Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez and Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin will face off once again to determine who is the undisputed middleweight champion.
The pair will lock horns on May 5, nearly 8 months after they entertained us with a thrilling fight in Las Vegas. The venue has not yet been confirmed, but the fight capital of the world is favourite to host the bout once again.
Many fans feared the rematch would be delayed by Óscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, and they would wait another year for Golovkin to age. To their credit they haven’t done that, and fight fans around the world are now in for another great match up.
Although the first fight was close, most boxing fans thought Golovkin had done enough to take it. Admittedly, it was a very even fight with both having their success but Golovkin was seen to be the pressure fighter. That is usually rewarded in Vegas but he didn’t get the result, much to the disgust of many fans. American commentator Teddy Atlas probably the most outspoken about the controversial decision.
Golovkin will again prepare for the fight in Big Bear, under the watchful eye of longtime trainer Abel Sanchez. Alvarez is also rumoured to be heading to higher ground and train at altitude, to improve his conditioning.
There has been much said about the first fight, especially the ridiculous 118-110 scorecard from Adelaide Byrd, in favour of Alvarez. Golovkin has vowed though, this time it won’t go the distance, ominously saying when intervied, “This time we won’t need the judges”. This statement surely suggests that he is specifically training to knock out Alvarez this time and avoid another bad decision.
Alvarez on the other hand will probably adopt the same tactics as the first fight, counter punching and using his movement and footwork to frustrate Golovkin.
Hopefully, whichever fighter is victorious on May 5, will win convincingly. If not, we may yet see a trilogy fight.
