Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin shared the ring three times in a memorable trilogy.
Their first meeting came in September 2017, with the highly anticipated middleweight showdown ending in a highly controversial split draw. The reaction from fans and pundits was that ‘GGG’ done enough to claim victory over his Mexican rival.
The rematch came exactly one year later, once again at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Much like their first encounter, it was very cagey, with Canelo picking up the win in a very close majority decision victory. This defeat meant Golovkin was to surrender his unified WBC and WBA middleweight titles, after holding them for a number of years prior.
The third and final instalment of Canelo vs. Golovkin came four years after their second meeting as they locked horns once again in September 2022. Unlike the first two battles, a solid performance from the Mexican star saw him claim a comprehensive unanimous decision victory, retaining his undisputed super middleweight championship.
‘GGG’ has not fought since that third contest against Canelo, but is yet to officially announce his retirement, indicating he may return to the sport at some stage.
Speaking to DAZN, Golovkin needed just three words to sum up the power of his former foe – ‘it wasn’t hard’.
“I remember that punch. Well, I let it get through. You know it wasn’t, I don’t know what to call it, it wasn’t hard. It felt kind of like a slap I guess. A slap or a sliding punch. Well, it didn’t do too much.”
Canelo still holds the unified super middleweight titles, making his most recent defence in September with an impressive points win over Edgar Berlanga Jr.
The 34-year-old superstar has been heavily linked with a potential dream fight with Terence Crawford, although a showdown between the pair is yet to be confirmed.
