The two are set to meet in just a few weeks’ time in what is expected to be one of the most eagerly anticipated rematches of modern times. The first bout ended in huge controversy following the fight being scored a draw with score cards of 114-114, 115-113 in favour of Golovkin and remarkably 118-110 to Canelo. The latter score card was given by Adalaide Byrd who has had a strange history as a judge and led to many calls for this result to be looked in to. This article will cover the credentials of the two fighters ahead of the upcoming bout and you can also click here to read about the offers available for the fight.
Canelo Alvarez
The Mexican seems to have been around for ever but is still amazingly just 28 years of age. His record now stands at 49 wins, 2 draws and just 1 loss from his 52 fights. This is why he is regarded as one of the top fighters in the last decade with his only loss coming against the now retired defensive master in Floyd Mayweather. He is renowned for his incredible punching power and this is shown in the fact he has 34 knock out victories in his career which is further boosted in the fact of him continuously facing the World’s best in recent years.
Talks were in the works straight away following the controversial first encounter but these were stalled following the Mexican testing positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol back in March. He was temporally suspended but following a hearing was given a six month back dated suspension. This therefore meant he was fit to return to action on August 17th of this year.
This upcoming contest is now a huge fight for Canelo as this has been a troubling period for the Mexican with many of the boxing public unhappy with the result given in the first contest. He has looked very sharp in his training with his promoter Oscar de la Hoya claiming he has never seen him so angry and that it is now personal. There is no doubt he is selling the fight but this bout can be expected to have a lot more action than the rather disappointing first encounter. The betting has Canelo as the general 6/4 second favourite going in with a draw at around 22/1.
Gennady Golovkin
Now at 36 years of age there is no doubt his best years are behind him but he is still widely regarded as one of the pound for pound greats of modern times. The Kazakhstani has one of the most formidable knock out records in boxing and would have an unblemished record if it wasn’t for the controversial result from their first bout. His record stands at 38 victories from his 39 fights with 34 ending via a knockout.
Golovkin currently holds the unified WBA (Super), WBC and IBO middleweight titles and also held the IBF title between 2015 and 2018. He has continued to remain active throughout his career and there is no doubt he has been possibly the most avoided fighter in boxing in the last decade. His ferocious punching power has led the 2004 Olympic silver medallist to struggle to get that big name fight until recently when in the latter stages of his career. A comprehensive victory against Canelo will all but cement him as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport.
Golovkin is a dangerous pressure fighter which has enabled him to get a vast number of stoppages throughout his career. He now heads in to this fight as the strong 8/15 favourite with his preparations looking to have gone perfectly as he looks as powerful and fast as ever. The fight on Saturday September 15th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas cannot come soon enough.
Leave a Reply