By Adam Baskin: Canelo Alvarez says he hopes Gennadiy Golovkin uses the Mexican style of fighting that his ex-trainer Abel Sanchez used to rave about him using.
On Saturday night, Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) and Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) meet for the third time and likely final time. The fight will be broadcast by DAZN pay-per-view and will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. If Golovkin wins, a fourth fight is a possibility.
Canelo feels that the reason Golovkin used to say he used the Mexican style is that he wanted to bring in the Mexican fans to start following his fights.
When Canelo fought aggressively in their second fight, Golovkin surprisingly retreated and didn’t stand his ground, which led to him losing the fight.
Canelo wants to knock Golovkin out for this fight so that he leaves no doubt in the minds of fans & the media who the better fighter is of the two.
However, Canelo says he won’t be disappointed if he fails to score a knockout because he’ll be ready to go the full 12 rounds to win a decision.
Canelo ready for 12 rounds
“I know what he try. He tried to bring the Mexican fans. That’s what he tried,” said Canelo Alvarez to DAZN Boxing Show when asked whether he felt insulted when Gennadiy Golovkin started calling his fighting style “Mexican style.”
“That’s why he said, ‘I have the Mexican style’ because he wants Mexican fans.
“It’s nice to have a trilogy, but I don’t think I need it to be in the books of history. Look, I’m happy to be here, and I’m happy to bring this fight to my fans. I’ve been giving my fans really good fights, and I’m happy to be here.
“I love the idea. I’m ready,” said Canelo when asked if he’d like for Golovkin to fight using the Mexican style on Saturday.
“I like pressure. That’s where I work better. No, I prepare myself for 12 rounds,” said Canelo on whether he’ll be unhappy if he doesn’t get the knockout of Golovkin.
“If the knockout comes, I’m going to be looking forward. Yes, he’s one of my best opponents. I think the styles make the big fight we have, and that’s good for boxing.
“I don’t care about the odds because when I fought him in the last two fights, I wasn’t the favorite, and I won. I don’t pay attention to that too much,” said Canelo.
Bivol must earn Canelo rematch
“I want [Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to win [against Dmitry Bivol]. “He’s Mexican, and I want him to win, obviously. It depends on the results. If Bivol loses, I don’t think we’re going to have a rematch. We’ll see. I love trying other things,” said Canelo.
“That’s what people don’t talk about. They talk about when someone comes on my weight. He bring him in his weight class, but he doesn’t come up.
“It’s okay. I try something else. I don’t need it. I don’t need to take that kind of risk, but I love to take risks because I love challenges. My mind is okay, I’m okay because I tried something different. That’s what makes the great fighters.
“No, 175,” said Canelo when asked if Bivol defeats Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez does he want him to go down to 168 to fight. “I did my best in training camp. It was one of the best training camps I ever had, and I’m ready for Saturday,” said Canelo.
Alvarez won’t gas out
“I started running again three times a week because, in 2018, I had surgery on both of my knees,” said Canelo. “I started running three times a week, and I feel strong and ready for Saturday.
“Yeah, different,” said Canelo about Bivol getting a better-conditioned version of himself when/if the two fight next year in May. “A lot of things happened in that training camp. It’s okay.
“Lose is okay because you learn a lot of things. You learn what you don’t need to do. It’s okay. You need to keep forward, and that’s it. Look, always there’s something there.
“You never know what is going to be there,” said Canelo when asked what he wants to accomplish in his weight class at 168. “So, I’m ready for the big challenge in boxing,” said Canelo.
