BOXING
Which boxer is helping Canelo Álvarez prepare for Jermell Charlo fight?
Ahead of the clash, Team Canelo looked for boxers of Charlo’s stature and decided that it was a Cuban who fitted the bill for sparring.
We are just over three weeks away from arguably the most anticipated fight of the year. Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against Jermell Charlo, the holder of the undisputed super welterweight title, on 30 September at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo enlists Cuban boxer Yoenis Téllez
One of the most interesting stories in the build-up is how the Mexican boxer has prepared for the fight in Truckee, California, near Lake Tahoe. Facing a rival of a different weight class, the Canelo Team sought boxers of Charlo’s caliber and found one of their sparring partners in the form of Cuban boxer Yoenis Téllez.
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In an interview with El Nuevo Herald, Téllez’s manager, Eduardo Pérez, stated that the opportunity to be part of Álvarez’s sparring team was something they couldn’t turn down.
“Since this is a very important fight, Canelo’s team was looking for a boxer who closely resembled Charlo’s characteristics, and after reviewing several videos, they saw one of Téllez,” Pérez explained. “Of course, when they asked us, we agreed. That’s an opportunity that cannot be refused.”
Téllez, 23 years old, has only recently turned professional as a boxer and currently holds a record of 6-0 with 5 KO’s. The Santiago native made his debut in July 2020, and his most recent fight, as part of the Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford undercard, ended quickly with a third-round knockout of the Spanish boxer Sergio García.
Téllez eager to learn from Álvarez
In the 154-pound weight class, there are many highly skilled boxers including Spence Jr., Tim Tszyu, Charles Conwell, and Sebastián Fundora. That’s why Téllez’s manager aims for his man to absorb as much as possible from Canelo during their preparation for the Charlo fight, with the goal of securing a future championship.
“Just think, we’re talking about Canelo, one of the best, if not the best boxer of recent times,” Pérez pointed out. “Téllez is studying every move, every combination. He’s observing how a champion behaves, his work ethic. This is something that will tremendously benefit him in his future.”
Regarding his rankings in the four major governing bodies of boxing, Téllez currently holds the eighth position in the World Boxing Council (WBC), the fourteenth position in the World Boxing Association (WBA), and he has yet to break into the top 15 of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).