Former WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee has advised Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) to let those hands go early in order to get the respect of IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs).
Canelo vs. Golovkin was officially announced this past Saturday night, and it takes place on September 16th.
Back in March at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Golovkin went the twelve round distance for the first time in his career, and won a close unanimous decision over Daniel Jacobs.
Lee (35-3, 24 KOs) fears that if Golovkin is allowed to control the pace in the early rounds, he will attempt to steamroll right through Canelo.
"From the start you’ve got to get Golovkin’s respect, because he’s a guy that builds up a head of steam, gets momentum in a fight and eventually he methodically breaks you down. You’ve got to give him a little taste of his own medicine, obviously a lot it’s easier said than done,” Lee told Newstalk 106FM’s Off The Ball.
“You’ve have to go out there and get your respect straight off. Just for the first few rounds, try to hang in there with him, give as good as you get. You’ve got to take chances and just let your hands go, throw bombs when he throws bombs. Because he does give chances, he’s not a defensive master in any sense. He almost invites you to throw at him”
Lee returned to the ring as part of the Golovkin-Jacobs card, and won a decision over KeAndrae Leatherwood. It was his first fight since losing the WBO title to Billy Joe Saunders in December 2015.
Lee is planning to fight again in the fall and hopes to land the opportunity to eventually face the Canelo-Golovkin winner at some point.
“I’m rated at number five with BoxRec, so I’m still in with a shout. as you know. I’ll be back in training in September and, if the right fight is offered to me, one that gets me motivated, makes sense career-wise, then I’ll go again. A fight that I want to take, may a fight that would lead to one of those guys [Canelo or Golovkin]," Lee said.