By Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez was running on empty after three rounds in his last fight against Dmitry Bivol in May and was too exhausted to mount any offense.
Predictably, we’ll probably see the 31-year-old Canelo completely gassed out after three rounds in his next fight, gasping for breath & red in the face trying to attack with single punches.
How Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) faded against Bivol is troubling because the fight was fought at a slow pace for the most part.
Bivol was fighting in first gear and only occasionally shifting into second gear to unload combinations on Canelo. For Canelo to be as tired as he was after three rounds suggest that his chronically poor stamina worsens as he ages.
Next month, Canelo will face his old nemesis Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17th in a fight expected to close the chapter in their rivalry. Golovkin looks old and past it in his last handful of fights, so Canelo should be able to beat him without any problems.
Unfortunately, given what we saw of Canelo in his last fight, we could see the 40-year-old Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) pull off an upset victory. If that happens, we can forget Canelo fighting Bivol in a rematch in May 2023 because he’ll devote that fight date to the fourth clash against Golovkin.
It’s no secret that Canelo has had problems with his cardio during his career, as we saw him gas in both Golovkin fights and his matches against Daniel Jacobs, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Austin Trout, and Bivol.
While Canelo appears to be working hard in camp on running to build his stamina, it could be a losing cause. He doesn’t seem to have the right cardiovascular system to fight hard the way he needs to against quality opposition.
It’s fair to say that if Canelo gasses against GGG next month, he will be toast. Golovkin will unload on Canelo with everything he’s got once he spots fatigue in the aging Mexican warrior, and believe me; he won’t let up until he has him on the canvas.
Golovkin obviously knows what he’s up against in terms of needing a knockout to win. The fight will be taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and that’s the same spot the first two Canelo-Golovkin fights took place.
https://youtu.be/1QTvnk1XDP8?t=806