By Edward Chaykovsky
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Mexican superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (47-1-1, 33KOs) saw "nothing special" about last Saturday's big win by WBA/IBO/IBF/WBC middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs).
Canelo returns to the ring this coming Saturday night against undefeated WBO junior middleweight world champion Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13KOs). The HBO Pay-Per-View fight takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Golovkin retained his four world titles last Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, where he stopped unbeaten IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook in five rounds.
Canelo was NOT surprised with Golovkin looking a bit vulnerable against Brook. The smaller man was able to land solid combinations, hard uppercuts and used movement to make a very aggressive Golovkin miss punches while charging forward.
Brook broke his right eye socket in the second round, which eventually led to the fight being stopped. Golovkin has now knocked out his last 23 opponents - streak which doesn't impress Canelo.
“I always knew who he is, what he was. Always,” Canelo told the LA Times. “The world portrays him as this knockout king because he’s knocked out … who? Who has he knocked out? Nobody. [Last Saturday against Brook] the world got to see a little bit of what I know, what I always saw. They got to see that. I’m confident in the fighter I am and I have nothing to worry about.”
Canelo and Golovkin were in talks earlier this year, after the World Boxing Council ordered them to face each other in the fall. At the time Canelo held the WBC's middleweight title and Golovkin was the mandatory challenger.
The fight never came and their negotiations hit a wall when Canelo vacated the WBC title and dropped back to the junior middleweight division. The sanctioning body then named Golovkin as their full champion.
There is a verbal agreement between both camps, to stage a Golovkin vs. Canelo fight in September of 2017.