By Don Young: Mikey Garcia is giving Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin a warning that if he tangles with Canelo Alvarez now, he’s going to be knocked out. GGG is still hoping to get a trilogy match against Canelo soon, and there’s a possibility the two could battle it out in December.
Canelo mentioned the option of facing the popular Kazakhstan fighter in December if he’s successful in winning his next two fights against Billy Joe Saunders in May and Caleb Plant in September.
The Mexican star Canelo wants to fight four times this year, and there will be pressure on him to face GGG in the long-awaited trilogy match if he does accomplish his goal of becoming the undisputed champion at 168 this year.
The former four-division world champion Mikey says the 38-year-old Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) is on the decline due to the wear & tear of a career’s worth of training camps, as well as his advanced age.
Saunders fight will be more competitive
“Canelo came to do what he had to do, and that was put the guy out,” said Mikey Garcia to Fighthype in talking about Canelo’s fight last Saturday against Avni Yildirim.
“It was one of his mandatory’s for the WBC title. “He would have had to vacate the title or take the fight, so he took the fight. It was just to keep him busy because his next fight is in May [against Billy Joe Saunders].
“He already announced it right away. That should be a better fight, he’s fighting a world champion in Saunders. I still think Canelo wins, but it’s a better fight and more competitive than this [Yildirim].
“Saunders is a boxer, he moves around. He’s going to make things more complicated, so it might go the distance, but I still think Canelo wins. Canelo has improved so much in the last couple of years,” said Mikey.
The movement by WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders will make things more complicated for WBA/WBC 168lb champion Canelo when those two fight on May 8th.
For the boxing fans that are assuming that Saunders will be a stationary target like Callum Smith and Avni Yildirim, they’re going to be in for a surprise.
Saunders is a lot more cerebral than those fighters, and he’s going to use his intelligence to give Canelo fits. Billy Joe may lose, but he’s going to give Canelo a different kind of fight that he hasn’t seen since his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2013.
Mikey: Canelo will stop Golovkin
“After that first fight against GGG, that was when I saw the most improvement,” said Mikey about Canelo. “The best defense, more offense, more confidence in himself, stronger.
“Prior to the first GGG fight, he was a little questionable. It was like there was something missing like it was not complete.
“But after the GGG fight, the experience from the first fight, it really helped him. After that, he’s [improved.
“If they fight again, I think Canelo stops GGG,” said Mikey. “Canelo has actually been getting better, and GGG is on his way down on his way out.
“Canelo, he’s in his prime, he’s young,” Mikey said. “What is he, 30-years-old? He’s strong, he’s never been beaten up, and he’s not been in a fight where he’s hurt and taking lots of punishment.
“So if they do a third fight, I think Canelo stops GGG. I don’t know if they’re going to do that right now. His next fight should be against Saunders,” said Mikey.
The Golovkin that we saw against Canelo in their rematch and in his war with Sergiy Derevyanchenko will be in danger of being knocked out by the Mexican superstar.
Golovkin will be turning 39 in May, and if Canelo chooses to delay their trilogy fight until 2022 or 2023, he’ll win based on age more than talent.
That’s why it’s unfortunate that Canelo has chosen to wait this long because it’s going to keep him from getting the credit he would have received if he’d fought GGG in December 2018.
Canelo chose to fight Rocky Fielding, and he’s fought similarly flawed opposition ever since.
GGG has worn down from training camps
“It’s not about the age. That does play a factor, but for him, it’s more the wear and tear of training camps,” said Mikey about GGG. “He was fighting four times a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D49bvTftza4
“He [Golovkin] never got hurt in his fights, it’s not as if he was getting beaten up. He was winning most of his fights by knockout quick.
“It’s not as if he was getting beaten up, and that’s why he’s damaged goods now. No, it’s so many intense training camps.
“Every fight he had, he trained the same. Hard as ever, and that’s what added to the wear & tear of his body.
“Now he’s on the decline, he still has it. He’s on a bit of a decline. He’s aged a little bit, and that’s a factor in there,” added Mikey about Golovkin.
GGG looked good in his last fight against Kamil Szeremeta, but that was a guy that made to order for him.
Last Saturday’s fight for Canelo against Avni Yildirim is an example of the kind of fighters he’s been consistently facing since his hard second clash against Golovkin in September 2018.
Canelo hasn’t gone out of his way to take on the best since that the second fight with GGG.