August 15, 2023 4:50 pm ET
No trash talk. No drama. Just two deadly serious, focused fighters.
That was the tone at the kickoff news conference Tuesday afternoon in New York City to promote the pay-per-view fight between undisputed champions Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The fighters demonstrated nothing but respect for one another — even shaking hands after their staredown — and promised a battle to remember.
“I’m happy to be in this position right now, in the big fights,” said Alvarez, the 168-pound champion. “Jermell Charlo is a great fighter, the undisputed champion in his weight class (154). He takes challenges like me.
“I always take risks. We love being involved in these kind of fights.”
Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) was expected to face Charlo’s brother, 160-pound titleholder Jermall Charlo. However, promoters threw everyone a curve when they announced the smaller, but more accomplished sibling would be the opponent.
The Mexican star has been at or near the top of all pound-for-pound lists while Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) has steadily climbed them, the result of a series of high-profile victories.
And while Charlo has never taken part in a superfight like this one, he seemed to handle the bright spotlight well at the opening news conference at Palladium Times Square.
He looked intense, perhaps a bit nervous as he walked to the center stage after he was introduced. However, he was at ease during his opening statement and when he fielded questions from moderator Brian Custer of Showtime.
The big question for Charlo is size, as he will be moving up two weight classes to face a future Hall of Famer. Charlo is taller than Alvarez and didn’t look appreciably thinner but he’s accustomed to trading punches with 154-pounders, not those at 168.
He acknowledged the challenge but believes the importance of size is overblown.
“A lot of guys are worrying about the wrong things,” he said, “moving up in weight, doing thi
