Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is coming off his first loss, but the confident Mexican fired a stern warning to Alfredo Angulo in relation to their upcoming showdown on March 8th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Alvarez, who lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their record-setting showdown in September, said that his defeat to the reigning pound-for-pound king made him even a better fighter compared to what he was during his first 44 fights.
"I can't tell you all the things I learned from my last fight against Floyd Mayweather, but there is a long list. I don't take it as a loss. I take it as a learning experience. And that is what's going to keep me going," Alvarez told BoxingScene.
The 23-year-old Mexican also hit back at his critics who are questioning his decision to fight Angulo instead of more deserving opponents.
Several boxing analysts were surprised with his choice, with most of them saying that they see no reason why Canelo settled for the 31-year-old Angulo, who is coming off a tenth-round technical knockout loss to Erislandy Lara.
Alvarez insisted that his decision stemmed from the fact that Angulo is a fighter who is willing to engage in a brawl with him inside the ring, leading to an action-packed bout fight fans would certainly love.
"Alfredo Angulo is a very strong fighter, and he knows how to come forward," Alvarez said. "He knows how to throw a punch and take a punch and he comes to fight. I'm sure you want to see a fight and you don't want to see a guy who is going to be running all night."
Aside from his Mexican compatriot, Alvarez also had Lara and IBF light middleweight champion Carlos Molina on his short list before eventually picking Angulo.
Miguel Cotto was also offered a guaranteed purse of $10 million to face Alvarez on March 8th, but the Puerto Rican former champion turned down the offer, citing lack of time to prepare for the showdown. Instead, Cotto started negotiating for a potential showdown with Sergio Martinez in May or in July this year.
The Alvarez vs. Angulo showdown will be carried live on ShowTime pay-per-view. Canelo did good numbers in his previous fights, including a record-setting 2.2-million PPV buys during his bout against Mayweather Jr.
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