By Gerardo Granados: On September 16 at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the undefeated middleweight Champion of the World Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will defend the WBC-WBA-IBF titles against former super welter and middleweight belt holder Saul Canelo Alvarez.
A fight that should have taken place more than two years ago will finally happen, there is no doubt that Canelo waited on GGG to slow down but Golovkin still has more than enough to beat a boxer used to fight against smaller or past prime foes.
I must admit that Canelo has improved from what I saw 2 years ago but he has not beat any middleweight on the level of David Lemieux or Danny Jacobs. Yeah, he beat Miguel Cotto at a catch weight fight but Alvarez didn’t look impressive fighting a much smaller foe.
Some argue that Danny Jacobs won against Golovkin but that is ludicrous. Some say GGG was exposed by Kell Brook but that is nonsense and those also keep on reliving an uppercut landed on Gennady as if the greatest boxers never got hit flush. And there is at least one casual fan that made a comment on major media saying that Golovkin power is a myth. I think that GGG isn’t the same he was two years ago but he still is the most dangerous fighter at 160.
All the questions the reader might have are soon to be answered. Has Canelo´s body finally grown into a middleweight? Has GGG lost a step? Does Canelo have the perfect style to beat Gennady? Is Golovkin jab more than enough to control Alvarez? Can Canelo take GGG power? Will Canelo be able to hurt Gennady? Are fight fans underestimating GGG amateur pedigree? Has Alvarez beat only names? Should GGG skip the IBF next day weight in? Will Canelo skip the IBF next day weight in? Does Canelo struggles against smart boxers and only feast on slow flat-footed fighters? Will it go the distance? Can GGG get the decision if the fight is close? Will the referee be impartial and do a respectable job this time? Will it be a fight of the year nominee?
Perhaps the reader has more questions but I have only one that I am eager to be answer, do they have the heart that goes along with the Mexican Style?
Mexican Style is made not only by brawlers or straight forward pressure fighters; there are good boxers and boxer punchers too. What the Mexican Style shows is the heart to never give up and to continue fighting until the end. To dig deep into the fighter soul to retaliate, to pull himself off the canvas to continue fighting and to go for the kill every single time they get into the ring.
The battle of the Zetas comes to my mind, when Carlos Zarate beat Alfonzo Zamora it was a barn burner in which there was no doubt both showed the heart of a champion; if by any chance the reader has not seen this one then I strongly suggest you search for it and enjoy.
The way Erik Morales fought against nemesis Marco Antonio Barrera, the way Julio Cesar Chavez fought against Meldrick Taylor, the way Humberto Gonzalez fought against Michael Carbajal, the way ring warriors Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez fought, the way Ruben Olivarez and Chucho Castillo went to war, the way Juan Manuel Marquez fought nemesis Manny Pacquiao, the way Salvador Sanchez fought against Azumah Nelson, the way Ricardo Lopez fought against Rosendo Alvarez, the way Orlando Salido fought against Vasyl Lomachenko, the way Jose Luis Castillo fought against Floyd Mayweather Jr and the way Gilberto Roman fought against Santos Laciar are clear examples of the Mexican Style.
Trainer Abel Sanchez has molded Golovkin into a modern version of Julio Cesar Chavez, the reader can look at video of Chavez and compare it to Golovkin and you will find similarities on their fighting style. But does Golovkin have the heart shown by past great Mexican fighters?
Trainer Chepo Reynoso built Canelo as an accurate counter puncher, but in my opinion not yet as good as Juan Manuel Marquez was. I still have doubts about Canelo´s corner ability to adjust during the fight but I cannot question that Chepo is a good trainer.
I have never seen Canelo in a tough fight yet. Back when he was a kid, Jose Cotto hurt him in the very first round but the then nineteen-year-old prospect behaved like a much more experienced fighter and could come out of the round ending winning the fight by TKO in nine.
Against Floyd Mayweather Jr and Erislandy Lara, Canelo fought difficult boxers, but not one that could flatten him with a single clean shot. How will Canelo react to GGG power intrigues me, will he be sickened or will he keep on moving forward?
So far, I have seen Golovkin walk through clean hard punches without even blink; GGG also has never been knocked down in his long amateur career. I have never ever seen him hurt or struggle inside the ring even against much bigger foes such as Danny Jacobs or Martin Murray. So, if Canelo somehow can hurt him or outbox him, it makes me wonder if Gennady will finally prove that he means it when he proclaims to fight Mexican Style.
If we talked about boxing skills then there is no doubt that both fighters are skilled. But do they have the heart that goes along the Mexican Style?
