“Sometimes I am ashamed to speak English” - Canelo Alvarez gets honest about the struggles of managing his friendships because of language barriers
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is arguably the biggest superstar in boxing today. A few years ago, however, Canelo Alvarez struggled with speaking in English.
Today, Canelo speaks very well and is comfortable doing press and media obligations in English. That, however, wasn't always the case.
Canelo Alvarez joined the Lets Go! podcast, hosted by Jim Gray alongside NFL legends, Tom Brady and Larry Fitzgerald to preview his upcoming fight against Jermell Charlo.
Canelo is set to face Charlo on September 30th, and joined the podcast to talk about his upcoming fight. He also touched upon the importance of being able to speak English, saying:
"English, because, you know, I have friends who speak English and I appreciate them a lot, and I want to understand them too. Sometimes I'm ashamed to speak English because sometimes you make mistakes and everything. One day, I said, it's good to make mistakes, because from that you learn. Because when you're with your friends, they say you need to say this. I never took lessons. Watching TV and being with my friends, I learn English."
Canelo also touched on the importance of golf, and credited learning English and golf as being very important to him. Initially, Canelo considered golf to be 'boring' but now, says that it is 'addictive.'
Check out the podcast here. (11:54 for Canelo Alvarez's comments on learning English)
WBC reveal new 'Puebla' belt to be handed to winner of Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo
The World Boxing Council (WBC) has made an interesting addition to the Canelo-Charlo bout, set for September 30th. According to journalist Michael Benson who broke the news, the winner will receive a unique belt - the 'Puebla' belt.
Benson took to X/Twitter to share the news, saying:
"The WBC have created a new special WBC 'Puebla' belt which will be awarded to the winner of Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo on Saturday night…"
Check out the tweet and the belt here:
The belt appears to be inspired by Mexican design. Mexico is a country with a deep history in boxing and given Canelo's popularity in his home country, the belt should make for a great addition to his cabinet, unless Jermell Charlo spoils the party.