By Brian Webber: Gennadiy Golovkin says he is “motivated” to be the underdog against Canelo Alvarez this Saturday night for their trilogy fight.
Both punters and many boxing fans believe that the 40-year-old Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) has shown signs of decline in the last four years since his loss to Canelo in 2018. As such, they feel that Golovkin he’s too old to beat Canelo.
Despite the lackluster performance of the 32-year-old Canelo in his loss at the hands of Dmitry Bivol last May, he is still in the prime of his career and fighting in a division Golovkin is not very familiar with at 168.
Golovkin will be fighting the 168 heavyweight for the first time in his career, and that could affect his performance at extra weight.
As always, Canelo will be at his best in the first four to six rounds, and if Golovkin is still on his feet after that, he might have a chance to win if he doesn’t get eliminated in the later rounds.
Canelo’s work rate has dropped in recent fights to 168 and 175, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to get it back for this fight against GGG. Given that Golovkin outboxed Canelo in both of his fights, it’s reasonable to assume he and he will throw more punches on Saturday.
“In fact, this is a new weight division for me. I’m making the appropriate adjustments. My focus is on heavy training and my experience,” Gennadiy Golovkin told Yahoo Sports News of his rising to 168 to challenge undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez next Saturday night.
“Yes, I would agree that there is a motivating factor because you see it as a challenge to yourself,” Golovkin said in reacting to being the underdog against Canelo.
“Speak about the demand you have to have this fight against one of the best fighters. It is probably the best fight in boxing right now and of course I am ready to accept this challenge. It motivates you, yes.
“I think it will be a very interesting fight with a lot of tension. I urge you not to mention the fight,” Golovkin said when asked if his trilogy fight with Canelo would be brutal.
“I have high hopes that this fight will bring boxing back to the high level it deserves. I hope this fight brings boxing back to the heights it deserves,” Golovkin said.
