Abel Sanchez, Gennadiy Golovkin’s former trainer, fears that things won’t go well if he fights Canelo Alvarez a third time.
Trainer Abel Sancez fears for Gennadiy Golovkin if he fights Canelo Alvarez a third time.
Golovkin’s former mentor, who was in his corner in the first two fights, said on The Pug and Copp Show podcast that the 38-year-old Kazakhstani could take a beating at the hands of the younger Mexican.
Golovkin, now trained by Johnathon Banks, and Alvarez reportedly agreed before the coronavirus pandemic took hold to fight in September.
“This one maybe will hurt. Not because I’m not with him, but [it could] hurt because he gets hurt,” Sanchez said during the podcast. “Not only [is the third meeting] the most significant, it’s the most dangerous because you’re talking about a guy who is at his peak now and believes he can do the same thing to Gennadiy that he did to [Sergey] Kovalev.
“[Alvarez] baited, baited, baited and waited for that right moment and it was destructive. I would hate to see Gennadiy go into that fight — or I would rather not see the fight — than to see Gennadiy succumb to something like that, not being prepared physically and mentally.”
Golovkin and Alvarez fought to a controversial split draw in September 2017. Alvarez won the rematch by a majority decision a year later, after which Golovkin left Sanchez.
Since then, Golovkin stopped Steve Rolls in four rounds but struggled in a taxing fight to earn a close decision over Sergey Derevyanchenko to win a vacant middleweight title in October. Some observers suggested after the latter performance that Triple-G is in decline.
Meanwhile, since the rematch, Alvarez stopped Rocky Fielding in three rounds, outpointed Danny Jacobs and stopped Kovalev in the 11th round to win a light heavyweight title in November.
Alvarez was tentatively scheduled to fight super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders in May but that fight was put on hold because of the pandemic and might not happen.
A boxing historian with the Twitter handle @BoxerJoeGrim, named for a turn-of-the-20 th-century heavyweight who lost consistently but never gave up, posted a fascinating image of a newspaper column written by the legendary Grantland Rice in 1925. …
A boxing historian with the Twitter handle @BoxerJoeGrim, named for a turn-of-the-20th-century heavyweight who lost consistently but never gave up, posted a fascinating image of a newspaper column written by the legendary Grantland Rice in 1925.
The article (see below) demonstrates that the concept of pound-for-pound predates by many years Sugar Ray Robinson, for whom many seem to believe the term was coined.
“Who is the best fighter in the world for weight – pound for pound?,” Rice wrote. “Our vote goes to Jimmy Slattery – with Mickey Walker possibly in second place.”
Boxing writer Cliff Rold, an astute boxing historian, commented on Joe Grim’s post, Tweeting: “There were lists of the best overall fighters across divisions that used to appear in all sorts of big papers regularly, some using the expression and some not. All the same thought.”
The myth that boxing's "pound for pound" expression was coined for Sugar Ray Robinson is increasingly being replaced by a new, more subtle, myth – that he prompted writers to start formally ranking fighters on a P4P basis. This is also untrue – take this 1925 piece for example: pic.twitter.com/DBzKuO8cJC
Added another knowledgeable historian, Doug Fischer, Editor-in-Chief of The Ring Magazine: “The #P4P concept goes back to the late 1800s, as Bob Fitzsimmons was described by newspaper scribes as the best boxer ‘regardless of weight’ during his prime.”
To which Joe Grim responded: “At times they also used the exact ‘pound-for-pound’ expression to describe him as well. So many things trace back to Fitz. P4P got a foothold due to him (though not coined for him) as did ‘the bigger they are …,’ which he also popularized (but also not coined for or by him).”
So there you have it, a short lesson on the long life of the term “pound-for-pound.”
And one more thing: Jimmy Slattery? He received heady praise from Rice, who presumably knew what he was writing about.
Slattery, one of the top light heavyweights of the 1920s and early ’30s and a Hall of Famer, was a brilliant, graceful boxer who fought on even terms with some of the greatest fighters in history. He was a two-time 175-pound champ who finished with a record of 111-13 (14 KOs).
And as Rice pointed out, the product of Buffalo, New York, might’ve the best in the business at that moment.
TV commentator Max Kellerman chimed in on the Twitter thread by commenting: “Most interesting thing here is that Slattery is ranked #1. He left a big impression back then. I was asked to write something for Jeff Fenech’s HOF induction, & in the original draft referenced Slattery as an example, like Fenech, of fighter who at his best looked like ATG.”
