LAS VEGAS — Fight week is in full swing and so far both Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin have been very respectful but assured of their in-ring abilities. Yesterday, the official press conference set the tone for the true fight of the year for middleweight supremacy and the face of the sport.
“I don’t like to talk too much. I just want to say that I’m prepared,” said Alvarez. “I know it will be a tough fight. I just want you all to enjoy it like I’m going to enjoy it. The adrenaline is there. I have nothing to say to him. They know what kind of fighter I am. I’m prepared. I’m ready. All I want to tell him is look, let’s give the fans a great fight.”
Classic Fights: Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto (2015)
Get ready for Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin with a look back at Canelo Alvarez’s defeat of Miguel Cotto in their November 21, 2015 bout. Canelo vs. Golovkin takes place Saturday, Sept. 16 live at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Alvarez is the current Lineal and Ring Magazine middleweight champion. After beating Miguel Cotto in 2015 for the titles, he went on a KO spree dispatching an overmatched Amir Khan and Liam Smith en route to a dominant snoozer performance against Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.
Alvarez has more experience and Golovkin has been the perfect opponent for a long time.
“I don’t want to talk too much. I am ready,” said Golovkin. “I respect Canelo’s team. This is a big day not only for us, but for boxing and this era. This will be a huge historic fight at T-Mobile Arena. I feel comfortable. I see that Canelo is ready. He is ready for serious business, a serious fight. This fight will be the biggest gift to the people.”
Golovkin has been head-hunting and taking names since 2010 when he won the WBA middleweight title. He has stopped every opponent since until he met Daniel Jacobs earlier this year. Although he walked away with the unanimous decision, many felt that Jacobs won the fight or that it should have been a split decision for either side. Kell Brook also gave Golovkin problems before he was TKO’d in the 5th round. Brook stepped up two weight classes to battle the Kazakstan star.
Hey Harold!: Canelo vs. Golovkin
HBO Boxing unofficial scorer Harold Lederman previews the middleweight championship bout between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. Canelo vs. Golovkin takes place Saturday, Sept. 16 live at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT on HBO Pay-Per-View.
“An event like this can only be a super fight between somebody like Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin,” said Tim Loeffler of K2 Promotions, Golovkin’s promoter. “They are two true world champions. The two best middleweights in the world. Two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and two of the most marketable fighters of the world.”
Since the retirement of Wladimir Klitschko, Golovkin is the star of the K2 stable, leading the pack of current dominant eastern European fighters like Vasyl Lomanchenko and Oleksandr Usyk.
“This is a fight to see who the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet is,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Alvarez’s promoter with Golden Boy Promotions. “This event needs no hype whatsoever. This is a fight that’s a can’t-miss event. That’s the bottom line. It’s going to be a great fight because of what is at stake: pride and fighting for your country and boxing fans. This is a fight for the sport of boxing, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
De La Hoya and Golden Boy partner Bernard Hopkins were very critical of the Mayweather vs. McGregor super fight recently and are basking in the glow of his long-drawn out pairing of these two middleweights. The event is reminiscent of the great fights of the late eighties and with De La Hoya and Hopkins part of a golden era, this fight speaks to the passion of true boxing fans.
“The fight that really stands out to me in comparison to Canelo-Golovkin, with the danger in the first couple of rounds, is Marvin Hagler and John Mugabi,” said Hopkins. “One thing, however, is that history doesn’t always repeat itself. Thank you to Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin for respecting the division that made me.”
