With Canelo Alvarez‘s highly anticipated bout against Edgar Berlanga just around the corner, the last thing anyone wants is for him to suffer an injury. Sports medicine expert Dr. Brian Sutterer shares this concern. While Canelo Alvarez is rigorously preparing for his fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he might be pushing himself a little too hard in training.

Recently, several clips of ‘Cinnamon’ performing his intense neck-strengthening exercise using his full body weight—around 168 pounds—went viral on the internet. One of the videos quickly caught the attention of the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation expert, Dr. Sutterer, who issued a warning to Canelo about the potential risks involved.

Dr. Sutterer shares safer alternative for Canelo Alvarez

Sharing Canelo’s clip, Boxing Kingdom wrote, “Canelo Alvarez strengthening the neck with his entire body weight.” It’s important to note that exercises like these are not uncommon among boxers, as they train the muscles to help build a strong neck, which can absorb strong blows and reduce the risk of whiplash during fights.

Regardless, Dr. Sutterer immediately urged, “Don’t do this,” adding “The cervical spine is not built to tolerate high compressive loads like this.” Instead of Canelo’s technique, the doctor advised him to take the load off of the head. He wrote, “If you want to strengthen your neck, do it without putting load through the top of your head.”

Get the EssentiallySports Daily Newsletter. Stay ahead of the game with daily updates, exclusive stories, expert takes, and the biggest moments from the world's most popular sports.

While it’s unlikely that the doctor had any ill intentions with his advice for Canelo, a controversial social media influencer seems to have taken offense to what they thought was unwarranted advice.

Andrew Tate slams Dr. Sutterer

Not long after the doctor shared his thoughts on Canelo’s neck-strengthening exercise, Andrew Tate, the man who figured out the matrix, quickly jumped in to correct the doctor. Tate, a former mixed martial artist, responded to Dr. Stutterer’s post, writing, “Bet he could beat the f**k out of you [though]. So who’s really healthier?”

Despite the highly confrontational response from Cobra Tate, the doctor mostly remained unaffected by Tate’s attempt to create some drama. Moments later, Dr. Sutterer wrote back, answering Tate’s question. “Definitely him. Going through some heart problems myself and can’t do intense exercise atm, but thanks for asking,” he wrote.

That said, Canelo Alvarez has been doing such exercises throughout his career. There are numerous clips of him showcasing the exercises he does to strengthen his neck—this one was rather tame. However, that’s not to say these exercises are safe and a beginner should start doing them. There are several risks involved. What did you think of Canelo’s neck-strengthening exercise?