Gennady “GGG” Golovkin Vs Saul “Canelo” Alvarez II Pre-Hype: The Pressure Is On Canelo!

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By Rich “Lite It Up” Lopez

As we get ready for the big fight on Mexican Independence weekend on September 15th, the buzz has started. Both fighters, Golovkin and Canelo, having been doing some trash talk leading up to the fight. Hopefully for the fans sake, we get to see a more action packed fight than the first fight. Not that the first fight was dull, but it was a little more tactical than some expected. With that being said, one of the questions going into the second bout is: Who has more pressure in the second fight? Golovkin or Canelo?

First off, I believe it was Golovkin who had the pressure going into the 1st fight last year with Canelo. GGG was dominating and stopping his opponents until he met Daniel Jacobs early last year. Daniel Jacobs with his speed and good technical skills presented a challenge for Golovkin. As a result, Golovkin barely escaped with a decision win. So there was a lot of criticism towards Golovkin and many questioned whether he would run into the same problems with Canelo. Besides Canelo is also a good boxer with technical skills and speed. Also losing to a smaller fighter in Canelo would not look good for Golovkin. As the 1st fight is now history, Golovkin proved slightly he was the better of the two fighters. It was a close fight, but most observers, including myself, thought Golovkin won the fight. I had scored it 115-113 for Golovkin, even though a draw was really not a bad decision either.

Canelo did a great job in the 1st fight and boxed well in spots. He also counter-punched effectively and rolled his head with some of the hard punches that Golovkin threw. However, Golovkin was busier of the two fighters when Canelo was against the ropes and Canelo lost those rounds. At the end, Canelo has nothing to be ashamed of as he went against one of the best fighters pound for pound and was competitive. Still it was enough for the hardcore “GGG” fans and some Mexican fans. They criticized Canelo for running and not fighting “Mexican Style.” To make things worse, the 2nd fight was canceled in May as Canelo was suspended. I have to admit, I gave Canelo the benefit of the doubt when the story was unfolding and wanted to see how things played out. Well, Canelo failed two drug tests which resulted in a six month suspension. Whether or not he intentionally used the banned substance clenbuterol, it still looks bad on Canelo. This only fueled the fire even more and now Canelo is labeled as a cheater.

So based on the result of the 1st fight and Canelo’s suspension which delayed the rematch, I believe the pressure is on Canelo this time around.

Canelo will not only need to win the fight, but win big. He cannot afford another close decision which can create controversy again, even though I think the judging will be better this time around. Canelo will also have to do more and win convincingly or knockout Golovkin. In order for this to happen, he would need to make some adjustments and try to keep the fight in the middle of the ring where he had his best moments. Basically don’t stay on the ropes too long like in their 1st fight. Also he would need to exchange more punches with Golovkin to which would also produce more action and satisfy more fans that were against him.

If Canelo wins, this will show that he is one of the best fighters pound for pound and also redeem himself from his failed drug tests. From the look of things so far, Canelo looks leaner and ready to go come September 15th. Let’s see what he brings to the table this time.

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