Canelo Alvarez

Staff Predictions | Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin 2

The much-anticipated rematch between Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and unified Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin is finally upon us. Their first encounter a year ago was an action and drama filled event that left many wondering, who really is the best Middleweight fighter in the world.

While many pundits and fans saw Golovkin winning a close decision, the fight ended in a controversial draw. Since then, the animosity between the two has grown exponentially and it’s palpable.

Saturday, September 15, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the two will settle their differences in the squared circle and many anticipate it to be more of a firework show than the first fight. The fight will be televised live on HBO PPV with the telecast set to begin at 8 PM EST.

Read ahead to see how the RBRBoxing staff sees this fight playing out Saturday night and let us know what you think will go down.

Round By Round Boxing Staff Predictions - 2020

NameWinLossTotal FightsWin Percentage
Alex Burgos3360.5
Hans Themistode4260.66666666666667
R.L. Woodson4150.8
Robert Contreras6061


Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin 2

Andrew Kang, Contributing Writer

Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin is still easily the biggest draw in boxing. The eagerly anticipated rematch should be every bit as exciting with both fighters probably willing to take more risks this time. After their first encounter, I felt as many do now: Canelo was lucky to escape with a draw and, in a rematch, he will be able to make the adjustments to earn a victory denied Golovkin last time.Whatever supposed fear Canelo or his camp had of GGG the first time is all but gone now.

I see a very confident, determined Alvarez utilize his superior hand speed and movement to outwork Gennady this time and get in the more effective shots.GGG certainly has a great chance to win the rematch as well. He just cannot let off the jab this time and apply a more steady body attack with being countered often in return.

His right hand can always be the equalizer. I just do not think he throws it quick or accurately enough against a talent like Alvarez to do any real damage.

Prediction: Canelo

 

R.L. Woodson, Staff Writer

Tons of tea here… A lot has transpired since the first fight and its controversial decision. Gennady Golovkin has continued to look like just a solid champion among the legitimate world class fighters at Middleweight.

In the first fight, this writer foolishly wrote Canelo Alvarez off as being too small to be a hitta at 160 pounds. Who knew Canelo was as slick as he exhibited on fight night? However, Golovkin ate his patented overhand right and didn’t pause in the slightest.

Golovkin continues to age, he won’t adjust to Alvarez in this rematch, and Canelo looks to be focusing on stamina as a means to get his hand raised. He outfoxes and outboxes Golovkin to hand the Kazakh his first defeat. Golovkin might visit the canvas for his first time in his entire boxing career too.

Prediction: Canelo

 

Robert Contreras, Staff Writer

Real pick ’em fight. Gennady Golovkin obviously has every tool to beat any Middleweight in the world. He showed his punch variety and output throughout the majority of the first fight.

Canelo Alvarez got a bit complacent at times. But I think he’s taken GGG’s best shots. He’s younger, quicker and it feels like his time. The sport needs him to win Saturday night. I think he edges out his latest blood-rival.

Prediction: Canelo

 

Amber Williams, Photographer

Prediction: Canelo

 

CJ Halloran, Staff Writer

Everybody in the professional boxing world seems to be giving the edge to Canelo Alvarez in this rematch, but I could not disagree more. Looking at the first fight, Gennady Golovkin, in the eyes of many, outpointed a peak Canelo. Canelo’s counterpunching, head movement, and footwork were on point, but he was still unable to overpower Golovkin’s constant pressure.

Add that onto Canelo’s pressure to dominate GGG to show that the Clenbuterol had no effect on Canelo’s ability to fight, I think we are going to see a much more aggressive Canelo, and we have all seen how Golovkin handles fighters who attempt to match his aggression.

With all this being said, I think it is going to be an entertaining fight for as long as it lasts. At the end of the night though, I see GGG making Canelo another one of his “Good Boys” and taking him out in the ninth round.

Prediction: Golovkin 

 

Sarah Gruber, Staff Writer

Canelo Alvarez, on paper, is the younger and faster fighter but in the original matchup it was hard to see that his age, size or speed ever really played a huge factor.

Prior to his match with Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin was believed to be a feared puncher with a killer instinct in the ring. These traits however failed to shine through to me in the original bout.

So, who wins now?

I believe the rematch should be very similar to the first bout, but that Golovkin will have the bigger advantage this time around. I believe that Canelo is too much of a counter puncher to truly let his hands go enough to out-work an invigorated and scorned Golovkin.

I expect to see Golovkin fight a tactically smart fight but also find spots in which he can really bring the fight to Canelo. An angry or jaded Golovkin sounds like a dangerous opponent, but if he indeed fights hungrier this time around, he will need to be very careful not to let his hands down and to become reckless against the ever dangerous Canelo.

Ultimately, I think what this fight comes down to is that Golovkin, still at age 36, can out work Canelo’s productivity and withstand his power. I foresee that Golovkin can can bring the fight to Canelo and remain smart enough to not let Canelo catch up with anything too devastating in the process.

Prediction: Golovkin

 

Eric Ramos, Staff Writer

Canelo Alvarez went 12 rounds with the power punching Gennady Golovkin last September. Alvarez did a lot of defending and moving in the first fight but was able to counter effectively.

In the rematch, Canelo will make adjustments, take advantage of the openings he gets and outbox GGG to win by majority decision.

Prediction: Golovkin

 

Alan Garcia, Staff Writer

After all of the trash talk that has been talked and all of the drama that has built up heading into this rematch, the time has finally come to see who the winner of the fight will be. A lot of fans saw Canelo Alvarez win the first fight and a lot more saw Gennady Golovkin win the fight more convincingly.

