Gennady Golovkin considers Saul "Canelo" Alvarez to be the biggest puncher that he's ever been up against in the ring.
The eagerly-awaited middleweight superfight will take place at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena on September 16, fight promoters confirmed on Monday. Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions had suggested a range of venues from Dallas to Los Angeles were being considered for the fight, one of the most mouthwatering match-ups in years.
However Golden Boy confirmed that the fight would be held at the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. De La Hoya said Golden Boy had received expressed interest from several large-capacity venues, notably the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Texas and baseball's Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Madison Square Garden in New York had also lobbied for the fight. But some of the location never submitted actual offers to secure the fight.
Golovkin believes Canelo is a bigger hitter than David Lemieux and Daniel Jacobs - two of the hardest punchers at the middleweight limit.
"No, [I haven't fought anybody as powerful as Canelo or hits as hard], nobody. I think he's first [among my opponents], he's the first real champ," Golovkin told TMZ.
"I'll train for this at 100%. It's a different style. He knows me and I know him. We trained together four years ago. But it's a little bit different. My coach Abel Sanchez has a plan. This is boxing. This is a huge fight for both of us. We are both ready for a big drama show. I don't think [he's felt a punch like mine]."
At the same time, Golovkin was surprised that Canelo was unable to stop Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last month. Canelo battered and dominated Chavez Jr. over twelve rounds for a decision win at T-Mobile. The fight took place at a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds. Chavez Jr. appeared to have nothing in the tank.
“It was very interesting for me – because why couldn’t he stop him or knock him down? He looks terrible. He must [get the knockout]. If he has so much energy, so much power [by choosing to stand between rounds], then show me in the next round. After first round [you stand between rounds to show off], then stop him in the second round. That was to show muscles, maybe for girls," Golovkin said.