Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin fight for the third time this Saturday. Are they fighting to defend their respective legacies? I think they are. And I think the challenger is, especially.
If boxing fans were asked to think back to the legendary Roberto Duran’s career and name one fight, many would cite the loss to Sugar Ray Leonard, where he said: “No mas”.
103 wins. Countless championships and immortal moments that painted the Hall Of Famer in a very positive light. And yet, it’s what was arguably the darkest day of his professional career that most think of first. It’s just the way it is.
Golovkin has done so many amazing things in this sport. But if Canelo goes out there and blasts him to the body for a spectacular KO or TKO, it could easily lead to conversations among fans along the lines of:
"Remember Gennadiy Golovkin? Oh yeah, when Canelo brutally ended his career. Boy, that was bad".
If it goes like that, it could be the defining moment of Triple G’s career. And I think that will be playing on his mind.
I think Golovkin is right near retirement. He said as much during fight week media duties, though he was adamant that the Canelo trilogy won’t be his last bout. Even if he doesn't retire after this fight, it's coming.
On the other hand, Canelo will be in the game for another five or six years. So even if something goes bad for Canelo in this fight, he has the chance to maybe change the narrative even if the third GGG fight ends in disaster for him. He could go fight ten different guys right now and make different stories. GGG needs Canelo, and he needs to win this fight.
Whatever happens on fight night, it has all the ingredients to be an all-timer. I've called many big fights on DAZN. If Canelo and GGG do what the world expects of them on Saturday evening, it has a great chance of becoming the most memorable boxing occasion of 2022 so far — perhaps even more so than the current frontrunner for that distinction, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano.
I was there for that one too, back in April at MSG. That was the most magical of all the fights I've ever called up to this point. I didn't want it to end.
You felt something in that building because it was historic and they did such a great job of building it as exactly that.
The promotion was great. From Matchroom and Jake Paul, they pushed history. Laila Ali was there. Christy Martin was there. All the legends were in the building. It just felt big going into the fight.
And I think we all had the same thought the day of the fight: 'Man, I really hope they entertain us. I hope this isn't a boring fight'. Of course, they didn’t disappoint.
The fight was one of the best I have ever called anywhere. It was one of those special moments in my career, regardless of whether it's WWE, UFC, or kickboxing. I will never forget it.
I knew the fight would be historic when I heard how the crowd was responding during the fight. It's one thing to merely say it's historic. It’s another to actually earn the adjective.
WWE does it all the time to change one word, saying, 'This is the first time ever at Madison Square Garden that the two champions have faced off'. It's just one little line.
You can always preach history, but they were in hook, line, and sinker. The first time two women have headlined Madison Square Garden. It was legitimately sold out. And you got to throw in the nationalism. Half the crowd was Irish, and the other half was Puerto Rican. It felt like a World Cup soccer match. Each punch landed by either fighter added extra decibels.
I get goosebumps talking about it, and the early instincts are similar for this long-awaited trilogy between Canelo and Golovkin.
I think it absolutely delivers for the fans. But the end result, the aftermath? That’s going to be very, very interesting.