it's going to come to a knockout or not. You need to prepare yourself for the 12 rounds. It's boxing. You never know. But i try my best i try my best to always bring everything to the ring and and finish the fight before the 12 rounds but you never know who do you think is is better from the two brothers jamel and jamal like i know you haven't been in the ring with them so you can can't really test that. But, like, the eyeball test, who's the better fighter? I think both are great fighters.

But I think Jermel is the best of the two. And Jermel is the one you're fighting. They say that you got plans to fight Jermel after Jermel. Is that true? No, we don't know. We don't know. But maybe it happened, you know. The brothers come up and say maybe.

We never know. What was your thoughts on Crawford Spencer fight? Really good fight. But I always knew Crawford is a better fighter. I like Spencer too, but if you see Crawford, he's a better fighter. Crawford was on this show, and he said to Charlemagne

that he'd be willing to fight you at 158. And I think you made a comment about that, saying there's levels and there are weight classes for a reason. So that fight is impossible or could it ever be possible? You're never going down to 168. No, I can't. I can't. It's impossible because, you know, like he say, if beat your monta and everybody's gonna say yeah it's too small right and this and that so it's the same thing i i respect craft for he's a good

fighter but i win a different weight class that's a mega fight though canelo like i mean that's kind of like the last big mega fight out there right i mean because of the way he beat spencer how easy yeah they see there's no challenge around those divisions outside of canelo he's the only guy and that's why i guess to you yeah but i beat him what did you want to say just a small right just a small well you get you get what you asked for if he if he if he asked for it if he's saying he wanted you know i mean you went up to 175 yeah but you know everybody wants you know, everybody wants to fight me. Everybody wants to fight me.

That's true. But I know for that you need to get there and fight everybody. Is there anything left to prove for you in boxing? No. I think I've been done a lot in boxing. But I love boxing, and I try my best to continue, make history, and that's why I'm here. Now, your dad didn't approve of you boxing early on, right?

My what? Your dad, your father. Didn't approve of you boxing? He don't want me to be involved in boxing because he wants me to be in the school and ice creams and everything. But I say, you know, this is what I want. If you want to support me, it's fine. If you're not, it's fine.

For people that don't know, how did you get into boxing? Because usually it's the father that pushes them to do it. So what got you into the sport? My older brother is starting in boxing when i saw him uh get his first fight and professional fight i that's when i fell in love in boxing i said this is what i want for my for my life you fell in love with golf recently too in the last few years i mean at this point in your career do you do you enjoy golf more than boxing no no no no not yet it's different it's different i enjoy golf and and i try to um get outside boxing a little bit better boxing is

my passion true passion yeah what brings you peace canelo my. My family, I think my family, my people around, and that's made me feel peace and calm and everything. Bernard Hopkins says he feels like Jamal could give you problems. Yeah. You know what I mean? He says he feels like he could be a nightmare for you. Yeah, he can be because he's a great fighter, but that's why I'm here, right?

I don't put in my money to say it's going to be an easy fight. I know. That's why I'm training 100% because he's a good fighter. You know, people often say that Canelo has made so much money. He's accomplished so much in the sport. Where do you pull the hunger from to get up for these big fights? I mean, you've done it all. How do you do it?

I love boxing. I love boxing, and I respect boxing, and that's why I'm in Lake Tahoe right now. I've been there one month right now in a training camp without my family, without everything, because I love boxing. I love the discipline of boxing. What do you have to time? We talk about Canelo Promotions.

We talk about the tequila that you just launched and all the activities outside of boxing. What fuels that fire? Is it because of as much as you're in the limelight, it fuels your other businesses? Or what makes you still have the timeelight, it fuels your other businesses? What makes you still have the time or energy to want to do it?

Boxing? I love boxing. Like I say, I love boxing and I still enjoy the training camp when I go out and train. Like I say to my coach, I say when I start losing the hunger and that feel to go and train

and do the correct things in the gym, then I'm retired. But I still love boxing. When you look at, like, Floyd, and some boxers look down on Floyd doing these exhibitions saying it's not real, it's just a cash grab. What are your thoughts on that? Would that be something that you would do? Look, he's retired.

