Saul "Canelo" Alvarez failed to get a fight against a big-name fighter, but the Mexican boxing superstar is preparing hard for his upcoming showdown with James Kirkland on May 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

In a recent update posted on his official Instagram account, Alvarez revealed that he is also looking to improve his stamina and conditioning through swimming, which is similar to the recent training regimen of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Aside from spending time for swimming, Alvarez also revealed through Instagram that he has already started his sparring sessions and he has been doing exercises to strengthen his upper body, including his neck.

A photo posted by Saul Alvarez (@canelopower) on Apr 1, 2015 at 4:34pm PDT

The 24-year-old superstar is a heavy favorite to win against Kirkland, who was picked by Canelo after failing to secure a match against reigning World Boxing Council middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.

However, Alvarez admitted in an interview with Dog House Boxing he is not taking any chances. He said that he has been working hard in training because he knows Kirkland is a dangerous opponent.

“I feel good and I've been working very hard,” said Alvarez, who is coming off a split decision win against Erislandy Lara. “He's one of the most dangerous fighters in this division. All the people and the media say so we always look for the most dangerous fights.”

Kirkland is known for being a knockout artist. The 31-year-old Texas native, who has not fought since scoring a knockout win against Glen Tapia in December 2013, holds a 32-1 record with 28 knockout victories.

Kirkland knows that most people are already counting him out and that Alvarez is training hard for their fight, but he is confident he has a good chance of scoring an upset win against Canelo next month. The Texas native said that he accepted the fight because he knows Canelo’s fighting style is tailor-made for him.

“I want to fight Canelo because I know his style,” Kirkland told Boxing News 24. “You see something, you analyze it, and I feel like I can beat him. I know Canelo is going to put in the work on fight night. I want to be a step ahead of him, so if he comes to box or comes for a slug fest, I will be ready.”

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