Canelo Álvarez is pushing back against anyone who thinks he's lost a step in the ring.
In response to TMZ Sports asking about criticisms after his lackluster win over John Ryder earlier this year, Álvarez revealed he went into the fight with a hand injury that was "slowing me down a little bit" but he's confident there's a lot more left in his tank.
"I feel fresh," he said. "I feel in my prime."
Canelo retained the undisputed super middleweight championship with a unanimous-decision win over Ryder on May 6. Ryder was knocked down in the fifth round, but the champ was unable to put him away.
Speaking to reporters after the fight, Ryder said Alvarez was past his prime because he couldn't end the bout.
Mike Coppinger @MikeCoppingerJohn Ryder just said at the post-fight news conference, with a towel pressed into his bloody, bandaged nose, that Canelo is past his best days:<br><br>"He couldn't get me out of there. His plan was to stop me. He didn't." <a href="">#CaneloRyder</a> <a href="">
Even without a knockout finish, it was a one-sided victory for Alvarez. He had a 179-80 advantage in total punches landed and a 117-69 edge in power punches, per CompuBox stats.
The only blemish on Canelo's resume in the past five years was his loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 when he was competing at cruiserweight for the first time in his career. The 33-year-old owns a 59-2-2 career record and has been the undisputed super middleweight champ since beating Caleb Plant by TKO in November 2021 to win the IBF title.
Canelo will have the opportunity to show he's not past his prime on Saturday when he defends the undisputed super middleweight crown against Jermell Charlo. Iron Man is 35-1-1 with 19 knockouts in 37 career bouts.
