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12th Sep 2017

Canelo Alvarez’s physique change hasn’t gone unnoticed by Gennady Golovkin

Packed on a lot of muscle

Ben Kiely

Canelo Alvarez has packed on a serious amount of muscle ahead of his fight against Gennady Golovkin.

It’s not as if Canelo Alvarez has ever been in bad shape in his life. However, right now the Mexican boxing star is in the shape of his life as he prepares to do battle with Gennady Golovkin for the Ring Magazine, WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and IBO belts.

It’s a relatively quick turnaround for Canelo, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in May. Although, in those few months between prizefights, he has managed to cultivate a serious amount of mass.

Here’s how Canelo looked one week after beating Chavez Jr in the T-Mobile Arena.

Canelo Alvarez physique

Flash forward to the media day in the Staples Center at the end of August and fans saw a much bulkier Canelo showing off his boxing skills inside the ring.

Bearing in mind that Canelo moved up a weight class to fight Chavez Jr, it appears as though he was still transitioning to the 160 lb limit at that time. At the end of August, it was clear that he was fully committing to the heavier division.

Canelo Alvarez physique

During the week of the big fight against GGG, he shared a series of photos on Instagram which confirmed (as if more confirmation was needed) that he was now built like an even bigger brick shithouse than has been in the past.

Flattering lighting aside, the man is still outrageously ripped.

A post shared by Saul Alvarez (@canelo) on

It’s difficult not to notice Canelo’s very obvious physical transition and unsurprisingly, it’s caught Golovkin’s attention too, as he told FightHub TV.

“It’s interest. Maybe he bring more power, maybe he brings more stability, you know? This is boxing, boxing is just 160. I know he stay Friday 160 and I stay Friday 160. That’s it!”

Golovkin isn’t paying much heed to the increased muscle mass of his opponent, although he feels there is a chance that being more shredded may hinder his chances in the fight.

“…I know my job, I know Canelo — maybe he’s heavy, maybe he’s slower right now. Just I know my job. Thanks my coach Abel Sanchez, he just stay with me every time. I know my job, I know my work.”

Sunday morning, folks. This one’s not to be missed.