CNN
–
Canelo Álvarez and Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin are clearly not fans of each other.
And after 24 bruises tours In the bell Already together, that’s probably not surprising.
But after years of speculation, the two became boxing The greats will once again reignite their rivalry for the third and final time on Saturday in Las Vegas – with more at stake than just the title belts.
When the duo touch gloves, their three-way fight will have a personal aspect, with Alvarez telling CNN Sport’s Alex Thomas that it is “different” from his other fights.
“I think it’s different because we don’t like each other,” he explained. “We have history, so it’s a much more exciting battle, for both of them, for the fans, for everyone.
And I hate that kind of person, as Golovkin says a lot of things about you, and then when that person is in front of you, they say, ‘Oh, I respect that, and I respect that. “I hate it. I’m so excited to be back.”
The rivalry between Álvarez and Golovkin has dominated the boxing world for nearly five years, since their first bout, with ups and downs, thrills and spills along the way.
They first fought in 2017, with GGG’s WBC, WBA and IBO titles on the line; The fight ended in a controversial draw as many said that the Kazakh fighter should have ruled the victor.
The disputed outcome of the fight culminated in a rematch which was quickly announced afterwards, only to be called off after Alvarez tested positive for a banned substance. As a result, the Mexican fighter was banned for six months.
Finally, a little over a year after their first fight, the two fought in a rematch, which again was not without controversy. Although Alvarez took the win by majority decision after 12 rounds, many again debated whether this result was accurate, and again said Golovkin beat Alvarez.
And now, nearly four years to the day since their second fight, the two will step into the ring once again.
Alvarez will put his undisputed middleweight titles on the line, while for Golovkin, he will fight heavy for the first time in his career.
The 40-year-old Golovkin claimed a unit victory at the middleweight against Japan’s Ryota Morata, his first fight in over a year.
But for Alvarez, it’s a different story.
In his previous fight in May, the 32-year-old was Amazed by Russia’s Dmitry Bivol In their light weight fight for the heavyweight title, all three judges scored for Bevol – only the second loss of his career.
It was Alvarez’s weight gain, although he doesn’t blame that increase for the unanimous defeat, saying, “A lot of things happened in my training camp.”
However, this loss has made him more dangerous because he says he “learned a lot” from it. “I think I’m more dangerous than before because I’m hungry to come back,” Alvarez said.
“And I’m very competitive. Like I said before, when you’re looking for greatness, it’s going to be tough times. But that doesn’t mean I won’t achieve what I want, my goals. So I’m looking forward and I’m ready to come back.”
While his three-way fight with GGG is the latest in a long line of mega fights for Alvarez, he says – as he prepares for his 62nd professional fight – he’s driven by more than just titles and championships.
“I always feel like I’m the best fighter in the world, since I started boxing. I feel like I’m the best because I’m the only fighter who doesn’t need to take a risk. I take risks because I want to be great, not just be a champion. There are a lot of champions out there. The difference between me and them is I’m risking everything to be great.”
The fight can be watched live DAZN PPV On the 17th of September.
“Typical food guru. Problem solver. Devoted beer practitioner. Professional reader. Baconaholic.”