It’s finally here.
And it’s all on the line.
Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin square off tonight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (8 p.m., DAZN/PPV.com) for the heavily-anticipated third fight of their iconic trilogy.
The sport’s biggest rivalry, the undisputed super middleweight title and two all-time legacies all come under the microscope five years after two of the sport’s greats first met inside the ring.
What began as a respectful rivalry between two of boxing’s pound-for-pound best has transformed into bitter vitriol surrounding their first two fights.
“He always pretends to be a nice guy, like in front of people,” Alvarez told reporters in June. “He’s an a–hole, that’s what he is. He’s an a–hole. It is what it is. I don’t pretend to be nice. This is the way I am. I don’t pretend to be another person. He’s always pretending in front of you and people, ‘Oh, I’m a nice guy.’ He’s not.
“He always talks about I’m scared, I’m running away when I’m fighting the best guys out there and he’s fighting with Class D fighters. He’s talking a lot of things about me. That’s why it’s personal for me.”
Judging controversy clouded the first two bouts. The first, which ended in a split-decision draw, saw scores of 114-114, 115-113 Golovkin and 118-110 Alvarez. That final 118-110 score for Alvarez immediately drew wide scale criticism, as Golovkin appeared to have the upper hand.
The rematch saw Alvarez claim a 115-113, 115-113, 114-114 majority decision win, and despite less scrutiny than the first bout, the scoring again came under question.
“I’m not thinking about [the judging for the third fight], to be honest,” Golovkin told The Post. “I’m not very concerned. I think I need to do my job, and judges have their own job to do. I also hope they will do it well, that they’ll be honest and that they’ll be fair. We’ll have our job to do, I hope everything is going to be good.”
That scoring controversy – and Golovkin and his team’s continued outspoken comments about the scores – have fueled much of the resentment. Further, the rematch had to be postponed after Alvarez tested positive for the PED clenbuterol, which he blamed on contaminated meat he consumed in Mexico. Golovkin has consistently rejected that excuse, branding Alvarez a cheater.
Golovkin, for his part, has denied that this fight is more personal, although the acrimony could be felt around him in the buildup to the third fight. He notably told The Post recently that the judges in the first two bouts “were used like disposable tissues are being used.”
“Have you seen any hatred, or rivalry, from G’s side? All the stuff you heard, anything you heard or saw came from Canelo’s side,” Golovkin’s trainer Johnathon Banks told The Post. “None of that came from G’s side. All the stuff you heard saying ‘I’m gonna kill you, I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that,’ that all came from Canelo’s side. G hasn’t said anything. G’s said ‘it’s business as usual.’ That’s his approach to it.”
Only, it’s anything but business as usual.
Beyond personal pride, and closing a chapter to both of their respective all-time legacies, this bout will take place at super middleweight, not at middleweight like their first two meetings. Alvarez, who has also won titles at light middleweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, defends all four of his super middleweight titles in the fight. Golovkin, for all his accolades and accomplishments inside the ring, has never been an undisputed champion.
He’s also never fought at anything but middleweight. At 40 years old, in perhaps the biggest fight of his storied career, he’s attempting to change both.
“We all have a little bit of madness in us, a little bit of craziness, and we have to respond to that,” Golovkin said. “Indeed, it is going to be the first time for me. I haven’t boxed in this division before, and I haven’t had a chance to adapt – I didn’t have any preliminary fights before. I’m jumping into this weight class, so I think I’ll have a better understanding after this fight.”
Alvarez and Golovkin also enter the fight from different places. At 32, Alvarez is in his prime, while Golovkin is nearing the end of his career and rumors have swirled that he could retire if he loses the fight. Alvarez, however, is coming off a defeat to Dmitri Bivol – his first defeat since he lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2013 – in challenging for the WBA light heavyweight title. Golovkin, on the other hand, has cruised in his four bouts since his loss to Alvarez, albeit against inferior opposition.
Although both of their legacies are well-intact, both Alvarez and Golovkin will forever be connected through their trilogy.
Personal or business, it closes one of boxing’s greatest ever stories.
“I’m very happy with what I have, very content with my achievements,” Golovkin said. “At the same time, of course a win in this fight is very important. If it happens, it will be very exciting, like any win, like any victory in any fight is important, has a lot of meaning to me.”
