Can Canelo beat GGG? His supporters will say yes while Golovkin fans will say no. Lets take a balanced and no biased look at what happens if the Mexican boxing star does take the fight, and loses.
Can Canelo beat GGG? Well, somewhere in that debate and along the long, painful drawn out road to GGG vs. Canelo there has been a narrative shift.
A massive shift.
A fight that was initially regarded as 50/50 in fans and journalists’ eyes alike has mutated into a fight that will result in Canelo being mercilessly and effortlessly beaten to a pulp.
Make no mistake about it, Canelo is still one of the best fighters in the world today. His lack of eagerness has caused many fans to degrade and devalue his boxing talent.
One thing is for certain, and that is “if” GGG and Canelo ever do end up opposite in a boxing ring, it more than likely will be the toughest fight of each man’s career.
With that being said, if Canelo does wind up losing to GGG his post career will be very interesting to say the least. Here are some things to consider.
Career Path
What division will Canelo fight in? Canelo and his team (but mostly Canelo) have made it explicitly clear that he will fight at 154 or 155 for as long as possible, even if he is basically too big for the division.
While Canelo has only recently gotten a lot of negative press for his weight debacles, in actuality these issues have been going on for years.
In 2014 him and his team conceded $100,000 to Alfredo Angulo because of his ‘inability’ to make the 154-pound weight limit.
He subsequently came in at 155.
The Erislandy Lara fight, also in 2014, was also contested at a catch weight 155. His bouts with Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan were both at the infamous weight of 155.
All told, Alvarez’s last 6 fights have been contracted at either 154 or 155. If Canelo is to lose, what weight will he and his team feel comfortable campaigning at? 154? 160?
Matchmaking
The other side of the equation is the location (weight-wise) of future fights.
A loss to GGG will certainly hurt some or all of the star power Canelo commands when it comes to forcing opponents to conceded to his demands. Especially a bad loss.
It will be highly unlikely for Canelo and Golden Boy to wield the same control over weight they had before the GGG fight.
I cannot realistically see a top fighter at either 154 or 160 bowing to his commands, especially if he takes a beating or is knocked out. If Canelo does indeed lose, negotiations for future fights will be very interesting.
Promoting
While Golden Boy has a more than decent fighter roster, there is an undeniably massive gap in talent after Canelo.
Oscar De La Hoya has already shown his handling of Canelo will not be influenced by outsiders, media, and fans alike.
Extreme external pressure has been put on team Canelo for about the last year or so for the GGG fight to be made.
Not only was the Canelo fight not made, but Canelo made the head scratching choice to gift wrap the belt to GGG in the form of a vacation.
Will Oscar take time to rebuild Canelo’s confidence and brand if he is defeated? Or will he confine him to a lower weight were he holds a huge size advantage?
At only 26 years old they definitely have multiple options.
If, and when Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin ever get in the ring, the results of the fight will have long-term consequences for both men.
Some of the consequences will be career making, others career breaking. Can Canelo beat GGG? Time will tell.
