Saul Canelo Alvarez says he’s no longer interested in fighting Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin any longer. He feels that he already beat GGG twice, and it’s no longer something that appeals to him. Canelo (52-1-2, 35 KOs) states that Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KO) just finished fighting a no name opponent in Steve Rolls last June, and now he’s about to fight a similar obscure fighter in Sergiy Derevyanchenko next month on October 5. Golovkin’s safety first approach to his career now that he’s come up empty against Canelo twice appears to be the overall reason why he’s not getting a third fight. Canelo sees Golovkin’s lack of ambition as disappointing, given what he’s doing with his own career.
#CaneloKovalev pose. Kovalev a lot bigger! pic.twitter.com/lzPG3YodFU
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) September 19, 2019
Canelo doesn’t see Golovkin challenging himself in the same way he is in fighting the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Rocky Fielding and now Sergey Derevyanchenko. Golovkin’s soft match-making appears to have hurt his chances of getting his much desired trilogy fight against Canelo.
Canelo is taking a big risk with his career in stepping up two weight classes to challenge WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) on November 2 on DAZN. Kovalev, 36, isn’t considered the best at 175 any longer, but he’s the most well known of the top fighters in the weight class. That perhaps is the main reason why Canelo chose him instead of the other champions in the weight class.
Kovalev’s size doesn’t worry Canelo
“I don’t think nothing of it. I’ve fought against fighters taller than me, stronger than me,” said Canelo to Fighthub when asked how he’ll deal with the much taller Kovalev. “Him being taller than me, I don’t think much of it. I have the ability to figure this out, and make a great preparation for the fight. I know this is a big risk for me, and a very big challenge, but we are ready. Before the [Daniel] Jacobs fight, a little rumor came out that they were thinking about the fight, and I didn’t think it was a bad idea to have a fight at 175 with Kovalev, one of the best in the division.
“After the fight with Jacobs, we begin to talk and look for the fight, and it’s here. No, it’s a risk. There is always a risk, and in boxing you can’t calculate a risk. One punch can change everything, and more so in a weight that’s not yours. But we saw a fight that could be good for fans, and for us to make history as a team. Well, look, I’m a natural body puncher. I punch well to the body, and they say that bothers him. So we’re going to see,” said Canelo.
Kovalev’s size should bother Canelo, because he’s going to use it the best that he can. He’s not going to let Canelo get close to him if he can help it. That means Kovalev will fight Canelo the same way he did Bernard Hopkins by staying on the outside, and boxing him.
Canelo: I already beat GGG twice and I’m taking risks
“Look, I’m taking risks, important risks in my career, and Golovkin at this moment means nothing to me,” said Canelo. “He just fought a nobody practically, and he’s about to fight another nobody practically,” said De La Hoya about Golovkin’s recent fight against Steve Rolls and his upcoming match against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. “GGG doesn’t represent a challenge to me at this point.
“I already beat him two times, and I’m taking these risks, because I want to make history with my career. I already did it with him twice, and he doesn’t bring anything to me at this point,” said Canelo in shutting the door seemingly on a third fight against Golovkin. “It’s always difficult, but we’re working through it and we’re here,” said Canelo in addressing a question about whether he’s getting along with his promoters at Golden Boy.
Golovkin is going to have to make the best of it without Canelo. If he wins his fight next month against Derevyanchenko, he can always face WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade in a unification fight. Andrade is with Matchroom Boxing USA, and that would be an easy fight for Eddie Hearn to make.