After 48 months and a couple of days of waiting, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will once again be the stage where the Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and the Kazakh Gennady ¨Triple G¨ Golovkin will fight for the third time, and the La capacity of 20 thousand people will surely be filled by the fans of the world who are waiting to see who is the best boxer.
To advance an irrefutable prediction for this fight would be reckless, although it is sensible to assume a hypothetical victory for the Mexican who has his age in his favor: 8 years younger than his opponent; Weight: Canelo has fought at 160 and 168 pounds; quality, Canelo is considered one of the best like Bernard “ET” Hopkins, Marvin “Wonderful” Hagler and in the 1920s the “Michigan Killer”, Stanley Ketchel.
For the first time in Latin American history, Alvarez’s WBA, IBF, WBC and WBO super middleweight crowns will be on the line in Las Vegas.
8 AND 4 FIGHTS IN TWO YEARS
The Guadalajara and the Kazakh met for the first time on September 16, 2017 in a match that ended in a draw with cards of the unusual score 118-110, 113-115 and 115-113, a decision booed by the spectators. who considered Triple G the winner.
Then came his second fight on September 15, 2018, which Canelo won by an equally questionable score: two judges voted 115-113 in favor of Canelo and a 114-114 tie from the third judge.
Before signing the fight on Saturday, the Mexican had fought 8 times, 7 of which he won 7 with a setback, all in championship fights, namely: Englishman Rocky Fielding, WKO 3; Daniel Jacobs (USA), in May 2019, WUD12; Russian Sergei Kovalev, WTKO11 in November 2019; Callum Smith of England, WUD12, December 2020; Avni Yildirim of Turkey, WTKO 3 in February 2021; Billy Joe Saunders, UK, won in 8 rounds of WKO in May 2021, Caleb Plant (EU), in November 2021 and Dmitrii Bivol of Kurdistan in a disappointing performance for his fans for the light heavyweight belt.
As for GGG, he has only fought 4 times in the last 4 years, a reduced activity that could also work against him in Saturday’s fight. In the last 46 months the Kazakh has defeated Steve Rolls by TKO9 in June 2019; Sergey Derevyanchenko of Ukraine WUD 12; Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta at WKO7 rounds in December 2021. Finally in April this year he recovered from a rocky start and knocked out Japan’s Ryota Murata in 9 for WBA middleweight and super middleweight and his own IBF and IBO belts. .
5 DETAILS ON EACH SIDE
We close this note highlighting, in my opinion, five comparative details of both fighters.
“CANELO” CAN WIN BECAUSE:
1. Youth: the Mexican is 32 years old, 8 years younger than GGG.
2. Punch: Although GGG packs a stronger punch, Canelo is a consistent puncher.
3. By KO: Although the KO is supposed to lean towards GGG, the Aztec’s victory by KO is not ruled out.
4. On points: If the fight goes to 12 rounds, Alvarez could be the winner.
5. Rivals: A review of the history of both fighters shows that “Canelo” has faced opponents of greater renown.
GENNADY GOLOVKIN COULD WIN BECAUSE:
1- Knockout power: 37 knockouts in 42 wins, show the power of the middleweight champion.
2- Resistance: GGG is a Granite Fighter. He has never been knocked down, amateur or professional, in 391 fights.
3- Style: It is a rare, unique case. He combines the European style, methodical, unhurried, with the aggressiveness of a Mexican boxer.
4- Experience: Álvarez has more professional fights, but the Kazakh had an extensive amateur campaign.
5- Tie: Although the possibility of a tie is considered remote, it is not unreasonable.
