Canelo Alvarez surprisingly omits Gennady Golovkin from hardest hitting opponent he’s ever faced

Canelo Alvarez is one of the most accomplished boxers of his generation. In his career, he has faced a plethora of world-class fighters. From his infamous defeat against Floyd Mayweather to his epic trilogy with Gennady Golovkin, the Mexican pugilist has seen it all.

His next opponent will be the hard-hitting 27-year-old Edgar Berlanga, who will be eager to prove his doubters wrong and be the first man to stop Alvarez in the squared circle.

During a recent appearance on the MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME podcast, the super middleweight champion was asked to name the opponent that packed the biggest punch.

Alvarez, somewhat surprisingly, did not name Golovkin as his most powerful ever adversary. 'GGG' is known for his uncanny power, and of his 42 career wins, 37 have come by way of KO. But during his podcast appearance, the Guadalajara native declared James Kirkland as his most powerful opponent.

"Everybody can say Golovkin [hits the hardest], but I never felt [the power] as badly as I did [against] Kirkland. Kirkland hit my arms [with a punch] and it felt like rocks. I said, 'You know, I need to finish this guy right now.'"

Watch Canelo Alvarez's interview below (7:05):

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Eddie Hearn unpacks drama between Canelo Alvarez and Turki Alalshikh

Leading boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has broken down the tiff between two of the biggest names in boxing right now, Canelo Alvarez and Turki Alalshikh, who have traded words online over recent weeks.

According to reports, Alvarez has demanded a fee of over $150 million to fight David Benavidez, a fight Alalshikh desperately wants to make.

But with the Mexican already scheduled to fight Edgar Berlanga in September, he is not open to negotiating deals for his next bout, much to the frustration of the Saudi Arabian advisor. During a recent interview with iFL TV, Hearn discussed the beef between Alalshikh and Alvarez, saying this:

"I thought that Canelo might want to close that deal then because there was an opportunity there and a small window to close that fight. But I also respect the fact that he wanted to wait until after Berlanga, so I'm sure they'll work together in the future... Turki respect Canelo, he thinks he's a great fighter. But in his mind, the way he operates is, 'Come on! Let's close it now.' Which is why I love doing business with him."

Watch Hearn discuss Canelo Alvarez's beef with Turki Alalshikh below (8:45):