“I don’t pay attention to any nonsense that he is saying. I stopped paying attention a long time ago,” Gennady Golovkin says coolly as, just days before they step into the ring to face other for a third time, he dismisses the bitter and personal words Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez has directed towards him.
All week, as the hype and bluster of this trilogy cranks into overdrive, Canelo has promised that he will “punish” Golovkin before knocking him out and ending his career on Saturday night.
Golovkin is 40 years old and the end is approaching. He remains one of the very best fighters of the century and, at his best, he was a supreme technician and implacable force. For more than 11 years, from his debut in May 2006 to his first fight against Canelo in September 2017, Golovkin compiled a 37-0 record.
He was remorseless and intimidating to all but the most courageous of middleweights who boxed against him as, in an eight-year period, he knocked out 23 successive opponents. Golovkin became a monster in the ring who fought with icy composure and seemed almost immune to pain. He was that good.
It did not help Golovkin that he came from Kazakhstan and that, even though he speaks English in a polite and serviceable way, he usually chose to talk in his home language and relied on a translator. It is not the best way to crack the US and so Golovkin fought mainly in Europe, and often in Monte Carlo, while he waited patiently for the greatest test of his career. Canelo finally emerged as his equal – with the Mexican, who is eight years younger, ready to push Golovkin to the brink.
The overwhelming consensus, in their first fight five years ago this week, was that the judges robbed Golovkin as they scored the bout a draw. Canelo was lucky but, being as great a champion as Golovkin, he accepted the rematch with alacrity. On 15 September 2018, Canelo shaded the decision and Golovkin suffered his first loss in his 40th bout.
Since then their careers have deviated sharply. Canelo’s fame and renown has soared, meaning he has become the only current boxer who receives widespread recognition in mainstream America, while Golovkin has laboured in the shadows. He has won four fights in the intervening years and, with some humility, he tries to be pragmatic about the suspicion his career has been derailed by the Canelo hype-train.
“Four years is a long time,” he says, again through a translator, even though before the tape starts rolling he makes wisecracks to a small group of us in good English. “A lot has happened. We’ve been through some difficult times. We all know about the pandemic, especially people who got sick, who lost family members, and of course I had different thoughts at different times.
“But when it was announced that this fight was going to take place, I thought: ‘Maybe now is a good time.’ I decided that I should do it.’”
Asked about Canelo’s relentless verbal attacks on him, it was almost reassuring to see the amused expression on his face and to hear his disdain. This was the Golovkin of old: “Well, he has the right to say that it’s personal but let me tell you what I see. Four years have passed and he thinks he is in a position to voice those accusations and say that he can knock me out, that he can finish my career.
“Who is he to finish anybody’s career? If he really wanted this [trilogy] fight back then, if he thought that it’s personal, that fight should have happened immediately. Why was he waiting for four years?”
Canelo had just told us that he nearly signed to fight Golovkin for a third time years ago – but that Covid disrupted his plans. Golovkin shrugged and let slip that very cold smile. “Almost signed? So he couldn’t find a pen to sign the contract? I don’t think you should pay any more attention to what he is saying.”
Golovkin also bristled, with impressive scorn, at a suggestion he is seen as a clear underdog and that many pundits expect his final tilt at Canelo will lead to his retirement. “I guess you’re mostly communicating with Matchroom [Eddie Hearn’s promotional company who work closely with Canelo]? I suggest you should expand your circle of experts.
“They say I’m an underdog, but I don’t think that way. I believe in myself. I feel great. I’m ready for the fight. Please stop talking to Eddie Hearn. It’s too much.”
When pressed on the odds, which seem stacked in Canelo’s favour, Golovkin leaned forward. “You remember what Floyd Mayweather [Jr] said: ‘Hey guys, you do not understand boxing.’”
He offered up a mirthless grin before, with real seriousness, underlining the magnitude of the two fights he has shared with Canelo. Golovkin sounded proud: “Those two fights were exciting and outstanding and they are memorable. They will go down in history. I hope that this fight is going to be an exciting contest that also goes into history as well. I think it’s going to be very interesting.”
He said that usually bland word, “interesting”, with relish. Golovkin remains the IBF world middleweight champion and this is the first time in his long career that he is climbing a weight class to challenge Canelo – the undisputed world super-middleweight champion.
In May Canelo moved up to light heavyweight but he was beaten clearly by Dmitry Bivol. It was the second loss for the Mexican in 61 fights and Canelo appears determined to atone for that painful defeat.
Saturday night’s culmination of a rare trilogy will showcase, arguably, the biggest bout this year. It no longer seems to matter than Golovkin is past his best. Like all majestic fighters railing against the fading light he carries the conviction he has one last unforgettable performance left inside him. Golovkin has been waiting, biding his time, and there is no doubt in his voice as he stresses his readiness.
The fight will be on pay-per-view on DAZN, the streaming service who have, alongside Hearn, pushed it hard in the US. Golovkin stresses this contest is his last on his DAZN contract but that he is ready to fight on for a few more years, whatever the outcome.
“Hype,” he says nonchalantly, “is part of the business and we are both professional athletes. I don’t think that it affects us in any way. We know our job, and we just go out and do it. All that matters is that it’s me against Canelo.
“We fought at 160, now we are fighting against each other at 168. Same ring, same rules for both of the opponents, and at the same time I feel great at 168. So there will be no excuses.”
He smiles again as he points at his eyes and then turns his fingers our way in a playful gesture to suggest he will also be watching our reaction. “See you soon,” he says in English.
Golovkin, in this deeply personal moment, does not look like a man heading to his retirement party.
