By Keith Idec
Canelo Alvarez figures Gennady Golovkin respects his power.
The Mexican superstar suspects that, like him, Golovkin understands either of them could win their highly anticipated middleweight title fight by knockout September 16 in Las Vegas. Golovkin has knocked out 89 percent of his professional opponents and has not been knocked down during any of his 37 fights.
Alvarez’s knockout ratio is noticeably lower (67 percent), yet he, too, has recorded numerous knockouts against championship-caliber opponents in recent years. Most notably, the 27-year-old Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) scored highlight-reel knockouts of James Kirkland in May 2015 and Amir Khan in May 2016.
The former WBC middleweight champion is confident he can become the first fighter to knock out Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) as well.
“I don’t think they’re underestimating my power,” Alvarez said through a translator as part of a conference call Tuesday. “I think the fans know and [the media] know we both have attractive styles and we’re both gonna fight a fight where anybody can win by knockout. We both have the power to win by knockout. But that’s what makes for a great fight and I think that’s what makes this an attractive fight for the fans.”
Alvarez realizes the 35-year-old Golovkin hasn’t been down as a pro. The resilient Alvarez hasn’t been down during a pro fight, either, but that could change at a moment’s notice, Alvarez said, when they square off next month in an HBO Pay-Per-View main event at T-Mobile Arena.
“Anything can happen in boxing,” Alvarez said. “Anything can happen at any moment, at any time when both fighters can punch, when they both have punching power. You can have a fighter who might not be a big puncher, but if he connects with that perfect punch, at the right spot, he can knock down anybody. So yes, of course it can happen. It can happen because of the amount of punching power both fighters have.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.