Canelo vs. GGG II Preview and Prediction
The much-anticipated fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin is just around the bend. This fight will determine who is the middleweight champion of the word and should put to bed naysayers from either camp on who won their controversial first fight.
Canelo-Golovkin 2
Canelo’s Mexican fan-base is obviously, diehard. And the main a Latino sports media outlets, such ESPN Vivo and Fox Sports are based out of Mexico, so the commentating tends to be onesided for Mexican fighters in general. But many around the world thought that GGG was robbed of a very clear victory in the first fight. This might be why Gennady, despite gaining another year of age, has been listed as the -160 favorite at major sports betting outlets —if you want a better understanding of how to bet on boxing, take a moment to review this quick sports betting guide.
The scorecard was a joke on the part of judge Adalaide Byrd, giving Golovkin only rounds four and seven. Even though in the 10th, 11th, and 12th rounds, Golovkin out landed Canelo 218-169. Now, this was a very close fight, and we as fans should be able to understand even if two of the judges counted a draw. Even though GGG through a couple hundred more punches, Saul did a great job defensively and had a night of very crisp counter-punching. But for Byrd to call it a completely lopsided fight is what gives boxing outcomes a bad name and breeds thoughts of corruption within fans and pundits alike.
Oscar de la Hoya and Canelo was in the spotlight again recently after claiming that Triple G’s camp did not want the three national anthems played before the fight (Kazakhstan, Mexico, and United States). Golovkin’s camp vehemently denied this and HBO backed up the claim that anthems are played before airing on Pay Per View. The media went into a frenzy, stating the both Oscar and Saul owe Gennady an apology. Of course, this is boxing after all. This whole thing could be just to build up drama and invent a ‘grudge’ that needs to be settled to sell more PPV tickets.
This is coming in the wake of a six-month suspension that ended August 17th for doping violations. Golovkin had his issues with the IBF, getting stripped of his world title due to ‘not adhering to the IBF rules.’ But what we should be paying more attention to is the fact that Canelo looks great. He is already in condition to make weight without last-minute strain on his body. Not only does he look ready for the weigh-in, but he also looks as strong and cut as he ever has. Being just 28 years old has its advantages and age could be Triple G’s biggest concern.
Another concern for Golovkin is choosing to fight Canelo on Sept. 16th, Mexican Independence Day. Both fighters have stated that this fight won’t need judges, but if in the southwest United States, Mexican patriotism could become a factor and it will surely be an extra motivating factor for Alvarez. Luckily we shouldn’t have to worry about any one-sided judging this time around. There is no Adelaide Byrd this time around. In fact, Dave Moretti who scored the fight 115-113 in favor of GGG will be at the scoring table, but the other two slots will be filled by Steve Weisfeld and Glenn Feldman.
Fight Prediction
The fight will be similar to the first iteration but this time around, Alvarez might edge Golovkin out he looks too good at this weight right now and he has pride and patriotism to fight for on the night of Sept. 16th.
It will end in a close decision once more. But this time around it will most likely be in favor of Canelo unless Triple G can clearly outwork him, even more so than in their first fight.
