By Barry Holbrook: Former world champion Miguel Cotto says Gennadiy Golovkin will need to do a lot more in his third fight with Canelo Alvarez if he wants to win. Cotto wants to see more effort from Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) in the trilogy against Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) to set himself apart from the Mexican superstar.
Golovkin, 38, made the mistake of fighting too defensively in the first two fights with Canelo, and the judges weren’t impressed enough with what they saw from him to give him the victories.
The problems that led to GGG coming up short has already highlighted by his new trainer Johnathon Banks, who wants him to throw more punches. In both Canelo contests, Golovkin waited too before releasing his punches.
Golovkin has a sputtering style of fighting in which he lets shots go, and then stops throwing. He’s like a car that’s not firing on all eight cylinders and needs a tune-up.
He would look for an opening before throwing single shots. Canelo took advantage of Golovkin’s methodical style of fighting by countering him with combinations.
Banks tried to impress upon Golovkin that he needs to be throwing nonstop punches going into his last bout against Sergiy Derevyanchenko last October, but it didn’t help.
The message that Banks told Golovkin before the fight failed to sink in, unfortunately, as he continued to fight the same way he did against Canelo. Derevyanchenko took advantage of Golovkin’s inability to attack in a sustained manner by battering him with body shots and hurting him several times.
Golovkin has more to prove – Cotto
“I think the whole world is looking at Canelo-Golovkin 3, and I think it’s going to happen soon,” said Miguel Cotto to KO Artists Sport. “I think Golovkin has more to prove to the world of boxing in this fight. The first one was tight, and in the second one, he [Golovkin] lost. He has to make the best effort in the ring to separate himself,” said Cotto on Golovkin.
“Yeah, I want to see it. GGG or Jermall [Charlo],” said Regis Prograis on Canelo vs. Golovkin 3 fight. “I think I want to see him [Canelo] and Jermall, but, of course, GGG is the money fight, and I definitely want to see those fights. But you’ve got Demetrius Andrade, you know? He’s good, but he doesn’t have that name recognition like a GGG. I definitely want to see a fight with him and Jermall,” said Prograis.
Cotto wants Golovkin to work harder, which is what his trainer Banks wants from him as well. The fact that Golovkin isn’t able to follow Banks’ directions suggests that he’s going to get the same negative results in the third fight with Canelo.
Banks says he’s rejected a fight between Canelo and Golovkin for September. He wants Golovkin to defend his IBF middleweight title next against Kamil Szeremeta. That will be a positive for Golovkin if he uses the fight with Szeremeta to work on the things that Banks has asked him to do.
If Golovin can throw more punches, and stay in the pocket against Szeremeta, then it’ll be a useful experience. With fans having no interest in seeing Golovkin face Szeremeta next, he’s got to have a concrete reason for taking this fight.
Mosley leaning towards Canelo beating GGG
“In the first fight, I thought GGG did more work,” said Shane Mosley in analyzing Canelo vs. Golovkin rivalry. “In the second fight, I thought Canelo did better, and I thought it was a more even fight than in the second time.
“For the first time, I thought GGG won, and in the second one, I thought it was even because GGG was coming in at the end, but they gave it to Canelo.
“In the third fight, I think Canelo is getting better, better and better each time they fight,” said Mosley. “Canelo understands GGG’s movement, and he understands what’s going on. He’s faster, he’s younger, and he’s getting stronger.
“So it’s going more towards Canelo now, and GGG is going more down. Before, it was kind of even, but now, GGG has declined a little bit. He’s getting a little bit older, and Canelo is younger and stronger and faster. I lean a little bit more towards Canelo.
What Mosley is saying is that Golovkin should be ahead of Canelo 1-0-1 after two fights. That’s not going to make Canelo’s boxing fans happy to hear that because most saw him winning the second fight with GGG, and some think he won the first as well.
Mosley lost to Canelo eight years ago by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision in May 2012. There was a significant size difference in that contest. Mosley looked like a pumped-up lightweight going up against a middleweight in Canelo, and he stood no chance of winning. Moreover, Mosley was in his 40s at the time that he fought Canelo, so that didn’t help him.
Canelo surprised Mosley
“He’s got great skills, he’s excellent, and he’s a great fighter,” said Mosley of Canelo Alvarez. “When he was a kid at 20-years-old, he was a year older than my son. I was like, ‘No way is this young kid going to beat me. I don’t care how good he is. He CAN’T beat me.’ That’s the mentality I have. I’m a legendary fighter. ‘This kid is not going to beat me.
“I was sitting there trying to make him break, and he was doing all this technical stuff. I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is past his days.’ The stuff that he knows and the ring generalship, the blocking, body shots, and the jabs.
“He totally surprised me. I didn’t think he was going to be that good. And I knew he was good, but I didn’t think he was going to have that type of knowledge and ring generalship when I got on him, and he did. I was thinking, ‘Man, this is a superstar right here,” said Mosley of Canelo.
Mosley lost to Canelo based on his lack of size and power. Canelo didn’t give Mosley a boxing lesson in their fight in 2012. It was more of a case of Canelo being so much bigger and more durable. Mosley wasn’t the same fighter he once was by the time he fought Canelo, and he never stood a chance.
It’s not enough for Golovkin to simply milk his IBF strap against a weak opponent that fans have never heard of or seen before. There needs to be a purpose for the match in terms of it helping GGG improve for the third contest against Canelo.
Golovkin will lose even worse – Ryan Garcia
“I was actually surprised, especially because GGG’s jab wasn’t worrying Canelo,” said Ryan Garcia. “In the first fight, GGG’s jab was on Canelo all day [snappig his head back]. But in this fight [Canelo vs. Golovkin 2], [Canelo was making GGG miss with his jabs and then coming back with combinations].
“No, I don’t think he can,” said Ryan when asked if Golovkin can win the third fight against Alvarez. “I think Canelo will beat him even worse next if they do have another fight,” said Ryan Garcia.
Ryan believes that Canelo has Golovkin figured out now, and he’ll use his superior boxing skills and youth to beat him. It still won’t be easy for Canelo even if he wins.
Golovkin, even at 38, is no easy out. He’ll win rounds for sure, and take advantage of Canelo’s stamina issues in the second half of the fight. If Canelo had a good gas tank, he could beat Golovkin “worse” than in the second fight. Unfortunately for Canelo, he needs lots of rest breaks after he throws shots, and that gets in the way of him knocking out talented fighters like GGG.
Lennox Lewis expects fireworks for Canelo-Golovkin 3
“Yes, I do want to see a third one,” said Lennox Lewis about a third Canelo vs. Gennadiy bout. “The first one was iffy, the second one was cracking, and the third one is going to be even better. So I think when both of them come together, you’re always going to have a good fight. It’s a great fight for the fans as well.
“Canelo kind of disappointed me in the first fight [against Golovkin],” said Lewis. “In the second, he impressed me. I know he’s kind of hot and cold. I think there has to be a third fight, and that’s going to be the best fight of them all because both of them will be going for it,” said Lewis on Canelo and Golovkin 3.
With all the time Canelo has given Golovkin to dissect what he did wrong in their rematch in 2018, we could see a more competitive match.