Tweet
If GGG lost to Canelo, I would consider Canelo the true p4p #1, and an instant all time great.
I think the fight would be a real challenge for GGG, but realistically I see it going down like the Lemieux fight. GGG has a bigger reach than Canelo, so I think we'll see that excellent piston-like jab being employed to stop Canelo from getting too frisky. Canelo will need to fight on the inside, and with Golovkin's ring-marshalship and the defensive capability he employed against Lemieux, I don't see that being easy.
As to power, Canelo probably hits less hard than Lemieux. Canelo struggled to get the KO against Cotto and Mosley, but if he were able to get some body shots in, Golovkin could be hurt. We've never really seen how Golovkin manages against big body shots. We know his jaw is pretty good, though.
Something a lot of people discount is that there is more to Golovkin than just coming forward and hitting hard. His footwork is excellent, he is far better at being balanced than Canelo, and he cuts off the ring in a very intelligent way. GGG won a silver in the Olympics, and won the International Amateurs a couple of times, and there is simply no way he could have his amateur record - over 400 documented fights, and only 5 documented losses (there are rumours there were another three). That's an insane amateur record, even if you go by the more conservative estimates of 350 fights and 8 losses.
I sincerely believe there's a lot more to Golovkin we haven't seen yet, simply because he hasn't needed to use it. He's gone on record as saying he purposefully fights in a crowd friendly way, and I'm willing to believe him, because when he fought Lemieux he completely changed gears and style in the first 4 or 5 rounds, and then once he knew he'd ground Lemieux down enough, reverted back to his more physical style until he got the TKO.
I think Canelo will really struggle with those aspects of Golovkin we've already seen, because whilst Golovkin has never really fought AAA fighters, the gatekeepers and respected veterans he has fought, he's simply walked through in a way which hasn't been seen for a really long time. If Golovkin does have more abilities and skills which he's keeping hidden away until he needs them, Canelo is really in trouble.
Finally, Canelo sparred with Golovkin 5 years ago. I believe they fought 40 rounds over a few days. No video footage has ever been released, but a journalist who viewed the first day said it was pretty equal for the first few rounds, but then Golovkin who said he'd "warmed up" then went on to dominate for the rest. I also think Golovkin wasn't allowed to go for headshots then, either, as is the usual for him.
I think that experience has really worried Canelo, but I also think there's a great deal of respect between the two fighters having undergone that experience. I think Canelo sincerely does want to fight Golovkin at 160, and I think Golovkin knows that, but I think Canelo's team doesn't want him to, because they're worried of the loss.
It wouldn't be a walk over. I reckon it'd be a 10th or 11th round TKO, and if it did go to points, I think it would narrowly go to Golovkin (taking into account judge bias - but this in itself is a big compliment to Canelo. I think Golovkin has, on the scorecards, only ever lost 4 rounds out of 64).
It's giving me flashbacks back to Froch v Groves and Froch v Groves II. I think it'll be an incredible fight, superb for the fans and career defining for GGG. Canelo is young enough, and has an excellent enough record that a loss would not be terminal for his career.
This presumes, by the way, 158lbs+. Anything less, and it becomes a lot more even, and I see Canelo winning on points at 155 - 157.
I think the fight would be a real challenge for GGG, but realistically I see it going down like the Lemieux fight. GGG has a bigger reach than Canelo, so I think we'll see that excellent piston-like jab being employed to stop Canelo from getting too frisky. Canelo will need to fight on the inside, and with Golovkin's ring-marshalship and the defensive capability he employed against Lemieux, I don't see that being easy.
As to power, Canelo probably hits less hard than Lemieux. Canelo struggled to get the KO against Cotto and Mosley, but if he were able to get some body shots in, Golovkin could be hurt. We've never really seen how Golovkin manages against big body shots. We know his jaw is pretty good, though.
Something a lot of people discount is that there is more to Golovkin than just coming forward and hitting hard. His footwork is excellent, he is far better at being balanced than Canelo, and he cuts off the ring in a very intelligent way. GGG won a silver in the Olympics, and won the International Amateurs a couple of times, and there is simply no way he could have his amateur record - over 400 documented fights, and only 5 documented losses (there are rumours there were another three). That's an insane amateur record, even if you go by the more conservative estimates of 350 fights and 8 losses.
I sincerely believe there's a lot more to Golovkin we haven't seen yet, simply because he hasn't needed to use it. He's gone on record as saying he purposefully fights in a crowd friendly way, and I'm willing to believe him, because when he fought Lemieux he completely changed gears and style in the first 4 or 5 rounds, and then once he knew he'd ground Lemieux down enough, reverted back to his more physical style until he got the TKO.
I think Canelo will really struggle with those aspects of Golovkin we've already seen, because whilst Golovkin has never really fought AAA fighters, the gatekeepers and respected veterans he has fought, he's simply walked through in a way which hasn't been seen for a really long time. If Golovkin does have more abilities and skills which he's keeping hidden away until he needs them, Canelo is really in trouble.
Finally, Canelo sparred with Golovkin 5 years ago. I believe they fought 40 rounds over a few days. No video footage has ever been released, but a journalist who viewed the first day said it was pretty equal for the first few rounds, but then Golovkin who said he'd "warmed up" then went on to dominate for the rest. I also think Golovkin wasn't allowed to go for headshots then, either, as is the usual for him.
I think that experience has really worried Canelo, but I also think there's a great deal of respect between the two fighters having undergone that experience. I think Canelo sincerely does want to fight Golovkin at 160, and I think Golovkin knows that, but I think Canelo's team doesn't want him to, because they're worried of the loss.
It wouldn't be a walk over. I reckon it'd be a 10th or 11th round TKO, and if it did go to points, I think it would narrowly go to Golovkin (taking into account judge bias - but this in itself is a big compliment to Canelo. I think Golovkin has, on the scorecards, only ever lost 4 rounds out of 64).
It's giving me flashbacks back to Froch v Groves and Froch v Groves II. I think it'll be an incredible fight, superb for the fans and career defining for GGG. Canelo is young enough, and has an excellent enough record that a loss would not be terminal for his career.
This presumes, by the way, 158lbs+. Anything less, and it becomes a lot more even, and I see Canelo winning on points at 155 - 157.
Comment