Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin are saving the fireworks for Saturday night, when they meet for the third time on pay-per-view from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Neither man had anything objectionable to say at a low-key final news conference Thursday at the MGM Grand. They had their obligatory look afterwards, but that lasted only 30 seconds and no words were exchanged.
They evidently see no point in playing games after spending 24 rounds in the ring together. they know each other well.
They fought to a draw in 2017, a fight that most observers believed Triple-G deserved to win. Álvarez later won a close decision in the 2018 rematch.
Golovkin will give his rival one more chance, although he is now 40 years old (Álvarez is 32). And he will go up from 160 pounds to 168 to challenge the undisputed champion. Still, he is happy to be in this position.
“The last time was four years ago,” he said in English. “That’s a long time. Finally, it’s finally Saturday night. … I feel very comfortable, very strong. I feel ready, guys. You’ll see Saturday night.
One of the reasons Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) walked away with a majority decision win in the second match is that he took the fight to Triple-G more than he did in their first fight.
Golovkin’s trainer, Johnathan Banks, said he expects the same approach from the Mexican star on Saturday.
“I would be really silly if I thought he wouldn’t come out aggressive,” he said. “Like I said, both guys are the best competitors. If he is aggressive towards anyone else, why wouldn’t he be aggressive now?
“…However it comes, [Golovkin] he will be ready for it and he will rise to the challenge.”
Alvarez has hinted that he plans to attack Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs).
The now former pound-for-pound No. 1 is coming off his first loss in nearly a decade, a unanimous decision against 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol. The backhand was hard to swallow, but it has also lit a fire under him.
“He’s a competitive athlete, Canelo,” Alvarez’s trainer Eddy Reynoso said through a translator. “Canelo has been like this since he was a kid. You learn not only from victories but also from defeats. I have seen that he is very motivated.
“He has done a fantastic job in the last few weeks.”
Álvarez doesn’t just want to have his hand raised again; he wants to make a statement, which is where the aggression comes in.
“Obviously the loss hurt,” he said through the translator, “but I’m back on the path to greatness. … I feel like I’m better under pressure. And I put pressure on myself to finish the fight inside the distance. I know it will be difficult but nothing in this life is easy.
“I have a really tough opponent in front of me, a tough and smart opponent. But that (getting a knockout) will be my goal on Saturday night.”
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Photos: Final Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III press conference
