If you enjoyed Mayweather v McGregor, this week’s super fight is one you can’t miss – talkSPORT Opinion
A couple of weeks ago, for a brief moment, the sport of boxing crossed over into the mainstream for Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor.
Many dedicated boxing fans, like myself, watched from behind the sofa, fearing the credibility of the sport was about to take another big hit. After Mayweather-Pacquiao in 2015, boxing could scarcely afford a repeat performance.
However, this never materialised. People actually enjoyed Mayweather-McGregor.
So, if you were one of these people, let me introduce you to boxing's next super-fight: Canelo Alvarez v Gennady Golovkin, this Saturday, September 16 in Las Vegas.
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is a Mexican middleweight who had his first professional fight at just 15 years of age. Since then, he has slowly risen to stardom, beating Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto to become a two-weight world champion ten years later. Canelo boasts a record of 51 wins, one draw (very early in his career) and one loss (to Floyd Mayweather). He has 34 wins by knockout, but has never been knocked down himself.
The Mexican currently doesn't hold any middleweight title belts, however he became the lineal middleweight champion (the man who beat the man) following his victory over Cotto in 2015.
Despite being the slight underdog in the betting markets for this fight, as the star of the show, Canelo's name will come first on all the posters.
This brings us on to the man who, unusually for him, must settle for second billing in this fight. Kazakhstan's 35-year-old Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin has an unbeaten record of 37-0 with 33 knockouts and currently holds three of the four middleweight title belts. Like Canelo, Golovkin has never been knocked down.
GGG is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet and, prior to his last fight in which he went the distance with Daniel Jacobs, he held a streak of 23 consecutive knockouts. The incredibly aggressive power-punching Kazakh delivers devastating power with ease and describes his manner of fighting as “Mexican style”. Ironic in this fight of course, as his opponent is a very proud Mexican.
This is the fight all boxing fans have been crying out for over the last couple of years. We were all disappointed when it failed to come together last September, however in comparison to the six years we waited for Mayweather-Pacquiao, this has been nothing.
Many feel Mayweather-Pacquiao failed to deliver as a result of the fact it was put off for six years. That cannot be the case for Canelo-Golovkin.
The combination of an elite skill level and two exceptionally entertaining fighting styles has made this bout the most anticipated in all of boxing. The huge prizes on the line in terms of fame, fortune and legacy only add to the spectacle.
Canelo has his claim to the middleweight throne as lineal king, but Golovkin has the unified belts. This fight will conclusively tell us who the middleweight champion of the world really is. Don't miss it.