By Dan Ambrose: Tim Bradley says Canelo Alvarez is going into his trilogy fight with Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17th bitter & angry about his recent loss to Dmitry Bivol.
Bradley feels the loss for Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) will motivate him to work harder in training camp and to improve the flaws in his game at WBA light heavyweight Bivol exposed in their fight on May 7th.
We saw Canelo plodding forward behind a high guard and loading up on single-power shots in that fight. It was the style that Canelo has routinely used throughout his 17-year professional career.
Bivol quickly neutralized Canelo’s one-dimensional game using movement, stiff jab, combination punching, and tight guard. On top of that, Canelo gassed out after three rounds and was fighting literally on fumes in the last nine rounds of the contest.
What Canelo has going for him is the 40-year-old Golovkin’s age and his habit of loading up on single power shots. Golovkin has never been the type to throw combinations or use mobility so that rules out the possibility of him following the Bivol blueprint.
“I got Canelo. Canelo, in my opinion, has a lot to prove. He let his fans down last time out,” said Tim Bradley to Little Giant Boxing when asked who wins the Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin trilogy.
“He’s going to come in with a chip on his shoulder,” Bradley continued about Canelo being bitter about his recent loss to Bivol. “You could see it in his energy with the way he was looking at GGG.”
It’s doubtful that Canelo will make any real changes to his game other than being less aggressive to conserve his energy better. He gassed not only against Bivol but also in his two fights with GGG and his match against Daniel Jacobs.
If Canelo tries to throw more punches, he’ll tire earlier and leave himself vulnerable to Golovkin’s power jab and single shots. That fight will be harder for Canelo than it would be.
“I think that’s going to compel him to work harder, get back to his craft, get back to boxing, and come in differently in the ring. Not just trying to walk guys down.
“He’s [Canelo] got accustomed to that, and he got in with the wrong guy [Dmitry Bivol] that knew how to isolate all of that, took advantage of that, and beat him,” said Bradley.
“I think the up and down is too much for Canelo,” said Shawn Porter to K.O. Artist Sports when asked if Canelo could beat Bivol in a rematch.
“If Canelo is going to fight at 175, he’s going to need to give his body time to adapt to being at 175 pounds.
“I think in another year, he could really contend with guys like Bivol and the rest of the guys [Artur Beterbiev] up there. He’s got to give his body time to acclimate to the weight class,” said Porter.
