Canelo vs. Khan ends press tour in L.A!
Photos: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy
WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and former two-time world champion and resurgent contender Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) made their final stop off their three-city international press tour in Los Angeles at the Universal CityWalk to discuss their upcoming May 7 showdown at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo vs. Khan will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
In the final stop for the Canelo vs. Khan international press tour, the fighters met in Oscar De La Hoya’s hometown of Los Angeles at the Universal CityWalk to promote the upcoming May 7 fight, which was preceded by a visit at the Hard Rock Café at the Times Square in New York City, as well as to Amir Khan’s turf in London. The fighters will meet again to faceoff in Las Vegas in the first major sporting event at the brand new T-Mobile Arena.
Below is what the fighters, their teams and promoter had to say at the press conference:
CANELO ALVAREZ, WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion:
“I want to thank everyone, all the press, for coming here today. Whenever I am here I am treated very well. You guys motivate me to keep winning. Because of you, I wake up and want to be triumphant. Not only for me, but for you guys. I am going to prepare like always, 100 percent. Amir khan is a difficult opponent. I am ready for this and much more. We’ll see you May 7.”
AMIR “KING” KHAN, Former Two-Time World Champion:
“First of all, I want to say hello to everyone in Los Angeles. This trip has been amazing for me. This is the biggest fight of my career. Canelo is physically very strong, and come fight night, I will be ready and coming in very happy and very strong.
“It will be like a game of chess. Canelo is very strong. I have a very good trainer who will tell me the right game plan. We will go in to win this fight, and I will prove people wrong. Even though it is Cinco de Mayo, the British fans will come out. In Vegas, there will be more British flags then Mexican flags.
“Thank you for this massive opportunity for this fight. This fight will be an exciting one, and I really believe I can win this fight and if I didn’t I wouldn’t be here.
“Come May 7, everyone will enjoy this fight.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“Let me just say, let’s thank Donald Trump for making this fight happen because we are getting a Mexican and Muslim together to have this fight on Cinco de Mayo!
“This takes me back to Maidana who had Amir down, and Amir fought until the end. Canelo will have to be careful and watch out. This fight will be great and will be wonderful to celebrate on Cinco de Mayo.
“It is not often that two superstars of a sport face off at the peak of their careers. This is such an event, with two of the biggest international fighters fighting at the biggest arena in the world.
“An old saying tells us, ‘styles make fights.’ These fighters have the chance to make this fight not just for them but also for the fans. This is speed vs. power. Khan has amazing footwork, but Canelo has power and strength.
“Size does not matter in this fight. What does is skill, speed, power, intelligence and experience. If you can be in Las Vegas to watch it live in person, watch it on the best boxing network out there-HBO.
“This will be a high intensity fight, with Khan returning to his former promotion home-Golden Boy Promotions.”
Tickets are priced at $1,500, $1,200, $1,000, $800, $600, $400, $250 and $150, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. Tickets are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.
Canelo vs. Khan , a 12-round fight for Canelo’s WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Championships, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Casa Mexico Tequila. The mega-event will take place on Saturday, May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.