By Brian Webber: Promoter Eddie Hearn feels that Canelo Alvarez must fight Gennadiy Golovkin next in September rather than taking the immediate rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol to try and avenge his loss to him.
Hearn isn’t saying why there’s such a pressing need for the trilogy fight between Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) and Golovkin to take place in September, but it could be the advanced age of the Kazakhstan fighter.
What we saw from the 40-year-old Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) in his last fight against WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata on April 9th was an ancient fighter, one that looked old & had serious stamina issues.
The way that Golovkin was wilting under the attack of Murata in the first four rounds was troubling, considering the Japanese fighter was never rated highly and was viewed as a paper champion in thee yes of many.
Moreover, Murata was no spring chicken at 36 and hadn’t fought in three years. Golovkin getting the stuffing beaten out of him by a weak champion like Murata was a clear sign that he needed to hang up his gloves soon.
Hearn is obviously concerned that if Canelo doesn’t fight Golovkin now, the Kazakhstan fighter will lose his next fight against one of the contenders.
At this point, Golovkin would be at risk if he were to defend his IBF/WBA middleweight titles against either of these three highly ranked contenders:
- Esquiva Falcao – #1 IBF
- Jaime Munguia – #2 WBA
- Chris Eubank Jr – #1 WBA
“I spoke to Canelo yesterday. We’re talking on Monday to see what’s next,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing. “We know the GGG fight is there for the undisputed [at 168]; it’s the trilogy [for September].
“It’s probably the only chance. We’ve got to make that fight, but he’s desperate to fight Dmitry Bivol,” said Hearn. “I think he’ll only fight GGG if he fights Dmitry Bivol after that. So, we’ll talk to him [Canelo] on Monday and make a decision next week.
“No, not yet,” said Hearn to TalkSPORT when asked if the Dmitry Bivol rematch had been activated by Canelo. “We’re going to have a conversation with Canelo this week and over the weekend.
“He wants to fight Dmitry Bivol. He’s definitely NOT going to fight Dmitry Bivol. It’s just [a matter of] when he does it.
“We obviously have a lot of conversations in place about the GGG trilogy, which actually becomes a lot more interesting now because that whole unbeatable image of Canelo has slipped away after last week [in losing to Bivol].
“We may go into the Dmitry Bivol fight. One thing is for sure. Canelo Alvarez is not going to not want another crack against Dmitry Bivol. It’s just the order in which we do it.
“It’s either GGG in September, or it’s Dmitry Bivol. If it’s not Dmitry Bivol, it’ll be Dmitry Bivol after GGG if Canelo can get through. If that’s the case, we’ll give Dmitry another fight in October. Then we’ll see the big rematch [between Canelo & Bivol] on Cinco de Mayo next year.
“That’s the whole thing about the GGG fight. It’s now or never, honestly,” said Hearn when asked what does Golovkin do if Canelo fights Bivol next in September.
You got to respect Hearn’s foresight to realize that Golovkin is on his last legs, vulnerable against literally anybody in the top 15, and easy prey there for the taking.
If Canelo waits until May 2023, the 41-year-old Golovkin will likely have been beaten at least once if not twice by then. What would be the point in Canelo fighting the old guy other than for old time’s sake?
“For me, Canelo vs. GGG is the biggest fight in boxing,” said Hearn. “It’s the undisputed super-middleweight world championship.
The first two were epic, and I want to see that fight. I think if we don’t do it now, we’ll never do it. That’s definitely part of the consideration, but as well, Canelo Alvarez doesn’t really want to wait for Dmitry Bivol. He wants it again now.
“All of a sudden, it’s mad the way boxing can work. Now, Canelo Alvarez sort of sits there going, ‘If you lose to GGG or if you lose to Dmitry Bivol, you’re in big trouble.’
“A week ago, we were saying that he’s [Canelo] pound-for-pound #1. Things can change very quickly, and there’s a lot of pressure on Canelo Alvarez regardless of who he fights next.
“There are some great fights out there for [Chris] Eubank Jr, but he’s not a guy that these pound-for-pound greats look at and say, ‘He’s the guy to cement my legacy.’ Eubank is always in good fights, but GGG wants to fight Canelo Alvarez.
“There’s a lot of bad blood between those two, and that’s another reason why I’d like to do the fight,” said Hearn about his strong interest in having Canelo battle Golovkin next on September 17th.