He can do whatever he wants, right? And I think I'm going to miss boxing when I'm retired a lot. And maybe I can do one or two, but you never know. Speaking of those exhibitions, I was in Dallas for Jake Paul and Nate Diaz. I know you heard what Jake is saying. I want Canelo. So I don't know whether you take that seriously exhibitions uh i was in dallas for jake paul nate diaz i know you heard what jake is saying uh i want canelo so i don't know whether you take that seriously or like to his point later on do you see

maybe an exhibition with with it yeah maybe no no right now not a real fight no no right now please you want it man listen because i i just want jake to get hurt. No, I respect Jake. Me and I talk about this all the time. He's not a real boxer. And when he calls out somebody like you, give him what he asked for. Yeah. Just give him what he asked for one time. For me, not right now.

Because I'm chasing other things in my career. But we never know. Maybe later. Like after you're retired? Yeah. Okay. Because you feel like it would t you're retired yeah okay could you feel like it would tarnish your legacy now or you feel like you'd be disrespectful to the sport i think so okay i gotta get your opinion on on this um and don't respect jake paul what he's doing he can do whatever he wants right but i think it's not for real boxing.

For my career, to put a fight in my record with Jake Paul. If you and Jake fought, how long would it last? Not that long. First round? Yeah, I don't know, but not that long. Yeah, would you play with him a little bit? Would you carry him a little bit first? Yeah, why not? Okay. I think that people. Not that long. Yeah, would you play with him a little bit? Would you carry him a little bit first? Yeah, why not?

Okay. I think the people is going to enjoy it. Yeah. Recently, he used to be on your squad. Ryan Garcia has issues with Oscar and Golden Boy. Did you see that coming? Like, did you know that eventually that he would? He said, yeah.

Yeah. And I told him. You can ask him. Yeah. I told him, but at the end of the day it's his decision right it's his decision but

as my experience I told him take it easy you need to see what you want to do and everything but you couldn't fix the issues with Goldemore you think he can or You think that he could stay there or you think it's over? I don't know

about anything, his contract. Right. Because when I was with them, I made my own contract. They don't come and say, you need to sign up. Right, right. I come with my contract my this is what I want

you think Oscar De La Hoya is a good person? I think if you see everything what he's doing I think before because we are loyal

right and we are always we are the only fighter. We stay with them when everybody left him, right? Because I'm loyal. And I treat everybody like a family. And I do the same thing with Golden Boy. But I think he's no you know that kind of

person you don't have no loyalty I don't know if he's a good person or not but I think he's no he knows a person what he show you think it's just all business with him yeah okay okay all business so once you not good for all business he's like a like a guy he say if you wanna because I hear from him and that's why es una gol de business y es la que dice y una y con él y en el forget y se unir y de malito bit y no la que en españa en español le tienes que darle de comer poquito para que yo quiera mas just give them a little taste a little teaser so they could come for more so he

doesn't want to give the fighter too much according to him the last fight When I hear that, I take it. But I got it. And a lot of things. What about as a fighter? I don't want to talk about him because he won. Right, right. What about as a fighter, though? How would you fare against, I know you would pick yourself, but a prime Oscar Del Hora and a prime Canelo. We never want to know because, you know, I don't like to put that kind of things

because we never want to know if I say something that people, you know, I think it's just wasting time. People still have you as the, a lot of people as the best Mexican fighter of all time over him and Cesar Chavez. No, I'm glad to be in that position. At least I'm one of the greats, right? Yeah, yeah.

I don't put myself in any position. I think the history of boxing is going to put me in the right position. You let us do it. Yeah. If I was a young fighter and I came to you, and this is my last question about this, if I came to you and I said, yo, should I sign the golden boy?

No. Don't do it. Man. I was going to ask you, what were your thoughts when he didn't go to Garcia's room after when he lost? Who? He didn't go to his room after when he lost? Who? When, uh, he didn't go to his room after he lost. He said he was threatened and he ran out of the stadium after

the last fight. I don't know anything about that, you know. I think he have a lot of issues. Oscar have a lot of issues with his life. Uh, I don't really know. When I fought with Floyd Mayweather he was in rehab two days before the fight so uh kind of that but uh you know I don't know really what happened

there but I don't I don't think what he says, they don't let me go. If I'm in my position, I fuck everybody. I'm going to go there and be with my friend. Being that we're talking about promoters. And if somebody comes, okay. We figure out, right? He don't have that way forvos to do that, maybe. I feel like he never, whenever I talk to him,

I never know if he's telling me the truth. It always feels like he's lying. Yeah, I think the same thing. He say a lot of things and he's like a hypocrite. Hypocrite. I think he's that kind of person. Hippocrita? Hippocrite. Hippocrite. I think he's that kind of person. We're talking about promoters,

so I got to ask you about Eddie Hearn. Obviously, you did this new deal with PBC, and a lot of people are saying Eddie's crushed because you guys did a lot of fights together. Is the relationship still good, and do you see yourself fighting with Mattrum and his own in the future? In my side, I'm still good and do you see yourself fighting with Matrimonial Zone in the future? In my side, I'm still good. I think I'm his friend. Did you speak to him after the deal? The trial deal?

