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2am: Austin Williams v Kieron Conway – Williams points or decision 3am: Ali Akhemdov v Gabriel Rosado – Akhmedov points or decision 4am: Jesse Rodriguez Franco v Israel Gonzalez – Rodriguez points or decision 5am: Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez v Gennadiy Golovkin – Alvarez in the round to win 9 – 12
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Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez v Gennadiy Golovkin at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas has a classic big fight feel to it – the trilogy between legends will decide who is the best and the winner walks away with all four super middleweight titles. On the undercard, new superstar Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez takes on Israel Gonzalez, Ali Akhmedov takes on Gabriel Rosado and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams meets Britain’s Kieron Conway. The first two fights between the pair were so close that they had to redo it once again, and this time it’s at super middleweight with all four titles on the line. Canelo Alvarez has swept the 168 division and all the belts over the past two years, but for Gennadiy Golovkin this is his first time fighting over 160kg. In his last fight in May, Alvarez dared to be great against the light heavyweight title holder Dmitry Bivol, but the Russian boxer-puncher completely dismantled the famous Mexican. Canelo has not justified the loss, but most believe his stamina was affected by the muscle mass. The loss to Bivol in May was only the second loss of Canelo’s 61-fight career – the other coming early in his career when, aged just 23, he lost to an experienced Floyd Mayweather. But in most people’s eyes, Alvarez should have gotten at least one more “L” from his previous two contests with Golovkin. The legendary duo first came to blows in 2017, when ‘GGG’ was the unifying champion with a terrifying KO ratio, and Canelo was being outgunned by the super welterweight king. Golovkin seemed to be landing harder and more often, but one judge made an infamous and inexplicable score 118-110 in favor of the Mexican. The rematch the following year was a genuine pick-em fight with Canelo impressively meeting Golovkin in the middle of the ring. The judges gave Alvarez a mixed decision and those two results remain the only two blemishes on Golovkin’s 44-fight professional record. However, the 40-year-old ‘Triple G’ doesn’t look like the same fighter he was four or five years ago. Back in May, the Kazakh terror looked old against strong contender Ryota Murata – Golovkin’s leg was unsteady, his body hurt and he looked gassy – but he still had the power to pull off a ninth-round KO at Japan’s Saitama Super Arena. I think Gennadiy will be better on Saturday to be back in America and shake off the cobwebs, and it’s probably time to let his body fill up to 168 pounds. But I also think Canelo will be more fired up and in better shape than he was against Bivol, and as the best body panner in the business he’ll target old Golovkin downstairs. The animosity runs deep between these two and they will not lack for any motivation. It’ll be another very close fight through eight or nine rounds, but then Canelo’s body work and youth will be enough to take over – it’s hard for Alvarez to get the KO, but I’ll go with the long odds on delayed interruption .
“Bam” Rodriguez isn’t messing around – he was just a “14-0” 21-year-old flyweight prospect in 2021, but earlier this year he took a surprise shot at super flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras and won, and he backed that up in June by blowing up the legend of lower weights Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Gonzalez hasn’t been on the same trajectory, but the Mexican, 25, has been steadily improving and, although he’s lost, he hasn’t been outdone by the top guys. America’s new 115lb southpaw title holder Rodriguez is a star in the making and has rare power at this weight, but I think he’ll have to settle for a decision win this weekend. Golovkin’s compatriot Akhmedov is another boxer from the former Soviet region who looks like he was carved from the iron mines. The Kazakh super middleweight has won 18, 14 by KO, but in 2020 he was stopped in the 12th round after dominating most of the scrap. Akhmedov is a bit too easy to beat right now to be considered a potential champion, but he has time on his side. Rosado, on the other hand, is in the twilight of his career. The veteran fighter has taken on the best, including ‘GGG’, and despite losing his biggest fights, he hasn’t stopped since 2014. Rosado may go cold in the early rounds, but I think he’ll make it to the final bell again – behind Akhemdov in the points. Williams is one of those fighters who is gifted with speed and power who has perhaps relied on his physical talents too much and has not developed the finer side of the game. The eye test would suggest that Conway is out of his depth, but the Northampton man has an excellent jab and is tough. I think Conway will find his feet in the middle rounds, but Williams will do enough to get the nod from the judges.
BOXING TIPS:
All matches Sunday AM, BST 2am: Austin Williams v Kieron Conway – Williams points or decision 3am: Ali Akhemdov v Gabriel Rosado – Akhmedov points or decision 4am: Jesse Rodriguez Franco v Israel Gonzalez – Rodriguez points or decision 5am: Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez v Gennadiy Golovkin – Alvarez in the round to win 9 – 12 *All prices are updated with our smart widgets and copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
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