Check out Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Tyson Fury
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss which weight class is ideal for Canelo Alvarez, who has bounced around recently.
Three fights ago, against Rocky Fielding, Canelo Alvarez fought as a super middleweight. The following fight, against Danny Jacobs, he was a middleweight. And, most recently, he fought Sergey Kovalev as a light heavyweight.
So what’s the ideal division for the Mexican superstar?
Some of those close to him have said that 168 pounds – super middleweight – makes most sense. However, his trainer, Eddy Reynoso, recently said he expects Alvarez’s third fight against Gennadiy Golovkin to be contested at 160.
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora tackle this subject in the latest episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora.
Canelo Alvarez’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, said Gennadiy Golovkin won’t survive to the final bell if he fights the Mexican star a third time.
Canelo Alvarez’s trainer said Gennadiy Golovkin wouldn’t survive to the final bell if he fights the Mexican star a third time.
Alvarez and Golovkin reportedly agreed before the coronavirus pandemic took hold to fight one another in the fall. Alvarez was tentatively scheduled to face Billy Joe Saunders on Cinco de Mayo weekend but that fight was postponed indefinitely.
Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s trainer, said a third fight with Golovkin would probably be his protege’s last at 160 pounds. The trainer mentioned Saunders, Callum Smith, Caleb Plant and David Benavidez as possible opponents at super middleweight.
The rivals fought to a controversial split draw in September 2017 and Alvarez won a majority decision the following September.
Golovkin turned 38 on Wednesday.
“Without a doubt, if this fight happens, Canelo-Golovkin III, no doubt we’ll knock him out,” Reynoso told ESPN KnockOut. “We’ll look to take the fight to him like in the second one, from the start, try to push him back. But this time things are going to be very different.
“This time, we’re going to knock him out. That’s a promise to all the people who believe in us.”
Alvarez had hoped to fight three times this year but, Reynoso said, that is no longer a realistic plan.
“I think right now we’ll only be able to fit in two fights,” Reynoso said. “We want to fight Golovkin at 160 pounds. We’ll see afterward if there is something there at 160, and if not we’ll go up to 168. Canelo has been fine-tuning over the years, and we’re going to make a lot of noise at 168.”
Reynoso went on: “We’ll have to see how things go and then see how the economy is [when boxing resumes]. There are a lot of fighters who were left without fights. We’ll have to see what happens with them first as far as dates, so we’ll see how all of this pans … out.”
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss whether anyone at or near 168 pounds could give Canelo Alvarez a real challenge.
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Can anyone give Canelo Alvarez a challenge at or around 168 pounds?
Alvarez has had his share of tough fights. He and Gennadiy Golovkin had 24 give-and-take rounds. Danny Jacobs held his own against the Mexican. And even then-light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev was competitive for much of their fight.
The 168-pound division, where Alvarez resides, isn’t deep, though. Could any super middleweight give Alvarez difficulty? Could a 160-pounder move up and challenge him?
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora tackle that topic on Jabs with Mannix and Mora.
And both of them came up with one man they feel could give Alvarez problems. Hint: One is British, the other is American.
Boxing Junkie’s fantasy series “Who Wins?” revealed some interesting things about the fighters who were featured.
Boxing Junkie’s “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pitted each of our Top 15 pound-for-pound fighters against five potential opponents and had our three staffers predict winners, is completed.
What did it reveal? A number of things.
The top fighters on our pound-for-pound list are there for a reason.
Nos. 1-3 Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez went a combined 43-1-1 in their fights (five fights with three predictions each). See below for the final standings.
The results depended heavily on the opposition.
Alvarez went 15-0 (6 KOs) in part because he’s a great fighter, as stated above, but also because the competition at super middleweight isn’t as deep as some other divisions.
Alvarez, who recently won a light heavyweight title was paired with 175-pounder Artur Beterbiev in one of the Russian’s five fights and all three Boxing Junkie staffers predicted Alvarez would lose.
One could argue that the records of Crawford (14-1, 3 KOs) and Errol Spence Jr. (13-2, 6 KOs) are as impressive as Alvarez’s given the inordinate number of quality welterweights compared to super middleweights.
Size matters.
The best example of this is Mikey Garcia, the four-division titleholder who now is a smallish welterweight. His ability stacks up against almost anyone’s but he is at a disadvantage against a full-sized, elite 147-pounder, as we saw when he was dominated by Spence. Garcia went 7-8 (0 KOs).
