Sanchez Expects GGG, Canelo to Hurt Each Other, Maybe Go Down

By Keith Idec

Abel Sanchez hasn’t seen Gennady Golovkin get knocked down, but Golovkin’s trainer thinks that could happen when he squares off with Canelo Alvarez on September 16 in Las Vegas.

Sanchez said during a conference call Monday that he expects Golovkin and Alvarez to hurt one another during their middleweight title fight. He added that he can envision a grueling fight in which both boxers hit the canvas.

Neither Golovkin nor Alvarez has been knocked down as a pro, which spans a combined 88 fights.

“I see both guys being aggressive and I see Gennady being more physical,” Sanchez said. “I see Gennady trying to dictate the pace. Canelo has proven that he’s a warrior. We’re looking for a tough fight. I think both guys are gonna hurt each other and they may go down. But I think we’re gonna be treated to a throwback fight, like in the mid-80s, when ‘The Four Kings’ or ‘The Five Kings’ were around.”

The veteran trainer assured reporters on the conference call that he hadn’t made those statements for the purpose of promoting an already highly anticipated middleweight title fight. Kazakhstan’s Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) has knocked out 23 of his past 24 opponents, but Sanchez is impressed by how much Mexico’s Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) has improved in recent years.

“I have respect not only for [Alvarez’s] punching power,” Sanchez said, “but I have respect for Eddy and ‘Chepo’ Reynoso doing the things that are necessary to counteract some of the things that we’re gonna be doing. I think it’s a fight where it’s gonna be a chess match at the beginning.

“And then once it gets past that point where they’re trying to see what each other [will] do, they’re gonna go at each other. And now it’s gonna be up to us in the corner to make sure that we dictate what we want done and make sure that we come up with a different plan if the first one’s not working.”

Golovkin, 35, is a slight favorite against Alvarez, who’s eight years younger than him (-155/+125). Their scheduled 12-round fight for Golovkin’s IBF, IBO and WBA middleweight titles will headline HBO Pay-Per-View’s four-fight telecast September 16 from T-Mobile Arena ($74.95 in HD).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.