GGG vs Canelo 2 is almost upon us. What a fight of epic proportions we have on our hands this weekend. Lets take a look at the specifics of this weekend’s boxing super fight including time, date, live stream info, channel, preview and prediction.
Date
Saturday September 15th, 2018.
Time
8pm on the West coast in the US. 11pm in the East. 4am Sunday morning UK time.
Location
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA.
Channel
HBO pay per view in the US. BT Sports pay per view in the UK.
Live Stream Info
HBO will be providing a live stream of the fight for their subscribers online on any device.
GGG vs Canelo 2 Preview and Prediction
It has been the most talked about event in the boxing world this year. And much of that conversation has not centred round the fight itself between Gennady ‘Triple G’ Golovkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Instead it has been an event littered in controversy, thanks in its entirety to a failed drugs test from the challenger, and Mexican icon, Alvarez.
The drug in question was clenbuterol, a PED often found in contaminated meat, which has been a large problem in Mexico. The drug, often used on animals helps to cut fat and gain muscle in short spaces of time, hence the suspicions that this was not simply a mistake on the part of Canelo and his team. Alvarez 49-1-2(34KO’s) has bulked up into the size of a natural Middleweight, something that seemed to be a concern when the former Welterweight and Super Welterweight moved up to challenge the 160lb phenom.
The subsequent 6-month ban did little to offer any evidence that any governing body was taking the failed drugs test seriously. And Oscar De La Hoya’s comments have only made a further mockery of the sport. Golovkin 38-0-1(34KO’s) has gone on to take almost as much slack as the guilty party, with many small-minded opinions suggesting that Golovkin is just as guilty for succumbing to offering Canelo his shot at redemption. But stuck between a rock and a hard place, Golovkin did what every sportsperson on the planet would do in a sport that does not come with a guaranteed salary. He took the fight that will do more good for his legacy than bad, and took the money that no other opponent even comes close to bringing to the table.
Whether it goes down as a guilty pleasure or not, this rematch is what all fight fans are buzzing to see. It is boxing at its very best, and despite many personal feelings towards the contest, missing it would be less of a protest and more of self-deprivation.
A draw last year was not the appalling decision that some would have you believe, but the ridiculously wide scorecard in favour of Canelo may have been a subtle hint that Golovkin will need to elevate his game to be on the right end of a points verdict.
The pressure firmly rests on the shoulders of both boxers. Golovkin is the much older, and with precious time to define his legacy as an all-time great Middleweight fighter, a win here is a must. While his destructive style and quirky personality will not be forgotten in boxing folklore, a career without a definitive victory over another of his era’s standout names would be a career that falls short of being notorious.
As for Alvarez, the Mexican has already come up short against the best of his era, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and to suffer the same fate against Golovkin would be a wound that will take far longer to heal than the contaminated meat scandal. Canelo could still become great, forge out a career that makes for fond viewing in the history books. Potentially beating the likes of Billy Joe Saunders, Daniel Jacobs, Jermall/Jermell Charlo, Jarrett Hurd, etc. to go alongside the men he has already beaten including, Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, Amir Khan and Austin Trout would see him arguably remembered as Mexico’s greatest. But looking at the future of the Middleweight division and there doesn’t seem to be another name on the rise that will stand out like Golovkin or Mayweather, and above everything, it is those defeats that would stick out like a sore thumb.
The intensity is likely to be ratcheted from their first meeting that barely held half the animosity the rematch does. But on Saturday night, the two will have far greater knowledge of just what the other is capable of at their very best.
Somewhere in the back of Canelo’s mind he will feel that the 2018 version of Golovkin will be a slightly lesser version of the one he met last September. Meanwhile ‘GGG’ will strongly believe that he absorbed and overcame the best of Alvarez in the early to mid rounds last time out, and his strong finish is a testament to not only his better conditioning over a hard 12 round fight, but also that the champion had figured Alvarez out and will do so from much earlier on in part 2.
So in most regards, the psychological edge rests with neither fighter, in spite of both feeling they have the mental superiority.
For Canelo to win, he may well be relying on the champion to have faded, even if it is by the smallest amount. Any physical advantage that the challenger can gain will be instrumental in his conquering of the unbeaten king.
The contest will start out in much the same vein as it did last time, but expect Canelo to be more decisive in his attacks as he approaches on the front foot. Eventually his forward march will begin to go in reverse, but just as he attacks from angles, he will also retreat in angles as Golovkin begins to show his dominance in the strength and endurance category.
Golovkin will have his chin checked more than he ever has in his career thus far, but it will be the slightly smaller Canelo whose legs will be stiffened more by power punches.
The WBA and WBC titles held by Golovkin are merely an afterthought in this legacy defining fight. But after 12 pulsating rounds, those titles will remain in Golovkin’s possession, with his power being the telling factor late on. Canelo will meet the champion blow for blow across the opening 8 or 9 rounds, but as ‘GGG’ surges, Alvarez’s willingness to engage will wilt, allowing the champion to finish in control as he rallies to a narrow unanimous decision triumph.
