American professional boxing legends former four-division world champion Sugar Ray Leonard and former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins gave a short interview at a charity event.
In a conversation with reporters, the legends spoke about the upcoming third fight between the undisputed middleweight champion (up to 76.2 kg) Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) and the unified middleweight champion (up to 72.6 kg) Kazakhstani Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs), which is scheduled for September 17.
What was your reaction to the Canelo vs Golovkin 3 fight?
— [Хопкинс] Do you think there will be a difference? They know each other, right? When it’s like that, you usually won’t see another show. You will see the same show. It might be a little brutal for Golovkin. Now it’s a battle of names. We know who Canelo is. We know who GGG is. With everyone I’ve been in the ring with, I think other legends will tell you that you don’t have to be in the ring three times to learn something new. You already know what this fighter breathes. Ali – Frazier… Do you think Ali and Frazier didn’t know each other when you went into the ring? So what else do you expect to see?
– In terms of notes, the judges are not inclined to win Golovkin. Do you think he needs to be more active?
– You are talking about the past, and now we have two or how many years after that? That is 2-3 years added to the time they fought last time. Therefore, it cannot be the same today. Therefore, this is a completely different conversation. I don’t think it will be an exciting fight like some people think. I think it will be an easier fight for Canelo to win more confidence after the recent upset.
Why Alvarez will beat Golovkin in a trilogy: Barrera’s opinion
— [обращается к Леонарду] Champ, what do you say?
Everything he said also came from my mouth. Will this be a test? Yes, it will be a test. But it will be more mental, more psychological, I think.
Canelo said he would have a rematch with Bivol next May, what do you think?
— [Хопкинс] It’s good for Canelo.
– Do you think he and Golovkin now have the same level of enmity, because a lot of time has passed since their last fight?
“Maybe, maybe not. Look, speaking is one thing, doing is another. You can talk about it, yap a lot about it. While this is talk, inciting hostility – let’s talk. This is a promotion. Most fighters have no idea how to promote themselves, whether they believe it or not. But in the end we will watch (Canelo vs Golovkin 3) no matter what they say.