By Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez comes into tonight’s fight with a lot of hate for his opponent Gennadiy Golovkin.
It’s going to be difficult for Canelo to use his anger to his advantage because he lacks the stamina to fight aggressively for any length of time.
In Canelo’s last fight, he had nothing left after two rounds against Dmitry Bivol, and he was fully trained for the last ten rounds.
Canelo’s dislike for Golovkin could backfire if he swings into the fences and wears himself out like we saw in the second fight.
Canelo had nothing left after six rounds and essentially lost the last six against Golovkin.
Surprisingly, the judges still gave Canelo the win, whereas it should have been a draw or a win for Golovkin, considering he had fought well enough to win one of the first six rounds.
Even though Canelo dodged two losses in fights involving questionable scores from Nevada judges, he has been building up resentment toward Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) for the past four years.
Tonight, Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) wants to get his pound of meat against Golovkin, 40, to help lessen that bitterness.
The boxing public can only hope that the result will not be controversial like the first two bouts, and that the judges will rate the fight reasonably.
We can’t afford to have a weird score like the 10-2 score handed out by a judge in Canelo’s favor as we saw in the first fight. Arguably, one could get a better score than that if blindfolded during the contest.
“One of the most, yes,” Canelo Alvarez told TMZ Sport when asked if this is the angriest fight he’s had during his career. “I am so hungry and so motivated for this fight. I hate that guy so much.
“I don’t know. In the second fight, he started talking bad about me, so we’ll see,” Canelo said when asked if he would be friends with Golovkin after tonight’s fight.
“He is still strong. I saw him in his last fight [against Ryota Murata]. It’s still strong. I think he’s going to bring everything for his fight. It’s going to be more dangerous because he thinks this is the last fight for him. I prepare for the best Golovkin,” Canelo said.
“GGG, he took over. When he came to the United States, he knocked out everyone who put him in front of him,” Sergio Mora told DAZN’s Jabs. “It’s not his fault who he’s paired with.
“He was the big dramatic show and he ended it fantastically. He had everyone clamoring to see GGG fights. He had a Mexican style, and the Mexicans loved him. He had that aura around him.
“I think he’s not only Hall of Fame material, but he’s one of the best middleweights to ever put on gloves. That’s a lot to go; that’s a big load.
“Just because he doesn’t have the names associated with his record doesn’t make him any less great,” Mora said of Golovkin. “He beat Canelo the first time, whether he didn’t get the decision or not.
“People already know. The second time was another close fight. This third fight, I think, and a lot of people in the business, we’re going to have a clear winner.
“Not only because of age and familiarity, but they don’t like each other. They are bitter rivals. So with a bitter rivalry comes a sweet decision. I think this time we’re going to get a sweet knockout. It’s great for everyone around us and we finally made it,” Mora said.
“I couldn’t agree more that it wasn’t Golovkin’s fault that he couldn’t get the big names,” Mannix said. “If you look at all the big names that avoided him during his best years.
“Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez and even Canelo made him wait a couple of years longer than most people wanted him to wait for that fight to happen. The reality is that you are what your resume says you are.
“You are only as good as the fighters you beat. I watch the Jacobs fight; that was a tremendous victory. I look at the Lemieux which was a quality victory. After that, there is a drop in terms of their competition.
“All I’m saying is to answer the question, who is this fight more important to? I think Canelo’s legacy is largely satisfied, largely established. He is the undisputed super middleweight.
“He has fought great fight after great fight for almost a decade. He is, for me, safe. Golovkin is a little more questionable up top,” Mannix said.
“I’m going to turn the tables on you. Andre Ward made it to the Hall of Fame, and I think he is a great fighter, one of the greatest in the last 20 years,” Mora said. “I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
“Who was the best opponent you’ve ever had? Which Hall of Famers did Ward beat? Mora said.
“He beat Sergey Kovalev twice and won the 168-pound Super Six. [tournament]Mannix said.
“That was his last fight. Which Hall of Fame fighter did he beat before that? Mora said.
“He beat everyone but Lucian Bute in his weight class at 168, and then he went to 175 and fought Kovalev, who at the time was at the peak of his powers, he was ‘The Krusher’ at the time,” Mannix said. .
“It was completely different. Those two were terrible examples.”
“No, they are not terrible examples. Look, I think Ward is a great fighter and he belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Mora said. “I’m just arguing that Golovkin is also a Hall of Famer on the first ballot.
“It’s not his fault they put him in an era where he didn’t have the Hall of Fame names. He didn’t have those big old lions that he could take care of. It’s not his fault any more than it was Andre Ward’s fault.
“He just beat everyone who was put in front of him. If Kovalev is the name you’re holding to the high standard, that was his last fight and Kovalev isn’t even in the Hall of Fame. So, it’s the same here with Golovkin,” Mora said.
“Okay, well, two things. One, Kovalev is not retired, so we don’t know what’s going to happen when his career is all said and done,” Mannix said. “Did you or didn’t you watch the Super Six tournament on Showtime?
“Those were all the top guys at 168. Andre Ward came into that tournament and he was the underdog. He ended up beating all the best. [Mikkel Kessler]including Carl Froch at the end and ended up establishing himself as the best super middleweight.
“It’s apples and oranges comparing the resumes of Andre Ward and Gennadiy Golovkin,” Mannix said.
“Gennadiy Golovkin at least faced one Hall of Famer,” Mora said. “Why are we turning this into a resume? I just compared the two. Canelo is a great fighter. Canelo is a member of the Hall of Fame, and Canelo is a name recognized throughout the world.
“That’s what Golovkin lost. Andre Ward stayed perfect the whole time [his career]. Yes, he eliminated a division, but what Hall of Famers are in that division? That’s just my argument right there.
“Golovkin is in the same rhythm. It doesn’t matter who he beat. He matters how he beat them, and he also cleaned out a division at middleweight,” Mora said.
“Not really. Technically he didn’t clean up a division at middleweight,” Mannix said.
“All I’m saying to come full circle is that this fight for me is more important for Golovkin because he needs that big name on his résumé. Someone who would surpass Jacobs as the best win of his, and Canelo Alvarez would surpass Jacobs at the top,” Mannix said.
