Canelo Alvarez to Conclude Gennady Golovkin Trilogy in September
Following his defeat to WBA Super light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) on May 7, Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) had two options on the table for his next fight. One option was to go for an immediate rematch with Bivol. However, the second option has taken precedence as he is contractually obligated to a third fight with current unified middleweight champ Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) September 17 on DAZN PPV.
As of the writing of this article, no venue has been determined.
Currently, in Mexico City, Mexico for his golf tournament, No Golf No Life, the reigning undisputed super middleweight champ is now indicating what he plans to do. When asked by local media about a third fight with Golovkin, Alvarez had this to say:
(Translated from Spanish) “Surely yes [about fighting Golovkin]. We already had that contract, that deal. So we have to continue what we started, and I think those are the two biggest fights in boxing, the fight with Golovkin and the rematch with Bivol because unfortunately, we lost. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try again. The important thing here is perseverance, and we’re going to do it again.”
[…] What is certain is that we return in September and these days, today, tomorrow, the day after, we are going to announce the fight, only we have to wait a little bit.”
THE HARSH REALITY
At this point, who does Alvarez stand a better chance of beating, Bivol or Golovkin? In their match on May 7, Bivol controlled the action from the opening bell. The Mexican superstar had no answers for the skill and movement of the light heavyweight champ. Jumping up to 175 pounds, Alvarez looked small, slow, and lethargic. It would be hard to see what he could do differently to change things in a rematch.
Golovkin is coming off a stoppage win over Ryota Murata in April 2022 to become a unified champ at 160. But the now 40-year-old had his share of problems in the early rounds before rallying to overpower the Japanese warrior.
Alvarez and Golovkin fought epic battles in 2017 and 2018. Their first fight ended in a disputed split-decision draw. In their rematch, Alvarez won by majority decision. Most pundits would make the redhead the favorite in a third fight between the two.
MONEY ALWAYS MATTERS
So, the decision to face Golovkin again should not be considered a great surprise. When Alvarez signed a two-fight deal with DAZN in February 2022, Golovkin was the second fight in that package. So, all Alvarez is doing here is deciding to abide by what he signed earlier this year. Also, from a financial perspective, Alvarez-Golovkin III is more profitable than Bivol-Alvarez II could ever be.
Never forget that professional boxing is about business more than anything. If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense. Categorize this as Alvarez making a business decision. Since no official announcement has been made, stay tuned to 3Kings Boxing for further updates.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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