Age matters.
No one doubts the greatness of Manny Pacquiao, particularly after his victory over Keith Thurman. However, at 41, he can’t fight at the same pace he once did. Plus, he also is a small 147-pounder. Those are reasons the Boxing Junkie staffers gave the nod to Pacquiao’s opponents by a wide margin. Pacquiao went 3-12 (0 KOs), the worse record among the 15 fighters featured.
Gennadiy Golovkin, 37, suffered a similar fate. He’s a great fighter but also an aging one, which caught up with him in our feature. Triple-G went 9-6 (5 KOs).
Fury is clearly No. 1.
The heavyweight division isn’t deep but Fury’s opponents – Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr. – have had success. And Fury emerged with a record of 14-1 (8 KOs), losing only a close decision against Usyk in the opinion of staffer Sean Nam.
Even special fighters lose.
Two good examples are Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Josh Taylor, who had records of 8-7 (5 KOs) and 7-6-2 (2 KOs), respectively. That has less to do with their abilities than the fighters we had them face.
Sor Rungvisai, a junior bantamweight, had to contend with a gauntlet of superb opponents – Juan Francisco Estrada (in a third fight), Roman Gonzalez (also for the third time), Nayoa Inoue (a bantamweight), Kazuto Ioka and Kosei Tanaka. No one could emerge from those tests unscathed.
And Taylor, a junior welterweight, faced Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis (in a rematch), Maurice Hooker, Terence Crawford (a welterweight) and Teofimo Lopez (a lightweight). Again, tough assignments.
Genndaiy Golovkin’s tooth-and-nail war with unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko in October raised an obvious question: Has Triple-G declined? It wasn’t long ago that Golovkin steamrolled through the middleweight division, scoring a remarkable 23 …
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Genndaiy Golovkin’s tooth-and-nail war with unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko in October raised an obvious question: Has Triple-G declined?
It wasn’t long ago that Golovkin steamrolled through the middleweight division, scoring a remarkable 23 consecutive knockouts even as he raised his level of opposition.
Then he struggled to beat Danny Jacobs, drew (controversially) and lost to Canelo Alvarez, and went to hell and back to defeat Derevyanchenko by a close, unanimous decision.
“It’s called Father Time, it’s called nature, it’s called aging, and it comes to all of us, but we all don’t have to fight for a living,” Atlas said of the 37-year-old Kazakhstani. “… When the truth comes to you in the ring, the truth can hit you, bang, hard and fast.”
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss that topic on Jabs with Mannix and Mora.
Hall of Fame trainer Teddy Atlas believes time has caught up to 37-year-old Gennadiy Golovkin.
Is Gennadiy Golovkin shot?
Teddy Atlas, the Hall of Fame trainer, thinks so. He believes that it’s too late for a third fight between Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez for lack of interest and because the 37-year-old Triple-G isn’t the fighter he used to be.
Golovkin and Alvarez agreed before the coronavirus pandemic took hold to fight one another in the fall, which presumably is what DAZN executives were hoping for when they signed the rivals.
“If you heard a giant sigh of relief somewhere it was coming from [DAZN Chairman] John Skipper and the other executives when finally … that third fight is done,” Atlas said on his show “The Fight.”
“Maybe it’s going to save a few people’s jobs over there [if] … it actually does happen. So that’s the good news. Here’s the bad news. The bad news is it’s too late … Time has passed, people have moved on. … I don’t know that interest is there anymore for that fight.”
And Atlas believes Golovkin’s long amateur career, 42 pro fights, two taxing bouts with Alvarez and a war with unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko in October have taken a lot out of him.
“[Golovkin] showed the heart of the warrior that he is,” said Atlas, referring to the Derevyanchenko fight. “He wasn’t right. Was it because he was sick, was it a fluke, was it an anomaly, was it that or was it what [Golovkin] is now? An older fighter … that has left parts of himself in the ring and parts of himself from the first two Canelo fights.
“I thought those fights [against Canelo] took a lot out of [Golovkin], and I think 400 amateur fights take a lot out of you. And I think when you’re at the age he’s at … what is he now? 38? He’s getting up there toward that number 40. I always say you don’t judge a fighter’s age in this tough business chronologically. You judge them by the tough fights they’ve been in.”
Atlas added a blunt commentary.
“In the Derevyanchenko fight, [Golovkin] looked like a shot fighter,” he said. “Yeah, I said it. I said it, you people that want to get your knives out now and your bow and arrows ready. ‘How dare you say that about my guy.’
