True boxing fans act offended by all the attention given to the Mayweather vs McGregor extravaganza coming to T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV on the Aug. 26th. For one thing, it seems to be hurting the gate and taking away from the true boxing matchup on 9-16-2017, at T-Mobile Arena between two great fighters Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-1, 34KO) and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0, 34KO). In fact, the winner of that fight might come away with the much sought after designation as P4P fighter.
Who do you want to win? Hard choice isn’t it? Even harder is, who do you expect to win? Both fighters have much to offer, and the best thing is excitement (or drama show if you prefer). The 9-16 promises more of the same. Neither one of these warriors is expected to run. Move yes, run no. Neither fighter will be wilting after the first hard shot, full well knowing there will be many more.
Undoubtedly, there will be enough lumps and bruises to go around for both fighters. Abel Sanchez, who trains GGG says he wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of these guys suffers a knockdown. He thinks they both hit that hard, and inevitably they will hurt each other. The kind of hurt he’s talking about spells real trouble.
GGG has always had that intimidation factor on his side. His string of consecutive knockouts made fear an unwanted, but definitive ingredient in his opponents game plan. They knew what happens when GGG lands his hard shots, punches that produce facial expressions that seem to imply, “Wow, what the hell was that, and why am I on the canvas!”
As soon as realization sets for these characters that they’re only part of the supporting cast in this latest drama show, they rise to their feet and try to find the nearest exit. Unfortunately, the nearest exit isn’t right or left, it’s down on the canvas. That’s when the “Show’s over.”
Okay, so GGG is the big puncher, something like 89% of his opponents go bed-ee-bye. But, Canelo has one more KO than GGG? He also has had 14 more fights, and he’s only 27 yrs old. The man from Kazakhstan is 35 yrs old. Which one has had the tougher fights? Canelo’s only loss was to Money, and that was hardly a beating. GGG was playing throw and catch with Daniel Jacobs and Kell Brook. Critics felt his weaknesses where exposed. Not certain what they are. Probably getting hit by someone who is faster than you? That’s one of those “dah” points.
Or, maybe it’s more cogent than that. The real difference between GGG and Canelo is one can and will use head movement. Somehow GGG has always managed to catch up with his opponents. He manages to get them stationary, including their heads. He couldn’t do that to the extent he needed with the more talented Jacobs.
That just might be the key to victory for Canelo. He hasn’t showed off his talent so very often, because it hasn’t really been necessary. But, you can bet come 9-17, he will be giving GGG fits at times. He will employ block-block, slip-slip, duck-duck, and block-block (the last two are to the body). The point is he is technically sound, and GGG’s drama show might have more than one act, and don’t forget Canelo’s 34 KOs. After all, a drama can often times include a series of unexpected events.
Maybe the best thing fans can hope for is an exciting, but close fight (not controversial),one that cries out for a rematch, maybe even a trilogy. Why not, we’ve had some great ones, and both of these two guys are great fighters, so why not? Just remember that old adage, “Make em miss, make em pay!” You can bet Canelo’s not going to forget it.