Saul Alvarez suffered a setback in May during his attempt to take the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight crown from Dmitry Bivol. The Mexican’s defeat happened in a category that is not his original one, but now he needs to come back and prove that he is still the best at 168 pounds.
Canelo’s name has not left the top of the pound-for-pound lists but he wants to stay on top and for that he must defend his crowns against a very important opponent in his career.
Ever since Canelo began his rise, there was always talk about his need to beat Golovkin. The Guadalajara native never hesitated to face him and even though many believed he couldn’t handle the Kazakhstan native, he managed a draw in their first fight in 2017 and defeated him in 2018 after two tough and competitive fights.
While Canelo has beaten big name opponents like Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders, Miguel Cotto, Sergey Kovalev or Shane Mosley, Golovkin has always been seen as his nemesis because of the rivalry they have created and the personal tone with which Alvarez has sometimes taken the situation.
It seems like an ideal moment for the champion, since he is coming down in weight, coming off a loss and facing such a significant opponent gives him the chance to win and add value not only from a sporting point of view but also from a moral and confidence point of view to continue his boxing career.
However, his fights against Golovkin have never been easy and although this time he is more of a favorite than ever, he cannot be confident and needs a victory at this point in his career to stay on top.