Now that the noise is over, now that Floyd Mayweather has stopped Conor McGregor in an entertaining novelty fight, we have less than a month remaining before boxing’s next big showdown, and one that is, for the sport, far more important.
On September 16, Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will meet for middleweight supremacy at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the same building that housed Mayweather-McGregor.
This is a fight years in the making, dating back to Alvarez’s 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather, after which he began refusing to fight at a 154-pound limit, instead forcing 155-pound limits and, because he’s popular, eventually getting a WBC middleweight title fight in 2015 with Miguel Cotto, at that weight, five pounds south of the division’s limit.
Alvarez’s run as WBC middleweight champion was short. He defended once, against Amir Khan in May 2016, a fight that was ridiculed from the moment it was signed, and became what it was expected to be, with Khan’s speed playing a factor early before Alvarez scored a devastating sixth round knockout.
Alvarez gave up the belt rather than face Golovkin (37-0, 33 KO), who refused to budge on the weight and drop below 160 for a catchweight bout that would only suit Alvarez. Canelo instead made the 154-pound limit again to beat Liam Smith last September for the WBO junior middleweight title — another fight that was largely trashed by the media and fans — and then came up all the way to a 164-pound catchweight for what turned out to be his most laughable fight yet, an all-Mexico showdown on May 6 of this year against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. We’re still waiting for Chavez to actually show up to that fight.
While Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KO) stalled, he also made money. His fight with Chavez was a major pay-per-view success, and immediately after it was over, Gennady Golovkin was introduced to the crowd in Las Vegas as Canelo’s next opponent.
Golovkin, 35, is eight years Alvarez’s senior. He’s held at least one version of the middleweight title since 2010, and has thrashed most of his opposition since then. He began his U.S. career in 2012, destroying Grzegorz Proksa in a little-watched HBO fight.
ESPN
Trader Velizar Mitov
Read more:
25 Canada Square, Level 33, office 50, Canary Wharf London, E14 5LQ +44 20 3608 6256
World Financial Markets - 0700 17 600 Varchev Exchange - 0700 115 44
Varchev Finance Ltd is registered in the FCA (FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY) with a passport in the United Kingdom: FCA, United Kingdom - registration number: 494 045, which allows provision of financial services in the United Kingdom.
Varchev Finance Ltd strictly comply with the statutes of the European directive MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments). targeting increased efficiency, transparency and uniformity of financial instruments.
Varchev Finance Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Supervision Commission - Sofia, Bulgaria: License number RG-03-02-05 / 15.03.2006
The information on this site is not intended for distribution or use by any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.
Disclaimer:
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 63,41% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.