Abel Sanchez, trainer of IBF, WBC, IBO, WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs), expects Saul "Canelo" Alvarez to be a very durable opponent.
The two fighters are scheduled to collide in a highly anticipated fight on September 16th. The bout headlines an HBO Pay-Per-View event. No location has been determined as of yet, but several venues are in the running - with Texas, Las Vegas, and California as the frontrunners.
After nearly two years of hype and high fan demand, the fight was announced following Canelo's one-sided victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier this month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Two fights ago, Golovkin was viewed as a solid betting favorite. But now many observers believe Canelo is fully capable of pulling off the upset.
Golovkin had some issues last September, during his five round stoppage of Kell Brook, who was moving up by two weight divisions to take the fight. And then Golovkin's knockout streak came to an unexpected end in March. After stopping 23 opponents in a row, he was forced to go the full twelve round distance in a competitive decision win over Daniel Jacobs at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Sanchez is not ruling out a knockout victory. He expects a competitive first half, but then predicts GGG will take over down the stretch when he starts landing big shots on Canelo on a consecutive basis.
"I believe that if he stops him, he stops because he’s worn him down and has hit him with some very good shots. Golovkin may drop him in the fight, but Canelo is a much improved fighter and has proven that he has a decent chin and he’s not going to wear out, he will go the twelve rounds throwing hard punches. He’s got good conditioning, but I think the strength and the constant pounding throughout the second part of the fight will be why the fight is stopped, if it is stopped," Sanchez told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.