The absolute champion of the second middleweight (up to 76.2 kg) Mexican Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) and the unified middleweight champion (up to 72.6 kg) Kazakhstani Gennady Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) gave a press conference in New York, timed to coincide with their third fight scheduled for September 17. After the event, Gennady answered questions from representatives of the American media.
AT
conversation Gennady spoke about the strongest opponents in his career, expressed his position on the war in Ukraine, and also answered ordinary questions.
– Do you think you will stay at 76.2 kg after the fight with Canelo?
“Of course, this is the first step. I haven’t tried boxing yet. I will decide based on the result. Don’t forget that I have three more belts of 72.6 kg.
“He seems to be mad at you, and you must be mad at him. Most people think that you won the first fight. The second one was much closer, but how important would it be for you to finally deserve a win over someone you think you’ve beaten twice before?
“I shouldn’t be mad at him. I do my job, he does his job. We, like boxers, did our job. How we were assessed, what result we got – this is the result. I just feel, from the way I understand boxing, that I didn’t lose those two fights and because of that I don’t feel very comfortable.
– Are you frustrated that you had to wait 4 years?
“It really has been a long time. Many arguments can be made. I mean, you all know why, you all know what the excuses are. Again, there are pluses and minuses on my part, and on his part, why it took so long. I will say one thing – if this fight would have been 4 years earlier, it would have been much more interesting. In terms of hot pursuit. But he was not ready, apparently, at that moment. Now he has changed his position and is behaving… You saw the first press conference. He shows who he really is.
– Gennady, you were in the ring with many excellent fighters. Would you call Canelo the best fighter you’ve ever fought?
Thank you for rating my opponents. They are all different, you understand. Boxing is like that. They are all different, they are all very uncomfortable. Many of them were mandatory contenders or champions. It speaks to their status. Canelo – I won’t say for sure that he is the best, but he is different. He is different, and he is at the highest level. Again, practice shows that he loses. Again, not to say that he is the best.
– Who then is the best person you have fought in your career? If not Canelo, then who is it?
— I think it was an amateur career. There are a number of guys with whom I boxed. The ones who didn’t go pro, who knew much more about boxing and their boxing skills were outstanding. Which in three rounds you were dismantled so that you did not even have a chance.
Gennady Golovkin: “Canelo’s rivals paled in comparison to me”
“As a champion, you have a platform to speak to. What are your feelings about the war in Ukraine?
“You know this is definitely a tragedy. Everything that is happening now is a global tragedy. I’m a little on the other side, but this is not in my defense. It gives, shall we say, an outside perspective. Again, I repeat – this is a global tragedy. An outside perspective doesn’t change that. My opinion is that what is happening now is just a tragedy.
Who would you say is responsible for this tragedy?
– If someone specific was to blame, then he would definitely be held responsible. It’s hard for me to say. It’s not for me to talk about it. Such global issues… I am not a political scientist to argue. But it’s definitely not just one person.
– Gennady, they say that after the second fight with Canelo, the rest of the opponents were no match for you. They speak disrespectfully towards you, because you had no worthy rivals, except for Derevyanchenko.
– You know, this is the side of business. Someone has a project 1, they are engaged in it. A lot of things have changed since the second fight, because it was HBO, then everything switched to DAZN. DAZN pursues other business interests.
I know you don’t care when people talk about you, but you are a Hall of Famer, one of the best middleweights in history. You have never been an underdog in fights. You are currently the underdog against Canelo. Once again, everyone knows that you don’t care what others say, but part of you feels angry, frustrated, and just wants to prove everyone wrong, that you should be the favorite with Canelo. You beat him twice and no one can be higher than you?
— Of course, I think that people have delusions. Take even the last fight. Canelo lost his last fight. He currently has more defeats than me. Based on our last two fights with him, of course, age, something else … Everyone believes in what he is trying to come up with. It doesn’t really bother me.
The defeat of Bivolu was painful and difficult, but it is necessary for greatness – Canelo
