Legendary Andre Ward unexpectedly brutally smashed future members International Boxing Hall of Fame Mexican Saul Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) and Kazakhstani Gennady Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) for their third face-to-face confrontation, which took place in September at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (USA).
Despite the victory, undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez got more. Ward
thinksthat at this stage of his career, the Mexican had to confidently pass the veteran: “Golovkin? Golovkin looked like a 40 year old fighter. I think Canelo should have delayed this version of Golovkin. Especially if he really is who he claims to be – the best fighter in the history of boxing. If so, then you need to be able to take advantage of the weakness of the opponent, who, obviously, just checked.
“Canelo’s performance, I must admit, was a little shocking,” Ward dramatizes. I thought he would offer more. And from Golovkin I expected about what he showed. I was surprised not by GGG, but by the reaction of the fans. It turns out that they only now realized that he had grown old. Wait, he looks aged for a long time – somewhere in the last 2-3 years. He coined the mantra of “Mexican style.” And for this reason, everyone decided not to pay attention to the number of punches that he misses. It is obvious that his reaction and reflexes have not been at the same level for a long time.
“Whether you like it or not, Canelo is the one big name on Golovkin’s resume,” Ward says. – There are no others. And this is 100% true. Was he avoided? I think that he did not burn with the desire to fight with some fighters. And now I’m definitely not talking about myself. With Canelo, the situation is not so clear. On the one hand, he fought with all the strongest, achieved everything, took risks. But is there really a lot of top names on his resume? No, it’s not. I think he is very talented. And he had a great career. Definitely a future member. International Boxing Hall of Fame. No options. But it seems to me that his resume is still not as cool as they say.
Ward suggests “pay tribute to Canelo’s team. They have done a great job. Same promoter Oscar De La Hoya. And he didn’t get the credit he deserved for seeing the talent in young Canelo and signing him. Just as he did not receive recognition for the way Alvarez led his career, for the way he was selected by opponents. And there everything was calculated. They knew exactly when and against whom he would go next. And they knew who to stay away from. The same fight with David Benavidez. Obviously, it’s not worth waiting for now. It’s too dangerous.”
The previous two fights between Canelo and Golovkin were held in 2017 and 2018: first they tied the fight, then the Mexican was a little stronger. Last week, the WBA ordered Golovkin to fight Lara or relinquish the title. Does a veteran need fights against Charlo or Andred? The ex-coach surprised with a sudden answer.
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