“It’s called Father Time, it’s called nature, it’s called aging, and it comes to all of us, but we all don’t have to fight for a living. … When the truth comes to you in the ring, the truth can hit you, bang, hard and fast.”
Billy Joe Saunders isn’t as likely to face Canelo Alvarez in light of the controversial video he posted and the shutdown of the sport.
The chances of Billy Joe Saunders fighting Canelo Alvarez now seem slimmer.
Saunders, reportedly set to be Alvarez’s next opponent, has been suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control for posting on social media a tongue-in-cheek video on how to commit domestic violence.
That and the sport’s shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic could leave Saunders out of the picture. Instead, Alvarez could fight Gennadiy Golovkin, with whom he has an agreement for a third fight.
“That all depends if boxing’s back for the summer,” promoter Eddie Hearn told iFL TV when asked whether the Alvarez-Saunders fight would happen. “Obviously we’ve gotta get over his viral video, which has upset a lot of people, me included. That’s another conversation.
“Regarding Canelo, I think that it all depends when boxing’s back. I think both Canelo and GGG would like to have a fight before they fight each other. That was their original plan, but again it depends how far back in the year boxing begins.
“I think if it’s July, I think Billy Joe will get that fight. I think if it starts going to September, October, November and Canelo’s only gonna box once this year, then maybe he chooses to have the biggest fight he can.”
Alvarez and Saunders agreed to fight on May 2 in Las Vegas but the fight was never formally announced and later postponed because of the pandemic.
Saunders, speaking to talkSPORT on Monday, apologized for the video.
“I looked at it as a bit of a joke at first,” he said. “I obviously wasn’t thinking right. … Looking back at it now I can clearly see the destruction it has caused among the women suffering from domestic violence. It was a silly mistake, but I didn’t intentionally mean to cause harm to anyone and I certainly wouldn’t promote domestic violence.
“My sense of humor is not everyone’s cup of tea. I can only take it back and apologize for it. I’ve spoken to my manager and among other things I will be donating £25,000 ($31,000) to support domestic violence charities. It is clearly a silly thing to do and I can’t take it back.”
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create …
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
Triple-G is coming off a shaky performance in a close decision over unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko last October, raising the notion that he’s slowing down as he approaches his 38th birthday, but he remains a major player at middleweight.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Golovkin would do against Canelo Alvarez in a third fight, Demetrius Andrade, Derevyanchenko in a rematch, Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguia. We then tally Golovkin’s record in those fights and present our standings.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 7 Errol Spence Jr.
So here goes: Inoue vs. his five potential opponents.
GOLOVKIN (40-1-1, 35 KOs) VS. ALVAREZ (53-1-2, 36 KOs)
Is Canelo Alvarez (right) too good for Gennadiy Golovkin at this stage of their careers? Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Golovkin isn’t as far gone as some seem to believe. He looked so-so in his last fight, a harder-than-expected unanimous-decision victory over Sergey Derevyanchenko that suggested he might be slipping. The guess here is that he lacked inspiration, which he would have in abundance for third fight with Alvarez. Part III would look like Parts I and II – give and take from beginning to end – but Alvarez, who is peaking now, is better at this stage of the game. He wins a clear decision this time.
Frauenheim: The second encore will be more of what we saw in the first encore. Golovkin is a couple fights past his prime. His durability is not the same. Lack of body punching in the first two is a sign GGG won’t step inside. Canelo, unanimous decision.
Nam: The win and draw Alvarez has against Golovkin will forever have asterisks attached to them. But if these two ever fight again – there is talk that it could happen this fall – Alvarez will be the decided favorite and it has all to do with the fact that he’s in his prime and Golovkin is not. Since their last meeting, Alvarez has outclassed Daniel Jacobs and stopped light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev. Golovkin, meanwhile, went life and death against Sergey Derevyanchenko in a fight he barely edged on the scorecards. Alvarez by convincing unanimous decision.
***
GOLOVKIN VS. ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs)
Demetrius Andrade (right, landing against Luke Keeler) has skills that could present problems for Golovkin. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: Make no mistake: Triple-G would be competitive with any middleweight in the world. This might not be a good matchup for him, though. Andrade’s stick-and-move style would drive this somewhat slower version of Golovkin nuts. The fight wouldn’t necessarily look pretty – unless you like pure boxing – but Andrade would be in control from for most of the fight. Andrade by clear decision.
