We are down to one day and Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin are both in for the biggest fight of their careers. I know that fight night will answer all questions, but I still have one more. Which fighter has the most pressure riding him?
For Canelo this is going to be his biggest test. Though GGG is not the biggest star, enough boxing fans know what Alvarez is up against. Golovkin is more than just a puncher. He is a boxer who packs a punch. He enjoys stalking his opponent, making them move in to his range, and changing their game plans off the jab alone. Of course Canelo faced big names like Mayweather, Cotto, and Khan, but this is his biggest fight in terms of caliber of opponent. GGG is his first solid middleweight fight and GGG poses more of a threat than any fighter on Canelo’s resume so he knows that there’s not an opponent that can be referenced going into this fight. Canelo can box with then best in the ranks, but this is a fight where he is going to have to be a fighter. He knows that everything he’s gotten in the sport of boxing was not giving to him so fight he must. Alvarez is a man who cares about his legacy and that’s the main reason he has accepted the challenge this Saturday night.
For Gennady Golovkin, he is a fighter who has been going about his career on a steady but quiet road. He’s taken all the belts and proven over and over why he’s the champion against decent but non threatening competition (excluding Jacobs). For the past years much like Bernard Hopkins he’s been looking for that one opponent that can not only fill seats but bring the best out of him. After several years of waiting for this fight, Saturday night he gets his opportunity. Much like Canelo, he doesn’t have much to look back on in referencing a past opponent to get him ready. Canelo a young, strong, boxer/puncher, with blistering combinations brings Golovkin a new look for this one. He also has to remember this is a young man’s game, and his age can play a factor in this fight. GGG has not been in any serious wars and he’s rarely been cut so we know he doesn’t have much wear and tear. We all know how Father Time works in this sport, one minute you can have it the next minute you don’t. And it doens’t necessarily mean Golovkin will get old overnight, but his timing or legs could play a factor in this fight especially in a fight on this platform.
But all that said, we’re less than a week away, and to know the pressure these guys feel will never be known if you’re outside of the ring. And that’s what makes this sport.