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LAS VEGAS – Gennadiy Golovkin entered fight week on Sunday in better spirits than usual.
Golovkin’s sunnier disposition directly correlated to his 168-pound debut because, for the first time in 16 years as a pro, the IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion hasn’t had to squeeze toward the 160-pound limit. pounds. At 40, that was a welcome change for the Kazakhstan native.
Carrying extra weight so close to his third matchup with Canelo Alvarez hasn’t necessarily made Golovkin feel any stronger. Eating more has helped, however, as he prepares to fight Alvarez at the 168-pound super-middleweight limit on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
“It’s hard for me to say if I feel stronger or not,” Golovkin told BoxingScene.com through a translator. “When I’m fit, I usually feel great. It’s just that I probably feel less annoyed with people because I eat better and can enjoy food more. I don’t have to suffer [to make 160]so I guess it’s just a more comfortable environment and there are fewer annoying factors around me.”
Golovkin prepared for this 12-round DAZN Pay-Per-View main event at the gym owned by his former trainer, Abel Sanchez, in Big Bear Lake, California. He had mostly trained at Shane Mosley’s nearby facility since his acrimonious split with Sanchez in April 2019, but he felt right at home inside The Summit Gym, where Golovkin trained for his first two fights against Alvarez in September 2017. and September 2018.
“I’ve been very focused in this camp and I’ve worked very hard,” said Golovkin, who had no interaction with Sanchez after his handlers arranged to rent Sanchez’s gym. “Now I can see that 168 is a bit different from 160. But at the same time, it’s not the time to make drastic changes. I think the biggest difference would be how I gain this weight. I need to wear a suit to burn off the weight less than when I do 160 this time.”
Although Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) has never weighed more than 163 pounds in any of his 44 professional fights, Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) has competed at super middleweight five times and the limit 175 light heavyweight twice. Alvarez won the first six of those bouts, but WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision in his most recent appearance, a 12-round championship bout on May 7. May at T-Mobile Arena.
While Golovkin has notably stayed at middleweight throughout his 16-year pro career, Alvarez has competed in six divisions: junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight. The iconic Mexican champion began his career as a 15-year-old junior welterweight in October 2005.
Most sportsbooks have Alvarez listed as at least a 4-1 favorite over Golovkin as their long-awaited third match approaches. His 12-round fight for Alvarez’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles will headline a pay-per-view show that will cost DAZN subscribers $64.99 to watch via their app. and to non-subscribers $84.99 through cable and satellite providers.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
