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Canelo vs. GGG: 5 reasons this is the fight boxing needs

By Luke Norris

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 19: Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin pose up after the Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin boxing press conference at the Landmark Hotel on June 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 19: Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin pose up after the Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin boxing press conference at the Landmark Hotel on June 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /
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Here are five reasons why the Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin fight, which is set for Sept. 16 in Las Vegas, is the bout that boxing needs.

At long last, the showdown between Canelo Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin has arrived.

A fight years in the making, the bout between undefeated middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) and Canelo Álvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) is set to take this Saturday night, Sept. 16 from a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and this fight couldn’t get here soon enough. This is boxing’s first real superfight in more than two years, referencing of course the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao bout from 2015 that turned out to be nothing more than a 36-minute nap. This battle, in contrast, looks to be the fight that could potentially save boxing.

The undefeated Golovkin comes into this fight following his first win by decision since 2008, a 12-round affair against Daniel Jacobs back in March, after knocking out 23 straight opponents. He’ll be looking to successfully defend a version of the middleweight title for the 19th consecutive time, which would leave him just one shy of Bernard Hopkins’ incredible run of 20 straight defenses, a run that ended in 2005.

Canelo Álvarez enters the fight also having won his last fight by decision, a 12-round unanimous victory over Julio César Chávez Jr. in May. He’s riding a seven-fight win streak after suffering the only loss of his career to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. Four of those wins came by way of knockout.

So why is this fight such a big deal? I mean, when you talk to the casual fan, boxing is dead, right? It’s all a spectacle and there are no real fighters anymore anyway. These are the issues I deal with when I go to my local tavern and try to talk boxing. It’s all fixed these days. It’s all about money. UFC is the better show. But let’s be honest here. On some days, it’s hard for me to argue. And I like to think that I’m a boxing guy so that’s hard for me to accept.

Maybe the sport is in a bit of trouble. Maybe the glory days of boxing are long gone. But maybe, just maybe, Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin is the fight that this great sport needs to right the ship. Here’s a few reasons why Canelo-GGG is the fight that boxing needs.

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