Gennady Golovkin has suggested that his great rival Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez may have grown “delusional” as a result of his ascent to the top of the sport.
The pair clash again on 17 September in Las Vegas to complete one of the most remarkable trilogies of this generation and Golovkin has not ruled out a fourth fight either. Golovkin and Canelo engaged in a two-city press tour last month to publicise the encounter and the latter spent much of it telling just about anybody who would listen that this time it is personal. An unusual admission from any boxer.
“It’s hard for me to comment on his words when he says that this fight has become personal for him,” said Golovkin in response. “Perhaps he is trying to hide his real emotions under a mask to find some justification for the loss in his last fight. Maybe it’s just a strategy.
“I don’t understand why he has become like this but there is a chance that he might just be delusional.
“Every fight is different but just the mere idea that he won his last fight [against Dmitry Bivol] is incomprehensible. For him to say that he didn’t lose the fight or that he’s unhappy with the decision, I don’t know how to comment on that. He said that he won that fight? Come on, man, take off your sunglasses.”
As Golovkin points out, for the first time in their rivalry Canelo will go into the fight off the back of a loss, having been beaten soundly on points by WBA light-heavyweight champion Bivol on 7 May.
That result had left this third clash uncertain and it had been suggested that the Mexican may look for an immediate rematch against the 20-0 Russian instead. But he opted for Golovkin as he bids to apply a resounding full stop to a run of fights not without controversy.
Their first fight, five years ago in September, ended in a draw but many thought Golovkin had done enough to win. Canelo won the rematch 12 months later but the modern day middleweight classic could have gone either way too. Now four years on from that night, Golovkin is 40 and seemingly on the wane. He has boxed just four times since that 2019 return while Canelo has been out twice as much, and unified the super-middleweight division in the process.
“On one hand I’ve put the first two fights with Canelo behind me,” Golovkin said. “They’re history to me, and I did not lose those fights.
“I would have been very comfortable retiring off the back of those. But I’m very happy that I’ve got the third fight with him. It’s difficult for boxers to get even a rematch in certain situations so it’s a historic moment that the third fight is taking place. I believe it’s a good addition to the history of my career.
“I’d like to assure you that I felt confident before the first fight, the second fight and I still feel confident before the third fight. I don’t feel any discomfort, any doubts and I’m fully prepared for this one too.”
In the four years since they last met, Canelo has established himself as the No.1 attraction in the whole of boxing and, according to Forbes, he is the 8th highest earning athlete in the world and by far the richest in boxing.
But when asked if that is a source of frustration for Golovkin, who is still adamant he won both of their fights, said: “I don’t even know how to answer this question; I don’t count his money, I don’t pay attention to his achievements.
“I don’t really care about him, I don’t think about him and it doesn’t matter where he is or what he does. I believe people pay too much attention to him and praise him too much. Just look at the stats, he has more losses than me and I think people need to get back to reality on this and bring him with them.
“As you probably noticed the two press conferences in New York and then Los Angeles were worlds apart. I can tell that there is no gameplan from him. There is just some underlying aggression and I don’t believe they have a clear understanding of what they’re doing. We will see.”
So is 17 September his chance to finally prove he is the superior of the two, after no wins from two?
“To prove is not the right word,” Golovkin added. “I’m not trying to prove anything to anybody. I’m happy this fight is taking place, I’m content with the terms we have for this fight but it’s not about proving anything to anybody.
“Will it be my last one? Nobody knows. But honestly, probably not. I’m not ready to stop yet. And maybe the fourth fight will be interesting from a business perspective.”