Yeah, he congratulated me when I signed with PBC. And I'm still his friend. That's right. And it's three fights with PBC that you're doing. Yeah, three fights. Do you think you and Ryan Garcia will ever get on good terms again yeah why not i don't i don't have i have nothing with with ryan i little things go out of control but uh look he's he's young and and sometimes you you you think it's it's good what you say, but at the end of the day, it's not.

But, you know, it's fine. With all the ups and downs, what's the biggest lesson you learned from boxing? I think I learned everything in boxing all my life. The loyalty, the people. You need to read the people good and everything. The person who I am right now, I think, is for boxing. Do you cut out sex before fights?

Do you cut out sex before fights like a lot of other fighters? One week. Just a week? Yeah. That's it? Yeah, that's it. Everybody say before the other fighters say one month, two months, or something like that.

You're like, hell no. I don't think so. Just a week? A week. A few weeks. Wow. No masturbation or nothing? Jesus.

No nothing. Does it really affect your legs? I think just, I never feel, I never feel that. But I don't know. Maybe some, the other fighters feel it, but I don't feel it. Do you think you would train fighters when you're done with boxing? No. but I don't feel it. Do you think you would train fighters when you're done with boxing? So when you're done with it,

so when you're done fighting, you don't want to be involved in boxing at all? No. Not even promote a manager, help fighters out? Yeah, promote. You got some boxers, right? I promote some boxers right now because I'm active,

but I don't think so. Full-time golf coach. I think I support. Full-time golf. I'm going to support boxers. Eddie Reynoso is going to be involved in boxing, I think. And I'm going to support boxers. Why did you say that like that?

No training? Like you just don't like trying to teach somebody? I don't like boxing. I don't like. The business? I don't like boxing. I like business, but I don't. I don't like boxing. I like business, but I don't like watching boxing.

I like training and being involved in the fight and everything, but I think for business, I have other business to do. I say I don't see myself in boxing. At least my son wants to be a boxer. Okay. I was going to ask, would you let your son box? I don't want it, but it's not my choice. It's not my decision.

He wants to be a boxer. Okay. I say, okay, in two, three years more, you want to do a sparring, and when you take that first punch, you want to tell me you want to be a boxer. Right now, okay, it's fine. People say you ducking Benavidez, man.

Everybody say the same thing all my life. Whenever I would throw, they say I'm ducking throw. Whenever I, other fighters, they say I'm duck throw when I fight other fighters they say I'm looking a lot can I do King Landy Lara and everything every every time I read every every single fighter they say okay I have this all the fight if I had somebody else yeah they find somebody else but I you know I'm talking nobody I'll been in this in this position a lot of times. I mean, I just do the fights. I think it's the best for the fans.

If Benavidez will be one of the three fights? I don't know. We don't know. We don't know that. We 100% focus on this fight, and then we'll see. We're going to sit down with Aljaimon and make the decision for the next fight. Is it all about the money for Canelo now when it comes to fights?

I don't... In all my life, anything is about money. Anything is about money. Because, you know, I try to do the best fight and I risk myself, go up and down in in white classes with no and i don't need it to do that i don't need to do that because you know with every fight i'm gonna with big money and i don't make i don't need to take it risk this so but I take it because I love being in good fights. Is Benavidez considered a risk?

Every fight. Him, Charlo, every fight is a risk. When I fight with B-Ball, everybody say, he's gonna, hey, easy. He pick an easy fight, easy fight. No fight is easy. Are you done taking

risk as far as going up in weight classes? No. So you still might go up to 175 again? I know. Wow. You're just not going down? No, no. No, I can't.

Is it because you're tired or cutting weight? Is that too hard for you to do at this point in your career? No, because I just go up because my whole life was so hard to make 154, 160. So right now I feel good in 168, maybe in some point 175. And that's why people always talk about how, you know, Jamel is going up to 168 to fight him, but he's bigger than Carmelo because, you know, typically you probably should be fighting at 154.

