Although he acknowledged the difficulties he will face, Mexican boxer Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez was ready to beat Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin in their third and final fight on Saturday and insisted that he will settle this rivalry with a knockout.
Source: AFP
Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, needs to shake off the doubts that have surrounded him since he suffered the second defeat of his entire career in May, in a fight against Russian Dmitry Bivol in the upper middleweight category.
Four months later, the Mexican boxing idol was cheered at Thursday’s press conference by his devoted fans, who traveled to Las Vegas for Mexico’s independence weekend.
“I am very happy to return to the ring, very excited, very motivated,” said ‘Canelo’ at the KA Theater of the MGM Grand hotel. “Obviously the last fight hurt us a lot but as men we have to move on, continue on the path of greatness.”
Álvarez, 32, and Golovkin, 40, will meet again on Saturday in the ring at T-Mobile Arena with many pending accounts to settle.
The first confrontation between the 32-year-old Mexican and the 40-year-old Kazakh ended in a controversial draw in 2017, with many experts giving Golovkin the winner.
The second, held a year later, ended with a unanimous decision victory for Álvarez, who now wants to apply his first knockout to Golovkin and defend his super middleweight belts (168 pounds – 76.2 kg).
“I work better under pressure, I want to finish this fight before the 12 rounds,” said ‘Canelo’.
“I know I have a great rival in front of me, a very strong and very intelligent rival,” he acknowledged. “It will be difficult, but nothing is easy in this life. I came to achieve the complicated”.
The Mexican, who has a balance of 57 wins (39 knockouts), two draws and two losses, did not change his serious face throughout the event and this time he was more content with respect to his rival, without the disqualifications he dedicated to him in previous occasions.
– “The biggest fight” –
Golovkin, for his part, expressed his happiness at fighting the Mexican again, a fight for which he had to move up from his usual weight.
The Kazakh, current World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Federation (IBF) middleweight champion (160 pounds – 72.6 kg), will fight for the first time at 168 pounds
“I am absolutely ready,” he said. “Very happy to be here, four years is a long time.”
“This is the biggest day for boxing right now. The best gift for you, fans”, stressed the veteran boxer, who has a record of 42 wins (37 knockouts), one loss and one draw.
“I feel very comfortable, very strong and prepared,” said Golovkin regarding Álvarez’s intentions to seek victory on the fast track.
“We are both professional athletes. Their strategy is more aggressive, mine is more experienced,” he described. “The ring will show us who is the best… this is the biggest fight for us.”
Álvarez, dressed in dark sportswear, and Golovkin, in a brown jacket and white pants, stood at the end of the conference in a tense face-to-face that had the spectators of the duel roaring.
