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Canelo Alvarez was supposedly on his way to taking on BJ Sanders in his next fight on May 2 in Las Vegas, but the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that’s essentially canceled combat sports action across the globe for the next few months might have opened the door for an even bigger fight to take place on September 12.
According to The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire, Alvarez has agreed to face Gennadiy Golovkin for the third time in a middleweight championship superfight later this year.
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Alvarez has faced Golovkin twice already. The two fought to a split draw in September 2018, and Alvarez defeated Golovkin in the rematch one year later by majority decision. Per Pugmire, an extended postponement of Alvarez’s presumed bout against Saunders might open the door for the 29-year-old to skip that fight altogether.
Alvarez is currently the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world according to The Ring magazine. Golovkin is ranked No. 7 on the same list. Both fighters lay claim to portions of the middleweight championship picture, but Alvarez is the lineal champ and has been for some time.
Canelo vs. Golovkin 3 Headed to Texas?
The third Canelo vs. Golovkin fight appears to be headed to Texas in September. According to SI’s Chris Mannix, who confirmed the same story Pugmire first reported, the two sides tentatively agreed to face each other on September 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Per Mannix, the two sides have agreed on the third fight but aren’t sure yet what might happen for each fighter’s presumed bouts beforehand.
Alvarez was scheduled to face Saunders in May, but that fight was postponed after the pandemic. Golovkin was set to face Kamil Szeremeta in June according to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, but that fight might also be nixed.
There’s really no telling what might happen in boxing over the next few months because of the coronavirus outbreak. The only thing that is certain, at least for the time being, is that superstar boxers and other interested parties are seemingly still working toward making huge fights happen later this year.
Canelo vs. GGG 3 Could Be Very Different Than First Two Fights
Since Alvarez defeated Golovkin in 2018, the two fighters have been on different paths. In fact, one could easily argue the 29-year-old Alvarez has ascended to become the best fighter he’s ever been while the 37-year-old Golovkin has diminished into someone competent but unspectacular.
Alvarez picked up a secondary 168-pound title by stopping Rocky Fielding in December 2018, then defended his middleweight titles against Daniel Jacobs in May 2019 via unanimous decision. In his last fight, Alvarez stopped WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev to capture a title belt in yet another weight class.
Meanwhile, Golovkin won his only two fights since losing to Alvarez in the rematch. He obliterated unheralded regional talent Steve Rolls in June, then scraped by the solid Sergiy Derevyanchenko via decision in October to reclaim the vacant IBF middleweight title.
Alvarez vs. Golovkin is still one of the top fights that can be made in boxing, but it would appear heading into things that Alvarez is still rising toward his best years in the sport while Golovkin’s are far behind him.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson
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