Frauenheim: Andrade falls into a dreaded category: Most Avoided. His slick defense makes him hard to hit. Hard to beat. Worse, he can make better fighters look bad. GGG has the precision and power to hurt him, especially when he throws wild combos. Fight won’t happen, but if it did: GGG, late-round KO.
Nam: It’s not so much that Andrade is “avoided” by the top fighters in the middleweight division but that he is treated more like an afterthought. And he has only himself to blame. Though Andrade was born and bred in the United States, it’s as if he received his education from the Cuban School of Boxing, an outpost that specializes in the art of playing spoilsport in the ring. Andrade will make this a dreary bout, no doubt, and his physical advantages will make Golovkin look like a plodder. Still, Golovkin should be able to to win rounds by landing the more significant punches in what nonetheless figures to be a low, low output affair. Golovkin by ugly close decision.
***
GOLOVKINS VS. DEREVYANCHENKO (13-2, 10 KOs)
How much did the war between Golovkin (left) and Derevyanchenko take out of Triple-G? Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: Golovkin will be reticent to exchange punches so freely with this bruiser the second time around. He still has a strong skill set and he’ll use it against Derevyanchenko, who will have more difficulty finding the target in this rematch. Golovkin will pick his shots, land some telling blows and be satisfied to win a more-definitive decision this time around.
Frauenheim: Giving Derevyanchenko another chance might be the last mistake in GGG’s career. GGG won a unanimous decision in October. But it wasn’t decisive. A one-point margin on one card and three points on each of the other two mean it was close. Derevyanchenko makes the adjustments, wins split decision.
Nam: There were immediate calls for a rematch after their first bout, but Golvokin, and his braintrust wanted no part of it. Who can blame them? Derevyanchenko rallied from a cut and early knockdown to dominate nearly three quarters of the fight. Golovkin never looked more vulnerable or slower. For every punch Golovkin landed, Derevyanchenko would respond with a three, four punch sally. Expect the same, just worse in the rematch. Derevyanchenko by decision.
***
GOLOVKIN VS. CHARLO (30-0, 22 KOs)
Jermall Charlo has never faced anyone at the level of Golovkin. Stephanie Trapp / Showtime
Rosenthal: Love this matchup. Charlo is a fiery boxer-puncher who will attack Golovkin with measured aggression, picking his spots but not leaving himself open to Golovkin’s big shots too often. Golovkin will take a similar approach in what will become an entertaining, give-and-take battle that will be taxing for both fighters. Triple-G will have his hand raised afterward, the winner of a close decision.
Frauenheim: Charlo has dangerous power. He’s quicker than GGG, too. But his style, dictated by his aggressive instincts, will put him squarely in the middle’s of GGG’s wheelhouse. GGG will catch him coming in, especially in the later rounds. GGG, late-round TKO.
Nam: A competent boxer-puncher with above-average power, Charlo would appear to have the skill set and explosiveness to trouble Golovkin at this stage of the Kazakhstani‘s career. But it’s hard to honestly assess Charlo at middleweight as he has only fought subpar opposition thus far. It’s a close, tactical matchup with intermittent offensive spurts. Golovkin wins on points.
***
GOLOVKIN VS. MUNGUIA (35-0, 28 KOs)
Jaime Munguia (right, unloading on Gary O’Sullivan) has youth on his side but little else against Golovkin. Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions
Rosenthal: Munguia, 23, has youth on his side, which gives him hope, but he has too many obstacles to overcome to win this fight. The Mexican is still growing into the 160-pound division and he has the tendency to be reckless, which will play into Triple-G’s hands. He simply can’t slug with Golovkin but knows no other way. This matchup will produce fireworks as long as it lasts but it won’t last long. Golovkin by early KO.
Frauenheim: An interesting fight a couple of years from now. But GGG will be 40 in a couple of years. He’ll be thinking more about retirement than a tough fight against a 25-year-old contender. For now, Mungia has only one fight at middleweight. He’s fun to watch, but his fearlessness will get him knocked out. GGG wins KO.
Nam: There are some signs that Munguia, a former 154-pound titleholder, is improving under new trainer Erik Morales, but the Mexican still remains a rough-hewn project – especially on defense. His inability to keep his hands up, chin tucked and general sloppiness on offense are big red flags against Golovkin, who will dictate the bout with his ramrod jab. Golovkin will find it easier to land his right hand against a relatively slower-moving target in Munguia. Golovkin by late stoppage.