There has been a lot of talk on GGG being the fighter who has to make the adjustments in their rematch, but one can make the argument, especially if they saw GGG win the first fight, that the fighter who has to make the adjustments will have to be Canelo. If GGG won the first fight with his seemingly limited abilities, Canelo is the one that will have to make the adjustments to avoid losing the fight again.

The fact that most boxing experts, students of the sport, and fervent boxing fans claim that GGG won the first fight, doesn’t make it a fact that he will win the rematch, it’s a problem of induction and poor reasoning if they believe otherwise. Both fighters have trained well and are ready to give the fans a different fight this second time around.

Canelo, by “mere coincidence,” manipulated time in his favor due to the circumstances that transpired and hindered the immediate rematch that was scheduled in May, has had a whole year to get ready for his rematch against GGG. With that being said, Canelo may have a chance to win the rematch, he knows that he can take GGG’s punch, he’s confident that he belongs at an elite level of competition and due to this, his hard work could lead him to a fair and convincing victory this time around.

But, it can arguably be said, that Canelo has been awarded unfair and questionable decisions against Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, Miguel Cotto, and now Golovkin in his career, which instead of helping him, it has stifled him and brought him to question his own abilities in times of isolation and deep contemplation. It’s evident in his demeanor in almost all of his interviews. Questions of self-doubt are stored and lodged in the subconscious of any fighter who posits them.

Psychology says, and this is a psychological sport, that the subconscious truth’s arise in times of stress, anxiety, nervousness, etc. and the real feelings, and emotions of a man, are present in their demeanor— like they have been on Canelo. This tells me that if someone is going to lose, it won’t be GGG.

A fighter can’t have a single thought of doubt going into a fight because that 1 percent of self doubt, can cost him the fight. For example: a fighter steps into the ring 99 percent sure he’s going to win, although aware that he has that 1 percent chance of losing, he convinces himself that his ability and skill will be enough. As the fight progresses, the unsure boxer starts to get countered, beaten to the punch and starts to get outboxed.

Meanwhile he’s getting outclassed, mentally, instead of figuring out his opponent in order to adjust, he’s subconsciously thinking about that 1 percent becoming a reality with each punch he receives. And like a ship with a hole, water starts seeping in until it sinks the ship, the unsure fighter starts to second guess himself, surrendering to the pressure and succumbing to his opponent.

With that being said, it seems like Canelo is in that state of mind–unsure of himself.

This fight reminds me of the “Fight of the Century,” GGG determined to win at all cost like “Smokin” Joe Fazier against the cocky and brash Muhammed Ali and I have a feeling it will play out in a similar fashion. I predict the fight will go the distance, and if there’s a knockdown, it’ll be from GGG.

Canelo might come in trying to establish his dominance early on, but will begin to back away after he realizes, like he did in the first fight, that his best wont be enough—again.

Prediction: Golovkin

 

Vladimir Lik, Staff Writer

Canelo Alvarez has taken Gennady Golovkin’s best punch and survived when they met in the ring last year. Canelo probably should have taken a split decision loss in the first fight and now will make the necessary adjustments to come back to win this fight.

Canelo has more to prove than GGG and Golovkin is entering this fight angry. This is eerily reminiscent to the Sergey KovalevAndre Ward fights.

In their first fight Kovalev probably should have eked out a thin victory and after Ward was allowed time to reconsider the first fight and adjust, Ward was able to make adjustments and use Kovalev’s anger against him and ultimately knocked him out!

Prediction: Canelo

 

Peter Nieves, Senior Writer

This one certainly feels personal. The much anticipated rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin has split much of the boxing public. Those who feel the GGG was robbed a decision during his first encounter, and those who feel Canelo boxed a great fight and used his speed and counter attacks to edge or at worse, tied the great Kazakh.

While logic tells me that Canelo has the edge in this bout due to being the younger and slicker man, my heart can’t force me to pick him as a winner. Call it speaking it into existence, I feel that if GGG can fight behind his jab and work the body of Canelo early on, he may be able to stop Alvarez in the later rounds.

I also feel the judges will be under a microscope and if the fight is close, they may just give the nod to GGG to make up for the first fight. GGG wins this one.

Prediction: Golovkin

 

Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief

I’m certain that the rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will be exciting. I don’t think it’ll be a toe-to-toe, rock ’em sock robots type battle, but it will provide high drama as GGG and Canelo look to stake their claim as the best fighter at 160 pounds.

Both men, with their legacy on the line, need this fight for different reasons–and that’s not an overstatement at all. Whether it’s just or not, Canelo will be held to a post-Clenbuterol standard where many people compare the pre-suspended version of the Mexican idol to the post-popped version.

If he loses, and looks like crap in the process, his star power may never recover.

Golovkin on the other hand has built his name on providing spectacular action and knockouts in droves, but in the first fight he was never able to hurt the younger, faster and slicker Canelo. While many people believe GGG did enough to win the first fight, this writer included, it’s obvious he’ll have to do more to earn the victory on Saturday night.

Father time is catching up with Golovkin, and there are many signs that point to Canelo being ready to take the crown from the Kazakh heavy hitter, but I think if Golovkin starts the fight sharp with a renewed focus on the body, we may see Canelo’s stamina issues get the best of him in the mid-to-late rounds.

It’s a tough call, but I’m going with Golovkin via late stoppage in an exciting matchup that may even warrant a third fight next May.

Prediction: Golovkin

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