LAS VEGAS – Gennadiy Golovkin doesn’t pay much attention to “the bullshit” he claims Canelo Alvarez says.
Alvarez’s claim that his third fight is very personal to him is a perfect example, according to Golovkin. Had Alvarez wanted to fight him before Saturday night, Golovkin maintained that the Mexican superstar had all the clout and could easily have signed a contract earlier this year.
Their third meeting, a 12-round fight for Alvarez’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles at T-Mobile Arena, will take place four years after Alvarez beat Golovkin by majority decision in his 12 round rematch.
“If he wanted this fight back then, if he thought it was personal, that fight should have happened right away,” Golovkin told a small group of reporters through a translator Wednesday at the MGM Grand. “And why did he wait four years then?”
Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) turned 40 five months ago and has fought just four times since his second fight against Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) in September 2018. Alvarez, 32, He has boxed eight times since winning his middleweight championship rematch and became world champion in two higher weight classes.
Golovkin of Kazakhstan believes that DAZN forced Alvarez, for all intents and purposes, to get in the ring with him again.
This will mark the end of Golovkin’s contract with DAZN, which has pushed for this high-profile fight to take place since the streaming service signed Alvarez to a 10-fight deal in October 2018 and Golovkin to a 10-fight deal. six fights in March 2019. Golovkin’s contract has been amended, while Alvarez actually left DAZN, albeit temporarily, for a Showtime Pay-Per-View fight against Caleb Plant last November 6.
“You have the right to say it’s personal, but let me tell you what I see,” Golovkin said. “I think he says it because this is [my] last fight with DAZN. There is an agreement with DAZN that there will be no obligations [for me beyond this fight]. Just think about this situation, think about my situation, think that it’s been a long time, four years.
“Now he thinks he’s in a position to air those accusations and say he can knock me out, he can end my career. Who is he to start or end someone’s career? He maybe he tries to, I don’t know, score some points. But according to the age, the position of him, it does not depend on him”.
For his participation, Golovkin has a chance to avenge the only loss of his 16-year professional career. The IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion has also been guaranteed a $20 million minimum purse for this DAZN Pay-Per-View main event ($64.99 for subscribers; $84.99 for non-subscribers). .
“The trilogy is a great event,” said Golovkin. “It’s hard to get a trilogy. It means that I am in demand, that people want to see my fights. And right now, this is possibly the biggest fight in boxing.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
