On Thursday afternoon Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez sighed and rose to his feet as he prepared for his latest face-off with Gennady Golovkin at their final press conference in Las Vegas. Two more long days and nights would need to pass before their bitter rivalry reaches its culmination in a third fight. Álvarez, who said earlier in the week that he was sick of the stare-downs that accompany professional boxing, had also had enough of the same old questions.
He crossed the stage with studied disdain and reached the spot where Golovkin was waiting for him. These are two of the greatest fighters of the century and this trilogy has festered for years. Golovkin, and most boxing pundits and fans, believed he won their first bout in September 2017 – only for it be judged, controversially, as a draw. The rematch, exactly a year later, ended in a narrow points victory for Canelo. They were both memorable contests but Golovkin turned 40 this year and Álvarez is eight years younger than him.
