Well that’s a new one.
The most anticipated fight of 2017 is just moments away and it is in absolutely no jeopardy but we’ve seen some late concerns raised about the beard sported by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Gennady Golovkin’s longtime trainer, Abel Sanchez, has made known his unhappiness about the length of the facial hair that was on show at the weigh-ins on the eve of one of the most intriguing middleweight meetings of all time.
“It’s a little bit longer than it should be,” Sanchez told RingTV.com on Friday. “It’s very rough on an opponent. I left it up to the commission. I voiced my displeasure.”
“I’ve never had somebody with a beard in a fight, at least not to that length,” Sanchez added. “One- or two-day stubble, everybody does that. They’re concentrating on boxing and maybe don’t shave for a couple days, but (Canelo’s beard), that’s not a couple days.
“It could rough his face up, they’ll be fighting on the inside. There’s no reason for it to be there.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has a quarter of an inch limit on facial hair length and the commission’s executive director, Bob Bennett, had absolutely no objections to the Alvarez’s distinctive red beard.
Hair-rasing news: Bob Bennett tells me Canelo beard is OK despite Abel’s objections. #BeardGate
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 17, 2017
Perhaps some last minute gamesmanship on the part of Golovkin’s camp?
