Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has reportedly signed on to fight Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin on September 17, 2022. Alvarez will put his undisputed super middleweight title on the line as Golovkin moves up in weight. A venue has not yet been determined, but the bout will be broadcasted through DAZN.
Alvarez and Golovkin are far from strangers. The two titleholders have shared the ring twice before. In September 2017, the two men fought to a controversial split decision. One year later, Alvarez eked out a narrow victory, handing Golovkin his first loss. Since then, Golovkin has fought only four times in the last four years. Meanwhile, Alvarez has put together a record of 7-1 in his last eight fights while earning titles in two more weight classes. With that said, Dmitry Bivol handed Alvarez his first defeat in nearly a decade earlier this month.
Despite Alvarez’s most recent defeat, he appears motivated to put a definitive end to this chapter of his career. During a recent interview, Alvarez called this bout “personal.”
“It’s always been very personal with him. That will never go away. After we finished the two fights, it still feels the same [very personal]. [Golovkin] has never stopped talking about me. If you see, I never mentioned his name,” Alvarez told DAZN.
“I’ve always been in his mouth, he’s always talked about me, and that makes it even more personal. The fact that there is this rivalry puts an extra element there. It makes me train harder. I try harder. Personally, I sometimes feel better that it exists.”
If Alvarez emerges with a win in September, it appears that he will try to fight in London in December and secure a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in May of 2023. As for Golovkin, he may retire at 40 years old if he beats Alvarez.
