In previous meetings against Gennadiy Golovkin in 2017 and 2018, the betting world saw Canelo Alvarez as a bit of an underdog. However, with nearly half a decade passing since they last shared the ring, punters have changed their minds.
Officially, the Mexican star has been listed as the slight favorite heading into their matchup on September 17. Although Tim Bradley isn’t exactly a betting man, he can’t believe how close the betting odds are. While he respects Golovkin and all he brings to the table, at this point in his career, Bradley just isn’t convinced he can be competitive with his much younger and more skilled opponent.
“Canelo is going to hit the brakes on GGG,” Bradley forcefully told a group of reporters recently. “Canelo comes hungry brother.”
Since suffering the first loss of his career against Floyd Mayweather nearly a decade ago, Alvarez seemed to be on top of the boxing world. With countless wins spread across numerous weight classes, Alvarez had permanently planted the flag for him, at least in the eyes of many, as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
However, after his recent loss to Dmitry Bivol just a few months ago, Alvarez was in awe of the unexpected result. In an attempt to prove that his flaws against Bivol were nothing more than an anomaly, Alvarez has been seen working tirelessly on his craft, something that Bradley has taken notice of.
Given the magnitude of his upcoming fight against Golovkin, Bradley believes Alvarez’s lofty position among boxing’s elite could be on the line.
“He’s working hard, he can’t afford another loss,” Bradley continued. “Two consecutive losses? His stock will definitely crash.”
Golovkin, 40, is eager to push Alvarez further down the boxing totem pole. Originally, in September 2017, the Kazakhstan star was all smiles after a hard-fought 12 rounds against Alvarez. Although the Mexican native made things relatively awkward for Golovkin, many believed he had done more than enough to secure the win.
Ultimately, though, Golovkin was dumbfounded when he was forced to settle for a majority decision draw. In his immediate rematch a year later, Golovkin once again raised his arms in triumph, only to be disappointed when Alvarez earned a majority decision win.
Since suffering what he calls unfair decisions, Golovkin has posted four straight wins. Earlier this year, Golovkin would celebrate his 40th birthday with a knockout victory over former Olympic gold medalist Ryota Murata.
Still, as Golovkin continues to rack up wins, Bradley assumes he has slowed down considerably. In the end, while the former two-division world champion expects Golovkin to be durable, tough and resilient, he believes Alvarez will eventually find the end of the fight before the final bell rings.
“I think it will be tough if he gets through the first four rounds. He has to get through those first four rounds. Canelo is going to come out, I think, hot, fast, and he’s going to pour those combinations on him. I think he’s going to break his ass to his body. I’m saying Canelo stopped late, or a straight beating for 12 rounds.”
