Some boxing rivalries take a heck of a long time to get settled. This Saturday’s supposed finale (maybe it will prove to be so, maybe not) between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez hasn’t taken as long as some others took to get done – Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, for example, took eight long years to settle who was the better fighter; or maybe you feel they never actually managed it, and are “one and one,” as Leonard said after the draw of a rematch) – yet GGG feels it has taken too long all the same.
The first fight was, of course, back in September of 2017, the return a year later. Now, four years on, we have the third fight. And Golovkin feels that Canelo, instead of making history as he did in his fights after the sequel (when Canelo won a version of the light-heavyweight title and also unified all four super-middleweight belts), should have had the third fight with him instead – if it was so personal.
We know these two fighters, once sharing mutual respect, have become sworn enemies, and Golovkin feels they should have settled their business long before now. That said, GGG is anticipating a great fight on Saturday, the best fight of the three.
Speaking with The National, 40-year-old Golovkin asked the question, “If it’s so personal to Canelo, why did he wait four years?”
“If this fight was so personal to him, why did he wait four years for it? Maybe he is trying to be like a promoter and sell the fight,” GGG said. “Maybe he is trying to motivate himself. Maybe he is looking for attention.”
It has surprised some fans the way Canelo has expressed pretty much nothing but real disdain, even hate, for Golovkin. And it’s been pointed out how, if anyone should be angry, it’s Golovkin – shafted as he was in fights one and two; royally so in the first fight.
Has GGG got under Canelo’s skin the way no other fighter has ever managed to do? The answer seems to be a resounding yes. But why? Could it be because, deep down, Canelo knows he lost fights one and two? Maybe.
Here’s another maybe (if a cynical one): Canelo has waited four years in an effort to be sure GGG is faded, past his best – ready for the taking. By KO? Maybe.
But to repeat, Triple-G sees a great fight on Saturday, not a Big Drama Show from Canelo.
“This is the biggest fight in boxing and certainly the biggest fight of our trilogy,” GGG said. “I believe it will also be the best fight of the three. The first two fights were exciting – I’m sure this one will be too.”
In a recent poll of experts conducted by Ringtv.com, all 20 experts picked Canelo, 57-2-2(39), to win, a number of them by KO or stoppage, with not one expert picking Golovkin.
It’s now up to GGG, 42-1-1(37), to shock the odds, prove the experts wrong, and finish this particular boxing rivalry. But can he do it? Golovkin has been made to wait for the finale, as have we fans. Let’s all hope it proves to be worth the wait.
Who are YOU rooting for in this fight?
