Has the upcoming third fight between bitter rivals Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez had as much hype, as much build-up, as it should have had? In some ways, the trilogy fight has snuck up on us, with the fight now just days away.
Some fans are excited, feeling we will get a good, maybe even great, action fight on Saturday, September 17. Others are not so pumped up, feeling Canelo, so much the younger man, will beat up on GGG this time.
Others still are split, unsure on what to expect – a one-sided beatdown or an up and down slugfest. Eddie Hearn has said that the third fight will be the best of the three, that both men will meet in ring center and bang away, looking to tear into one another and land some serious hurt. Hearn says there is “no way” this one goes the distance. Plenty of people agree with the promoter, on the prediction that the fight will not need the services of the three judges, at least.
And this will surely be a good thing; a decisive thing. The cards handed in by the officials at the conclusion of fight-one were roundly slaughtered, while fight-two, though closer than the so-scored draw, was also a fight many people other than the judges felt should have gone Golovkin’s way. Two fights, both held in Las Vegas (and both in the month of September if it means anything), both being decided by a controversial decision.
Will the third fight avoid such an outcome? We sure hope so. And this rivalry needs a conclusive, no arguments winner. How frustrating would it be (for the fighters and for the fans) if this rivalry ended with a third close, debatable points decision?
No, we need a bang of an ending here; either a KO or stoppage or a commanding decision victory. But who has the best shot at closing the show with a big bang of a dominant win? How will the 168 pound limit affect Golovkin? How much might that loss to Dmitry Bivol affect Canelo, from a mental standpoint especially? Can Golovkin get fair treatment in Vegas? Will Canelo, obsessed with getting the KO, walk onto something hard and nasty? Who will enter the ring with the cooler head, the finer tunnel vision?
There is no doubt Golovkin has gotten under Canelo’s skin, now we will find out if the older man will be made to pay for having done so. Or if the younger man will be made to pay for fighting angry. More so than the first two fights, this one could come down to the mental battle, with the physiologically superior fighter winning.
Then again, as far as the physical warfare is concerned, who has the best weapons, the most left inside? One would assume Canelo is the fresher fighter, primarily due to his age, yet in fact both men have had a long, at times punishing career, with the number of rounds clocked being significant on both sides. If GGG is past his best, might Canelo be suffering from burnout?
It’s a fascinating fight, of the can’t-miss variety. Those fans who do decline tuning in just might miss something special on Saturday night.
