Gennady Golovkin Uncertain What He Needs To Change To Beat Canelo
FightersTalkTV.com – This Saturday, Gennady Golovkin will meet Canelo Alvarez for their trilogy fight on DAZN pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But, Golovkin is not sure what he needs to change in his game to defeat Canelo.
Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) feels what he did in two previous fights with the superstar should have resulted in him getting his hand raised. He thinks that the human factor came into the playground, and he’s hoping that it won’t happen if he knocks out Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) to get the victory.
Fans thought the bouts were full of controversy and believed Canelo was given a gift in both fights. Canelo, who started out strong in the first six, fell apart and was outboxed and out-punched by Golovkin from rounds seven through 12. But the judges gave a draw decision instead of a win for Golovkin.
Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez
Gennady Golovkin punches Canelo Alvarez during their WBC/WBA middleweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
So it is with the second. The judges gave it to Canelo by a 12 round majority decision, although fans thought the fight appeared to be either a draw or a win by Golovkin.
Looking back at that match, it’s difficult to see it as a victory for Canelo because he had nothing to left in the tank in the second half. To be sure, Canelo didn’t fade as bad a he did against Dmitry Bivol last May, but pretty close.
Win Over Canelo Alvarez Is The Biggest Victory For The 40-year-old Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
Golovkin, 40, can obviously change elements of his game to improve his chance of winning, because he made mistakes in both fights. Golovkin didn’t throw combinations, and he didn’t stay on the outside against Canelo often enough to avoid getting hit.
At this level, it’s not easy to KO a fighter like Canelo, who has only rarely been hurt and has never been off his feet.
“It’s hard for me to say what needs to be changed because it does not depend on me. Of course, I know I need to get in the ring and show the best of me, the best of boxing,” said Golovkin when asked what he has going to change to defeat Canelo.
“At the same time, we’re talking about human factor here. We’re talking about honesty and fairness with judges. Sometimes you need to be head and shoulders above your opponent to deliver a victory by scoring, as the last fight showed (for Canelo against Bivol).
“You saw the scores, and they did not reflect what we saw in the ring. It was not as close as the scores. We’re talking about human factors here,” said Golovkin.
If it turns out that in the end the result does not match what the fans see, then it is purely for business purposes only. But hopefully, the judges don’t screw things up and pick the wrong fighter because that would taint the outcome and ruin the perception fans have of the Canelo-Golovkin rivalry worse than it already is now. *zz
