“That’s not a question for me,” Golovkin said on “Morning Kombat” last week. “I insisted on a trilogy the next day after the judges gave Canelo the win [in the rematch].” To defend Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs), the undisputed middleweight champion only fought one more time at middleweight after his 2018 rematch with Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs), the who still holds a pair of world titles at 160 pounds. Alvarez, 32, will look to defend his four titles this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (DAZN PPV, 8 p.m. ET — subscribe now) in the first bout of their rivalry, which will take place on 168 pounds. Alvarez, who is fresh off a decision loss to WBA lightweight champion Dmitri Bivol in May, didn’t look like he wanted the trilogy despite how much DAZN paid the two shortly after launching in the US in 2018 with the hope of winning a third fight. A big part of that was the bad blood between them, fueled not only by a pair of questionable decisions in which GGG felt robbed but also by the steroid allegations aimed at Alvarez after he failed a drug test before their rematch. Asked by CBS Sports on Wednesday, however, if he was motivated this time around to accept the challenge, Alvarez changed his tune. “Yes I want [the trilogy]Alvarez said. “And if people want it, I really want it. I wanted to come back strong so I’m really excited to be here. I’m ready for Saturday.” Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Join Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including an early preview of Canelo vs. Golovkin 3 ahead of Saturday’s showdown below. While it’s clear from Golovkin that he still harbors a grudge against Alvarez, who was lucky to salvage a controversial draw in 2017 before defeating GGG in their rematch via majority decision, he refused to say the third fight was personal. According to trainer Johnathon Banks, who replaced Abel Sanchez after the second Alvarez fight, that’s exactly where his fighter needs to be. “The best way for G to perform is without emotion,” Banks told CBS Sports. “Now, that might not work for every fighter, but for this fighter, the best way for him to go into this fight is to keep his emotions at home. If he wants to get his emotions in the locker room, fine. But he doesn’t need them in the ring. It’s going to be a hell of a fight, regardless. As the fight goes on, we definitely want the win and we want to close the third chapter of this situation. But emotions don’t play a part in it.” The first two matches were PPV blockbusters and ultimately exceeded expectations as classic action matches with a high level of skill and intensity. The main difference, however, between the four-year gap between the fights entering this weekend is that Alvarez has ascended to the throne as pound-for-pound king in multiple divisions in the interim, while Golovkin, at 40, has begun to show his age. Golovkin, who enters as a 4-1 underdog, was the betting favorite before each of the first two fights. He admitted that age has made recovery more difficult, something Banks, a student of the late Emanuel Steward’s Kronk Gym, has worked hard to compensate for. “It’s all about training smarter and just being more efficient at the things you do well,” Banks said. “When you’re young, the goal is to train hard no matter what. When you get older, you have to train smarter. This 40-year-old man is completely different from your average 40-year-old man. Right now, he’s just conditioning as much as possible more, so that he does not overexert himself.” However, Golovkin looked much slower despite being 4-0 from the second Alvarez fight. He’s also taken far more punishment in return than fans have ever seen, including a controversial decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko that claimed fight of the year honors in 2019. What doesn’t help Golovkin is that Alvarez has steadily evolved over the past few years from counter boxer to knockout threat, which has come as a huge shock to those who have watched him move up to 168 and 175kg. . Both fighters have terrific chins and neither has been dropped or stopped as a pro. Golovkin, in fact, still maintains that he has yet to brag once despite being shut out in 400 combined amateur and professional bouts. However, most believe he’ll need to lean heavily on his superpower to have a chance at upsetting his freshest foe. “I use this motto all the time: I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it,” Banks said. “I agree it’s going to be a hell of a fight. My wish and desire is for G to close the show in dramatic fashion, but, believe me, Canelo can take a punch, too. He can’t make a push from taking shots by much older Kids. He took a right hand from G that 90% of the people fell from and never recovered. He took it like it was a piece of meat and ate it and kept it coming.” Alvarez, who has openly stated that he is preparing to deliver the knockout this weekend and put any lingering talk of a fight to rest, believes the third (and possibly final) meeting between the two living legends will also be the most exciting. “I think this is going to be the best of the three, I think it’s going to be the best,” Alvarez said. “Obviously, he’s going to bring his best because, you know, everybody talks about his age. I will bring everything to come back stronger than ever. “This fight is very important to my legacy because it will go down in boxing history after this fight. That’s why we fought three times, right? I think this is one of the best rivalries in boxing history.” The undercard is filled with some interesting names returning to the ring. Jesse Rodriguez looks to defend his WBC super flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez in the co-feature. Austin Williams returns when he takes on Kieron Conway in the middleweight division. Diego Pacheco and Enrique Collazo slug it out in the super middleweight division. And veteran Gabe Rosado returns in a super middleweight clash against Ali Akhmedov.
Match card, odds
Canelo Alvarez (c) -500 vs. Gennadiy Golovkin +380, Undisputed Middleweight Championship Jesse Rodriguez (c) -1200 vs. Israel Gonzalez +750, WBC super flyweight championship Austin Williams -575 vs. Kieron Conway +425, WBA “International” Middleweight Championship Diego Pacheco -2500 vs. Enrique Collazo +1200, super medium Ali Akhmedov -700 vs. Gabriel Rosado +500, super middleweight
Prophecy
It was Albert Einstein who once described the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. For Golovkin, Saturday’s trilogy will take place in the same ring, against the same opponent and in front of the same state committee as the first two fights, in which he believes he was robbed of victory. Golovkin will also fight in front of two judges who have played a major role in the proceedings up to this point: Steve Weisfeld scored the rematch 115-113 for Alvarez, as did Dave Moretti, who also had it 115-113 for Golovkin in the first fight. Referee David Sutherland, a newcomer to this rivalry, completes the trio along with referee Russell Mora. Six different scorecards have been submitted over the course of the two fights and only one of them had Golovkin beat. Aside from any potential corruption that GGG often implies, there seems to be a big reason why those tasked with declaring the winner ultimately favored Alvarez. Although Golovkin has outscored Alvarez by an average of 40 total punches in both fights, Alvarez has the edge in power punches, power punching and body shots. If GGG uses the exact same strategy to try to break Alvarez without increasing the risk he’s willing to take to compensate for the loss of speed and stamina, not only is a repeat decision loss likely, but it could be the first stop of his great career. Golovkin connected with just six and eight punches to the body, respectively, in the first two fights. He also had trouble landing his right hand in any form against the much faster Alvarez, who used precise upper body movement to avoid said shots while opening up counter opportunities. On paper, Golovkin’s intense style is the perfect blueprint to give Alvarez fits. He cuts the ring as well as anyone historically and can use his jab as both a rangefinder and a weapon. It’s a plan, one might argue, that Bivol fired Alvarez in May. But in this case, Bivol was a natural light heavyweight. Golovkin will move up to super middleweight for the first time, meaning the size advantage he once had over the former junior middleweight in Alvarez has since been erased due to the Mexican star’s dramatic weight gain. Does GGG need to go for breaks and go for the knockout as his only hope of winning? Not necessarily, especially given Alvarez’s equally stubborn chin. But he’ll need to fight as physically as ever in the clinch to slow down his opponent, and he’ll need to show a level of urgency that just hasn’t been there of late in his bigger (and closer) fights before. Expect Alvarez to start slow and effective as he tries to navigate how much juice GGG has left. But once he makes the adjustment to come forward, similar to what Alvarez did in the rematch, wearing Golovkin down to the body late while taking him down seems likely. Given Golovkin’s pride and incredible…
