Mexican star Canelo Alvarez has revealed that he had Covid-19 shortly before his three-round win over WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in Miami in February.
Canelo’s training camp for Yildirim was disrupted by a positive Covid-19 diagnosis, but it was not to matter as he brushed his former sparring partner aside while barely breaking a sweat.
“I started first with no sense of smell or taste. I got tested and I had to be 15 days in isolation, because my wife had it, too,” Canelo told In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
“But I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t really feel anything. I had no other symptoms except what I said: no taste or smell.
“But I got Covid and, after I got well, I did the test again. I went to San Diego and trained for only one month.”
WBC and WBA Super 168lbs champion Canelo hopes to add another belt to his collection when he meets WBO king Billy Joe Saunders at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on May 8.
Main image: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom USA.