Boxing superstars Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez did not disappoint in their return to the ring. Both fighters dominated their opponents with GGG showing off his tremendous power and Canelo giving boxing fans yet another reason to call him the best pound for pound fighter in the world. GGG was able to retain his IBF middleweight title and Canelo walked away from the ring with three new belts to add to his trophy case.
The first fight saw Golovkin take on Polish boxer Kamil Szeremeta. While most people believed that GGG was an easy favorite, there was talk about whether or not he had lost a step. The 38-year-old wasted no time in proving those rumors wrong. He scored four knockdowns before the referee called a stop to the fight before the eighth round. However, due to the lack of quality boxing GGG faced in Szeremeta, many people are still skeptical, wondering if Golovkin’s flawless victory was a result of his skill or his opponents lack there of. The real test will come in Golovkin’s fights to come. Many expect him to fight much tougher opponents, such as Jermall Charlo. With a third fight with Canelo Alvarez expected to come in the next year, Gennady Golovkin will receive much more difficult opponents as his skill and age continue to be tested.
Canelo Alvarez faced a more difficult challenge as he took on Callum Smith the day after GGG’s win. Despite being the challenger, Alvarez entered the fight as the favorite. The fight only justified the favoritism. Alvarez erased Smith’s seven inch height advantage by pushing inside and keeping Smith against the ropes. He utilized his strong uppercuts to split Smith’s guard and took the fight to Smith’s body beautifully. The fight statistics only further proved the Mexican boxer’s dominance. Alvarez landed forty-three percent of his punches and fifty-seven percent of his power punches. Smith was able to last all twelve rounds of the fight, but ultimately lost by unanimous decision, a result that no one argued.
Alvarez’s win delivered him the two titles that Smith once claimed, the WBA super middleweight title and The Ring super middleweight title, as well as the vacant WBC super middleweight title. While a GGG trilogy fight is expected by some and would be a big money maker, Alvarez expressed his intent to unify the super middleweight division.
“I want all the belts and it doesn’t matter who is there,” said Alvarez.
Alvarez did, however, say that he would take a fight against GGG, saying that he will “fight against the best.” The two fighters seem destined to clash in the ring for a third time, but with Canelo being a promotional free agent and looking to unify at super middleweight, it could take longer than fans would hope for.
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