The Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor crossover super fight happening on August 26th is undoubtedly the greatest spectacle in combat sports history, but many fans and observers feel it isn’t a real fight. Many expect Mayweather to outbox McGregor quite handily when the two finally dance inside the ring. Whatever happens, there are a lot of question marks about what we will see come August 26th.
If you want to see a real fight that is guaranteed to showcase the best of boxing, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Luckily, that fight is going to be delivered right to our doorstep on September 16, when Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez meets middleweight kingpin Gennady “GGG” Golovkin at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Today, Evolve Daily shares 6 Reasons Why Alvarez vs Golovkin Will Be Better Than Mayweather vs McGregor.
1) This is a real boxing match between two high-level boxers
This fight isn’t going to pit the world’s greatest boxer against the UFC’s most popular mixed martial artist. The Alvarez-Golovkin showdown will instead bring together two of the most highly-skilled currently active boxers in a blockbuster showdown to determine middleweight supremacy.
Both Alvarez and Golovkin are extremely talented and polished, with a list of accolades between them that is absolutely jaw-dropping. Alvarez is the WBO junior middleweight titleholder, while Golovkin is the undisputed, unified middleweight world champion.
With the exception of Alvarez’ lone defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather himself, both fighters are virtually unbeaten and unchallenged in their sport.
It comes with incredible rarity that two of the best fighters pound-for-pound are within striking distance of each other in terms of weight class, which is why much appreciation has to be given to promoter and boxing legend Oscar Dela Hoya who expertly put this fight together.
2) Both Alvarez and Golovkin pack serious punching power
Many people don’t expect this fight to go the distance, as both Alvarez and Golovkin are bonafide knockout artists.
Alvarez owns 49 victories, with 34 coming by way of knockout. Four of his last seven bouts have ended in a stoppage, including a devastating one-punch finish of British boxing star Amir Khan. Alvarez isn’t particularly fast, but he hits extremely hard, which negates his disadvantage in speed.
On the other hand, Golovkin features a more exorbitant knockout ration, as he owns 37 victories with 33 knockouts. The Kazakhstani boxer has stopped 23 out of his last 24 opponents. Furthermore, Golovkin is known as a terror of a middleweight, having tormented the division since he became a professional in 2006.
As fans are treated to a highly-technical affair between two skilled boxers, don’t count on this fight reaching the final bell because both guys will be looking to finish early.
3) Both Alvarez and Golovkin are extremely durable
One aspect of this fight that stands in the way of matters ending early is the fact that both guys are extremely durable and have granite-strong chins. Both Alvarez and Golovkin have rarely tasted canvas, and will most likely put each other’s toughness to the test.
What this means is fans might be in for quite a ride. This is a twelve round championship bout, and with each round promising fireworks, we could be in for a memorable evening. There is no quit in either of them, and it will be interesting to see who ends up folding under the pressure. Of course, there is also the possibility that neither will surrender and what we will be left with are twelve rounds of all out war.
When two fighters as strong as Alvarez and Golovkin collide, we have ourselves the makings of an instant classic. Chances are that these two will certainly not disappoint.
4) Mexican fans are among the most passionate
Fans from all over the world tune in to watch a sport that has seen its best and worst nights on any given occasion. There are American boxing fans, Filipino fans, even Irish fans, but none more passionate than Mexican boxing fans. Mexican boxing fans are a different breed. They eat, sleep, and breathe boxing, and they will be behind their man Canelo on September 16th.
From the hair-raising ring walk with the Mariachi band playing in the distance to Mexico’s national anthem, an iconic tune to some of history’s most memorable bouts, to cheers heard from the rafters emanating from Mexican boxing maniacs, boxing is completely and utterly Mexican.
And there is no bigger Mexican star than Canelo Alvarez. Gone are the days of Julio Cesar Chavez, and Oscar Dela Hoya. Lower weight greats like Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and even Juan Manuel Marquez have all had their time in the spotlight. But now, in modern times, it’s Canelo’s world, and the world is at his feet.
5) Gennady Golovkin is a bonafide star
In contrast, boxing has a new action superstar in Gennady Golovkin. “GGG” as he is better known has built a reputation as a feared puncher, a capable technician, and a captivating personality.
The former Olympian represented his home country of Kazakhstan in the 2004 Summer Olympics, coming away with a silver medal. He turned pro two years later and has since left a trail of victims on his way to the top. Today, Golovkin holds the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and IBO middleweight titles and is ranked by The Ring as pound-for-pound the second best in the world, just behind light heavyweight Andre Ward.
Every fighter who has ever tasted Golovkin’s power had difficulty overcoming it. Only four fighters have managed to survive Golovkin’s monstrous strength. But if there is one man who could stand up to that power, you would have to think it is Alvarez, which makes the matchup between the two very interesting.
6) The two fighters represent the future of boxing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyIFZTh-UKU
Together, both Alvarez and Golovkin represent the future of boxing.
Alvarez, the younger man of the two, is merely 27-years old. In terms of boxing, that is still relatively young. He has many more years ahead of him, win or lose against Golovkin.
Golovkin, on the other hand, is 35 and in the prime of his career. He still has a good three to five years of competing at the highest level, given his current career trajectory, which means we will be seeing much more of him especially if he is able to beat Alvarez.
No matter what the outcome of this highly-anticipated showdown, the real winners are the fans. There will be no shortage of action once these two immensely talented fighters touch gloves at the center of the ring.
Chances are, fans will be talking about this fight years down the road. Perhaps even more than the Mayweather-McGregor fight, which is a tremendous contest in its own right, but cannot compare to the authentic boxing super fight experience that is Alvarez-Golovkin.
Whichever fight you choose to watch, one thing is clear. With fights like these, boxing is definitely here to stay.
