Golovkin vs Alvarez 2: A Fight For The Ages?

Golovkin vs Alvarez 2: A Fight For The Ages?

By Matthew Dean

Whilst Joshua vs Wilder has been put on hold until the mandatories are complete and for the obviously complex negotiations to resume, all eyes will turn to the eagerly awaited rematch on September 15th between Gennady Golovkin 38-0-1 (34 kos) & Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2 34 kos). The T-Mobile arena Las Vegas will host the return super bout to decide the holder of Golovkin’s WBA WBC and IBO middleweight titles.

The first fight was ruled a draw in controversial circumstances so this could prove to be an even bigger attraction, more so as this time it will not be going up against Mayweather/McGregor. First time around there was respect between the combatants but now there appears to genuine needle. Golovkin is keen to prove that he is the best in the division and that poor judging last time cost him his perfect record. Alvarez is coming off the back of a ban & has a point to prove especially after Golovkin’s “drug cheat” name calling and lacklustre showing last time.

This fight will be marketed to the extreme as it will generate a lot of money for boxing. But how does it fare in comparison to some of the other super-fights of days gone by?

There has been many super fights over the years and here are just a few.

Hopkins va Trinidad 2001.
Hopkins TKO 12
Hopkins (39-2-1 28 KOs) had not lost for 19 fights and Trinidad undefeated (40-0, 33 KOs).

The winner would be the first undisputed Middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler

The fight atmosphere was electrified as Hopkins had thrown the Puerto Rican flag on the ground in a show of disrespect to his OST at least once during press conferences.

The fight itself was plain to see for all. Trinidad seemed bent on knocking out Hopkins and stalked him through the fight. Hopkins was out-landing Tito every round. The jab and right cross finding their mark with precision accuracy and brilliant tactical movement helped neutralise Tito’s best punches.

Heavily behind going into the 10th, Trinidad landed big shots but failed to hurt Hopkins. An inside battle of hooks and uppercuts ensued with neither man giving way to the other, going to the final bell and even beyond that with the ref forced to separate them.

Going into the 12th it was clear to all including the fighters that Trinidad could only win via stoppage having won almost no rounds at all. Hopkins would not be dominated and imposed his will knocking Tito down with a big right hand in the first minute. Tito rose just barely making the count but the ref stopped it as Tito’s father entered the ring.

This was the 14th consecutive title defence for Hopkins bringing him level with Carlos Monzon’s record and The Executioner was awarded Ring magazine “Fighter of the Year”

Hagler vs Leonard 1987
W12 Leonard

Leonard came out of a 3 year retirement to take on the longstanding champ. Many had expected a clear cut win for Hagler but it turned into one of the most debated fights to this day. Hagler got a bigger payday but Leonard had a bigger ring and gloves and 12 rounds not 15.

Both fighters had beaten Duran and Hearns so brilliance was expected. The fight went the distance with both boxers putting on an exciting show in a much better fight than many predicted.

Ray was most effective in the early rounds as had been anticipated. Hagler was not a fast starter but gained momentum as fights went on. The Hearns fight an exception to this notion.

Hagler picked up in the middle rounds but Leonard was not daunted and the fight swung back and forth for the 2 combatants either way and scorecards could easily be level going into the final rounds of battle. The fight involved lots of movement around the ring by Leonard flurries of punching whilst Hagler stalked and landed what seemed like hurtful shots although Leonard took them well.

When the result was announced there were disputes but the decision was always going to be controversial. There are some rounds which are more clear cut than others and the rest could go either way depending on how you view it. This is evident from the boxing analysts’ scorecards:

Al Bernstein scored 115-113 Hagler, Harold Lederman 115-113 Leonard Larry Merchant had 114-114 even

Even though there were no KDs, they both fought an incredible fight and landed many more punches than the middleweight punch average per round.

The final CompuBox stats were
total punches landed
Leonard 306 of 629
Hagler 291 of 792
Total power punches landed
Leonard 258 of 490
Hagler 213 of 581

Hagler retired after this fighter vowing never to fight again and stood by this word. Leonard fought on briefly.

There are lots of theories about the fight.Who really won it, did Leonard admit to Hagler he lost? Did a judge protest gift Leonard the win. However , these men treated us to a spectacle which we can still debate the pros and cons of 31 years later.

Hagler va Hearns 1985
Hagler TKO 3

Although it lasted less than 8 minutes it is considered as some of the greatest rounds ever seen in a boxing ring. Hagler and Hearns were both ranked in the top fighters pound for pound list. Both fighters had beaten Roberto Duran, (Hagler UD and Hearns TKO. 2 respectively). Hagler was the middleweight champion and Hearns held a super welterweight title.

From the word go they traded punches neither willing to give in. Hearns a brutal puncher and Hagler a fearless boxer. Hagler was stunned early in RD 1 and suffered a nasty cut but refused to give, Hearns was also rocked by a non stop barrage of blows in the 1st.

Hagler continued to be aggressive in the 2nd whilst Hearns tried to box but failed to keep him off. Hearns was stunned again and survived the round absorbing massive shots from the champ. He had managed to return fire although without the success of RD 1.

The doctor briefly checked Hagler’s cut in the third and this seemed to instill a sense of seek and stun. He pursued Hearns and landed big right hands when he knocked the Hitman down and forced the stoppage.

Robinson vs Fullmer 1957
TKO 5 Robison.

Fullmer took their first fight on points even knocking Ray out of the ring so many thought that his illustrious career was already over. As in the first fight Fullmer was in charge until RD 4 when Sugar Ray seemed to come to life.

In the 5th Fullmer was walking down the former champ when the unexpected happened. Ray hit Fullmer with a short left hook. Fullmer tried to rise but he was gone and fell flat to floor failing to make the count. Until that point Fullmer had never been stopped and Ray regained his former title. Along with the accolade for possibly the greatest punch ever.

Robinson vs Lamotta 1951.
TKO 13 Robinson

The pair fought 6 times with LaMotta handing Sugar Ray his first loss and Ray beating him in all the other outings.

Their 6th and final clash in the St. Valentine’s Day massacre is a classic in terms of beautiful savagery. Robinson keeps hitting LaMotta and LaMotta refuses to give in and keeps coming forward. Testament to the willpower and chin Of LaMotta, he withstood a terrific pummelling. Only a fighter like Jake LaMotta could take the beating in did in RD 13 and not be blown away. The ref eventually ended it mercifully.

There are many others which could make the list

Hopkins vs De La Hoya 2004.
KO Hopkins
Rocky Graziano vs Tony Zale 1947
TKO Zale
Harry Greb bs Mickey Walker 1925
W12 Greb
Benn v Eubank 1990
TKO Eubank
Monzon vs Valdez 2. 1977
W15 Monzon.
Duran vs Barkley 1989
W12 Duran.

It depends on the individual viewpoint whether a fight makes a classic or not. Many fighters give stellar performances but their efforts are sometimes overlooked. When I wrote this the point was whether Golovkin – Alvarez 2 will be the classic we hope for…….

My belief is watch the build-up and don’t blink during the fight. It has the potential to be fast, furious and everything we hope it will be.