This is the third and likely final fight in a trilogy between Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KO) and Gennady Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KO). Gennady Golovkin will move up to the super-middleweight limit of 168 pounds to face off against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The fight will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, September 17th, 2022. The trilogy fight will mark almost five years to the day since their first bout in 2017 at the same venue. Here is Fantom’s preview of the Canelo Vs. GGG III fight.
Breaking Down The History Between Canelo and GGG
The now bitter rivals were once sparring partners who once had great respect for one another. At the time, Canelo was campaigning at junior middleweight while Golovkin was becoming the boogeyman at middleweight. Once Canelo decided to test the waters at middleweight, the two men were set on a collision course. Golovkin was widely considered the most devastating puncher in his division, with an undefeated record of 37-0 with 33 knockouts going into their first bout. Many accused Canelo of ducking GGG after beating Miguel Cotto for the WBC middleweight title. After winning the title, Canelo fought a trio of fringe contenders, Amir Khan, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Liam Smith, before finally agreeing to fight the Kazakh superstar in September 2017.
The Fight That Started It All
Their first meeting in September 2017 was one of the recent, most highly anticipated fights. With huge money on the line and the unified middleweight championship up for grabs, it would be one of the year’s most significant events. On Mexican Independence weekend, the fight surpassed Canelo-Mayweather to become third on the highest grossest live gate in boxing history at the time. However, the fight would not be without controversy as the pair fought to a draw. Most fans and pundits believed GGG had comfortably won the first contest after landing heavy blows throughout the fight. Judge Adelaide Byrd scored the fight an egregious 118-110 in favor of Canelo, considered one of the worst scorecards in boxing history. The drama surrounding the decision led to a rematch between the two, which would occur the following May.
More Controversy
The lead-up to the rematch was marred by controversy as Canelo tested positive for traces of clenbuterol in March of 2018. Canelo denied any wrongdoing and claimed the negative test was due to contaminated meat. The fight was initially scheduled for Cinco De Mayo weekend but was postponed after Canelo was suspended for six months. The suspension caused more tension between the fighters as the normally reserved Golovkin began to label Alvarez as a “cheater publically.” The growing animosity increased the hype around their second meeting. Despite the increased hype, the live gate and PPV sales were slightly lower than the first bout. Nonetheless, the two fighters produced another close fight, this time ending with Canelo getting a majority decision. Once again, many fans felt Golovkin had won the match, though Canelo fought well and was able to avoid his opponent’s destructive power for most of the night.
Canelo Vs. GGG 3: Redemption Or Déjà Vu?
After Canelo moved to super-middleweight and successfully claimed the WBA title from Rocky Fielding, fans began to wonder if a third fight between the fighters would ever occur. After defeating Danny Jacobs at middleweight, Alvarez shocked many by moving up to light-heavyweight to face WBO champion Sergey Kovalev. Following the bout, Canelo moved back down to super-middleweight and began to unify the division. Canelo routed Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant to become the first undisputed Mexican world champion at the weight. In February of 2022, Canelo signed a two-fight deal with Matchroom with rumored opponents, including light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and the trilogy with GGG.
In an upset, Dmitry Bivol defeated Canelo earlier this year, putting the GGG trilogy in limbo. Bivol outboxed Canelo to a unanimous decision to retain his WBA title. Canelo lobbied for an immediate rematch, but talks fell through when Bivo was ordered to enter negotiations with Gilberto Ramirez. With the Bivol rematch off, discussions resumed between GGG and Canelo. This time it will be GGG moving up to challenge Canelo at a new weight.
Canelo Vs. GGG 3 Fight Prediction
Since their last fight four years ago, their careers have taken very different paths. GGG has slowed considerably, struggling with contenders like Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Ryota Murata. Meanwhile, Canelo ascended to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings and has fought some of the best fighters in the world at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight. Although Canelo is coming off a loss against Bivol, he is still the heavy favorite in this fight. Bivol was the bigger man in his prime and was a matchup nightmare for Canelo.
Canelo is still an elite fighter, and super-middleweight is his ideal weight class. Golovkin is now 40 years old and clearly not the fighter he was during their first two fights. Still, Golovkin has proved he is still a capable fighter and will still be a stiff test for Canelo despite his advancing age. Both fighters have proven to be durable over the years, so look for an exciting and entertaining third fight for these two great champions. Canelo should be expected to edge out a win as the younger, stronger fighter in his prime.
What Time And Where Can Canelo Vs. GGG 3 Be Seen?
This Saturday, you can catch the fight on DAZN PPV at 10 pm ET. The card will be co-headlined by a potential future star in Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, as he defends his WBC super-flyweight title.
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