Gennady Golovkin has ramped up the pressure ahead of Saturday’s eagerly awaited rematch with Canelo Alvarez, by suggesting that his opponent might have been using performance-enhancing drugs, as he was ‘covered in injection marks’ during their first encounter.

Alvarez, before their planned rematch in May, was banned from boxing for six months after failing a drugs test.

Golovkin, who many feel should have won their first contest last September, has rubbished Alvarez’s claims that the failed doping test was as a result of eating contaminated meat and has suggested that Canelo may be looking to gain an illegal advantage, going into their unified world middleweight title bout.

The undefeated Kazakhstani, who many believe to be the hardest hitting middleweight of all time, was quoted in The Mirror as saying: “I don't believe it was beef.

“Pharmaceutical experts have determined that it was doping and not contaminated meat. I think it's nonsense and I don't like it.

"You could not deny that there were injection marks on his hands and on his arms. I don't know what it was but they were injection marks.

"Everywhere, on biceps, stomach, pretty much everywhere. All over his body you could see injection marks. But right now it's the last thing that worries me. I am worried about the fight, that's the most important thing."

Alvarez, whose only loss was to pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather, has acted quickly to dismiss GGG’s claims, suggesting that the champion is desperate in his claims.

“Those are the kicks and screams of someone who is drowning," Canelo retorted.

"Those are the excuses that they are making because of what is coming on Saturday – which is a loss for them.

“I've been monitored for most of my career, I've been monitored by WADA since 2011 and that's why they have authorities. I spend all my time in Mexico – that's where I reside, where I live and where I spend time with my family. When I come to train, I come and do it in San Diego.

“It's different in the United States where [meat] is checked by the authorities and the government. It's a little bit different in Mexico where they don't have those sanctions and checks.

“When I was in Mexico I wasn't on a diet, I wasn't training, I wasn't on some eating plan so may have eaten it a few times a week. In Mexico, unfortunately, I now have to stop doing that because of what happened.”

With the disputed draw the only blemish on his record, Golovkin will be keen to put the talking behind him and set the record straight, in what is sure to be a bitter war in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on Saturday night.