By Brian Webber: Gennadiy Golovkin has no pressure on him for Saturday’s trilogy fight with Canelo Alvarez, says Gabe Rosado.
With punters and most of the boxing public seeing the 40-year-old Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) as the underdog against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo, he has no pressure on him.
Not having the same high expectations of him that he had in the first two fights against Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) could help Golovkin because he is free to fight how he wants.
Canelo is coming off a rare loss to Dmitry Bivol last May, and he must win on Saturday night to show the boxing world that he is still the same fighter he has always been.
If Canelo gets beaten by Golovkin, it will look bad on him due to GGG’s advanced age. For those who have been watching Canelo closely for signs of deterioration, he has shown a decline in his last three fights since his matchup against Billy Joe Saunders in 2021.
Canelo was being outboxed by Saunders for the first six rounds before the British fighter tired out. In Canelo’s next fight against Caleb Plant, he had a hard time beating him. If it wasn’t for Plant fading in the later rounds, Canelo might have lost the fight.
Those two fights proved that Canelo is not the fighter he once was, and his recent loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol confirmed that.
It had nothing to do with Canelo being unwell during training camp as he looked the same as he did in his fights against Plant, Saunders and Callum Smith.
“Canelo doesn’t need a knockout. He just needs another win,” Gabe Rosado told Fight Hub TV about Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III this Saturday.
If Canelo is looking for a Golovkin knockout, he might be wasting his time because he doesn’t have the punching power or the gas tank to try to KO GGG. That will be a huge mistake on Canelo’s part if he spends energy trying to call a stoppage.
If Canelo had a good tank of gas, it would be worth trying to knock out Golovkin, but that’s not the case.
“These guys can fight ten times, and we’re going to see the same fight for the styles,” Rosado said of Canelo and Golovkin. “I think what we are going to see is a competitive fight, and I think it will be the best fight of the three.
“I think it’s about Canelo staying disciplined and working the body and not getting too anxious. I doubt it will. I think he just wants to close the chapter. He wants to get that knockout.
“I think a guy of his caliber is not going to force action. He’s going to let it flow, and I think we’re going to see another decision. If we get a knockout, I’ll be surprised. I think we will see another decision.
GGG, even though he’s 40 years old, he’s not your average 40. He’s a special fighter with character, and that goes a long way. So, I see him going into the distance.
“If he [Canelo] he wins big and knocks him out, the critics are going to say, ‘GGG is past its prime.’ If he wins just to win, and it’s similar to what the second fight was, the critics are going to have something else to say about him.
“So, he’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. That’s why I say he should just go into the fight and get the win. Obviously, it’s going to be a great performance. You are always going to have an action packed fight between these two guys.
“Just go in and fight your fight and get the win. Like I said, if he gets the knockout, people are going to say, ‘Oh, he [Canelo] he was supposed to get the knockout. GGG is 40 years old. That’s how people see it.
“Like I said, he’s [Golovkin] a different guy from 40. He’s a Bernard Hopkins 40. He’s a Sergio Martinez guy from 40. These guys at that age were still fighting at a high level.
“Don’t let age fool you. His physique looks better than it did five years ago. Knowledge is always there, and it increases. The punch power never goes away. So, the age factor, I’m not even putting it.
“It’s only an eight pound difference. I fought Munguia two fights ago at 160. I’ve been fighting at 168 for a while and I fought him at 160. Then I went back up to 68.
“Weight is just one factor in how you treat it in training camp. So I think the weight can benefit GGG going into this fight. Now you don’t have to drain as much and you can put more food into his body.
“I think at this point in his career, he can make him a stronger fighter. With the extra weight, you can better absorb the punishment. When you gain weight, your body is better able to absorb punishment because you have more mass. You are hydrated.
“I think this is a fight where you have to be smart. You have to set traps and you have to think,” Rosado said when asked if Golovkin should go all out for a knockout.
“You can’t go into a fight with Canelo and say, ‘I’m going to do my best.’ That is playing into Canelo’s game. You have to fight smart. I don’t think GGG is thinking about the future.
“He is thinking about his legacy. He’s thinking about what this fight does for him by adding to his legacy and adding more value to him going forward.
“I’m pretty sure you’ll see a rematch if GGG wins. It will be 1-1 with the draw. Yes, you have to run it again. I think GGG comes into this fight with no pressure.
“I think he will be able to put in a better performance in this fight than he has in the last two because I think he doesn’t have that pressure. I think all the pressure is on Canelo,” Rosado said.
