By Craig Daly: Canelo Alvarez is in a position where he can’t afford to lose to his old nemesis Gennadiy Golovkin this Saturday night.
Canelo has already been kicked off the No. 1 pound-for-pound list after a loss to Dmitry Bivol last May.
Another loss at the hands of Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) would be catastrophic for the 32-year-old former four-division world champion Canelo’s career.
Losing to Golovkin, 40, is not something Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) could sweep under the rug, as he tried to do after his loss to Bivol.
Boxing fans are not going to believe another excuse from Canelo that something went wrong during training camp. If Canelo loses to Golovkin, he’s going to have to come to terms with that loss and not try to come up with a convenient alibi.
“Canelo vs. Gennadiy Golovkin, the war to settle scores, the trilogy that completes the fight of two of the biggest stars of this generation”, said Chris Mannix to JAB of DAZN.
“Canelo enters this fight as a heavy favorite, but both guys have a lot on the line, between them getting a clear win after two close fights. Who is this fight more important to, Canelo or GGG?
“Canelo has more at stake in this fight. He has to prove and show the boxing fans, the haters, the critics, everyone, that he is still a pound-for-pound talent,” Sergio Mora said.
“He’s not #1; he’s no longer the top dog on the pound-for-pound list. He was kicked out of the top three. So now he needs to show that he’s still good, and he needs to do it against Golovkin. Someone he hasn’t clearly beaten.
“This bitter rivalry dates back to 2017. We still don’t have a clear winner here. A split decision, majority draw, we need a clear decision here, and I think we’re going to get it this time.
“Not only because they’re bitter rivals and they know each other well, and they’re familiar with each other’s power and everything else, but it’s about time. Every time you do something over and over again, you will surely find a way.
‘In boxing, that way it’s a knockout. In every great trilogy, we can see knockouts. We’re going to get something fantastic for the fans, and we’re finally going to finish this trilogy and put it behind us,” Mora said.