In 147, I'm a small fighter. That's what I'm saying. Like, so 175, that's insane. But even at 168 and 160 and 154, you're one of the smaller guys. So I wouldn't say that he's coming to fight the bigger guy. Jamel is the smaller guy. So I wouldn't say that he's coming to fight the bigger guy. Jamal is the bigger guy. As a boxing fan, would you like to see him lose eight pounds, get to 160 to fight Terrence Crawford?

To be honest with you, as a fight fan, yeah. I would like, it would be an interesting fight. But I understand his point and all that he's accomplished. There's no reason for him to have to come down for Bud. That doesn't make sense, but I can see how the fight is intriguing to everybody. What advice would you give Bud right now? Because Bud is experiencing a level of fame right now

that you've had for a while. What advice would you give to him for his next couple of fights? I think what i saw from outside i think he's he's good person he's very smart person too he don't drink he don't party and and i think i don't i don't i'm nobody to to to give advice but uh i need i i just he need to enjoy his moment you know everybody enjoy his moment and and right now it's his moment he need to enjoy it on the flip side what what advice would you give errol spence seeing this is his first loss no you know i think everybody when you lost it's hard it's hard to handle because we don't prepare for a loss

it's hard but at the end of the day you need to see who you lost and it's boxing you need to keep up you need to keep forward and not give up

and I think you there is the champions main when you people think that he's some people saying that he should retire no everybody say the same thing when I fought with Floyd Mayweather and say you need to change trainers and this and that. It's boxing. It's boxing. And you always, in the line, you lose or win. It's complicated.

But, you know, like I say, nobody's prepared for a loss. But I know that they need to keep forward and keep fighting. Would you rematch right away or would you take a little break, take a couple of fights for? Thinking like a boxer, rematch. Immediately? Immediately.

But you don't see, you can't see Errol Spence beating Crawford in any division even at 154 do you see anybody from 147 to 154 beating Terrence Crawford

I don't think so what if he would go up to 160 we know you're not going down but would he beat everybody at 162 we don't know

we don't know but up to 154 you don't see anybody beating him no he's a good he's a great fighter. So fight him.

Fight him. Is the fight completely off the table? It's completely off the table. I can't go down. I can't go down. The only way he'll fight him is if Bud goes up to 168. 168, yeah. And like I said, I saw an interview of Kraft for, say,

because I think they have something with Germonta Davis, right? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like you say, if I beat him, everybody's going to say, ah, he's too small, and I have nothing to win. Right. So there's no way Gervonta can go up to 147 and compete with Crawford. We never know. Germonta's a great talent, too. Great fighter.

And they can fight. To beat him, we don't know. So, but it'll be an interesting fight? Why not? But Crawford would be a heavy favorite. Yeah. So, if Bud comes up to 168, you'd consider it? Yeah, why not?

You'd do it? Yeah. 168. 168. Okay, that's the way. Let's try to convince him. 168. Do you feel your career is ne the week. Let's try to convince him. 168. Do you feel your career is nearing the finish line?

I think four years more. We don't know. Four years, five years more. Oh, okay. You plan to fight that much longer? Wow. I mean, you old as far as boxing is concerned. You fought a lot of fights, man.

I've been in professional boxing since I was 15 years old. Wow. Almost 18 years old. Wow. Almost 18 years in fighting a professional. He's a man of his word because I remember 2018 when he did the five-year deal. I asked you,

how much longer you want to fight? Is this five-year deal done with his own? And you said, no, maybe like eight, nine years. So now it's another four years. So you're right on target. Why that number?

I always say 37, 36, So now it's another four years. So you're right on target. Why that number? Like, why? I always say 37, 36, around that. I think I, I, it's going to be enough. A lot of years in boxing and accomplish a lot of things. And then I need to enjoy my life with my family and everything. Absolutely. We know they got to go because they got TV. Yes, sir. The fight goes down September 30th on Showtime Pay-Per-View,

and we appreciate you for joining us. Yeah, champ. Thank you for coming, man. Ladies and gentlemen, Canelo Alvarez. Thank you, brother. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Thank you.

Thank you. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. Thank you. from Zakistan. That's escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all Hey y'all, Nimany here. to post run high on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey y'all, Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called

Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha.

And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence. And we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16th, 2017, was assassinated. Crooks Everywhere unearths the plot to murder a one-woman WikiLeaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.