In the ring, Canelo Alvarez is one of the best boxers in the world. Outside it, the Mexican fighter is an entertaining figure.
As he has developed into a global superstar, the unified super middleweight champion has made it a point to learn English. There's a Showtime clip of Canelo from 2012 showing the Mexican star attempting to learn the language and saying that he would like to better himself. Initially, he told Mitu he was "embarrassed" by his use of English but he's improved a lot in recent years.
"Look, I have never studied English. I tried for about a month, but the truth is that the study has never been given to me," Canelo told Time Warner Cable Deportivo's Ricardo Celis via Entrepreneur .
"The truth is that I always practice with my golf friends, I'm playing with them, I practice, I speak a lot of English, and now I say, if I make a mistake, it doesn't matter, I'm trying to do it, and I think that's what's going for you in the end to make him talk."
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Canelo defends his status as the unified super middleweight champion against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 in a fight that will air on DAZN .
At a recent press conference, Canelo entertained those in attendance by calling out Berlanga after he got into an argument with former Canelo opponent Caleb Plant .
"Caleb, take it easy. I'm going to take care of him for you. I promise you… Take it easy. Your turn (Berlanga's) is coming," Canelo said.
Top Canelo quotes in English
The line to Berlanga is just one of many entertaining soundbites that the champion has used during press conferences.
A memorable moment that followed Canelo's win over Billy Joe Saunders was when he crossed swords with former champ Demetrius Andrade. "Boo Boo" said he was a big fan of Canelo, to which Canelo replied, "I know that."
Andrade then called Canelo out, which he'd been doing for years , but was instantly dismissed. When the American lefty questioned Canelo's resume, things got heated.
"You fight with nobody… You are a horrible fighter, you are a horrible fighter. Payday! You want Payday! I know that," Canelo sang at the end.
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Canelo's answers in interviews have been in Spanish. However, when he speaks English, he has proven to be passionate. He has dismissed conversations surrounding David Benavidez, a former two-time super middleweight champion and top contender for Canelo.
"[Benavidez] brings nothing to the table for me," Canelo said to Fight Hub TV via World Boxing News . "He brings twenty-five pounds more [in weight than me] on the night. I don't need to fight anybody, I don't need to prove [anything] to anybody. I remember when this happened with [Gennadiy] Golovkin, and then [three fights] happened with him. So I don't need to prove anything to anybody."
He is also a big fan of cursing, as seen in the below clip with BigBoyTV host Luther Luffeigh.
Canelo can dish it in both languages at the same press conference. Facing Jaime Munguia , Canelo interacted with his former promoter Oscar De La Hoya, with whom he has serious animosity. Canelo has called De La Hoya out for stealing from fighters, most notably Gennadiy Golovkin.
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Not holding back at the press conference, it was more of a face-off between Canelo and De La Hoya than the former and Munguia.
"He tried to steal money, and he is a f------ a------, that is what I said," barked Canelo after speaking in Spanish initially. "He tried to keep the attention for him, not for Munguia. He's a f------ a------. He has stealed his fighters. That's what he do."
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