In what is considered by the purist of boxing fans the true Fight of the Year, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady ‘Triple G’ Golovkin are all set to take each other for all the boxing’s marble on Saturday at T-Mobile in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What’s at stake?
The match will not only put the alphabet belts (WBC, WBO, IBF and IBO) on the line but also at stake are the lineal middleweight championship and the prestige of becoming the sport’s no.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Golovkin is also out to protect an immaculate record of 37-0 with 33 KOs.
The Karaganda-born fighter has had one of the most impressive streaks in boxing’s history when he racked up 23 straight wins via knockout. Triple G’s knockout run came to an end when he was unable to flatten Daniel Jacobs in a gritty 12-round showdown last March. Many boxing pundits considered Golovkin’s unanimous decision win over the American as a sign of slowing down, but the Kazakh can silence all his critics yet again by knocking out boxing’s latest Golden Boy.
At the age of 27, Canelo has already secured a seat in boxing’s Hall of Fame with statement wins against Sugar Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr. schooled him in 2013, the Mexican showed tremendous growth not only as a bruiser but an all-around student of the game.
However, there’s only one hurdle standing on Canelo’s way and that’s Triple G.
Prediction
Golovkin will step into the ring as the slight favorite as bookmakers put him at -145 or $145 bet for every $100 winnings. Alvarez, meanwhile, comes at +115 or $100 wager for $115 winnings. Regardless of the fluctuations of the betting odds for the next six hours, Gennady Golovkin vs.
Canelo Alvarez is going to be unpredictable as it gets with both fighters riding on high momentum and boasting a KO punch that could end the match at any moment.
While Canelo Alvarez had a quantum leap in terms of boxing savvy, he will be at the disadvantage against a more polished pugilist like Golovkin on Saturday. Of course, the Mexican can change the complexion of the match with a game-changing right hook. However, the match vs.
Golovkin requires him to be calm, cool and collected. He doesn’t need to outbox the former Olympic silver medalist; he just needs to out-punch him by darting in and out of his opponent’s range. If Canelo struggles to stick with his team’s gameplan, Golovkin, a master at picking his foes apart as the match progresses, will be just too much. Perhaps, Triple G may no longer has that elite power punch in him, but he can still pretty outbox anyone at any given night. Quick prediction: Golovkin via 12-round unanimous decision.
Live Stream and TV info
Golovkin vs. Canelo can be watched on HBO, CaneloGGG.com and Sling TV (via $79.99 subscription). In the UK, fans can watch the match live on BoxNation, which is part of SkySports and BTSports programs.
The undercards will start at 3:00 p.m US ET, and you can follow every match on Youtube video below.
Golovkin vs. Canelo will be for the WBC, WBO, IBF and IBO belts and Ring’s Magazine and lineal middleweight titles.
