On September 16, the battle for the unified middleweight championship will feature two of boxing’s most skilled, powerful and aggressive fighters. After the spectacle of the Mayweather-McGregor fight, hardcore boxing fans are gearing up for the true fan’s match-up: Gennady “GGG” Golovkin vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. 

For both fighters, this will be their biggest stage. This will be Golovkin’s first fight in Las Vegas, today’s ultimate boxing arena, against an opponent who might have just as much power as him. Alvarez is Mexico’s boxing darling and has only lost one fight in his entire professional career – to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Since then he’s only gotten better, beating James Kirkland, Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan in succession. 

Of course, with all super fights, comes the chorus of opinions. We’ve compiled a list of key themes and predictions from the people who know boxing best – former boxers. 

In a sport that’s devolved into more of a business than a competitive battle to be the best, this matchup is special in that both boxers are fighting each other while they’re at their best. 

Golovkin and Alvarez have each destroyed opponents in the last couple years, making this battle a true test for each boxer. Both agree that this is the biggest fight of their careers.

Golovkin’s reputation has made it difficult for him to get fights against the best in the sport. Now that he has this opportunity, it will either make or break the mystique surrounding him, and has the potential to tarnish his undefeated record. 

Alvarez has been a superstar for a while, but after accusations from fans and the press that he’s been avoiding this fight, he has the opportunity to assert his dominance in the sport. A win will silence his critics, while a loss will only feed the notion that he might be good, but not great.

Ultimately, both fighters have a chance to make history. In an interview with Golden Boy Boxing – the company owned by Oscar de la Hoya and the primary promoter of this fight – Bernard Hopkins, former world champion boxer, talked about why this was a throwback fight: “This fight’s going to be one of those fights… because [of] how much is at stake. Being the guy in the division, knowing you’re THE guy. Undisputed means no dispute and when you have that…anything else can leave you, but history lives on.”

Golovkin and Alvarez share the same offensive-minded style of boxing, and both have the capacity to knock an opponent out. Predicting his own fight, Alvarez told HBO Boxing that “it’s a fight that has a high chance of ending with a knockout.” 

Golovkin’s power is unparalleled, with superlatives like “monster” and “annihilator” often being used by boxing commentators to describe him. He’s given boxing fans plenty of iconic knockout moments, however Alvarez is rarely  knocked down, much less knocked out. If the fight does go the distance, the odds may favor Alvarez.

Bernard Hopkins predicts that the only way a knockout will happen is if it’s a technical one. “I think there will be some knockdowns, but I don’t think there will be a knockout. If there’s any way it’ll be stopped, it will be based on a referee’s decision,” said Hopkins to boxing site HoopJab.com

“I’ve always believed that GGG has good punching power, but [he’s] flat-footed, makes a lot of mistakes. Do I think that GGG can beat Canelo? Absolutely not.” (SkySports) 

“This is a classic…I think that GGG throws a lot of punches and he has good defense and [when] he gets hit he knows how to roll them off. If it goes the distance, I think he’s going to pull it out.” (Stephen A. Smith Show)

“Let no one bet the house on neither of them, because it's an unpredictable match. I see this as being very even, 50-50 and the fighter who will win will be the one that manages to impose his fight plan. It's the kind of fighter where the mental aspect will be decisive, even more than the physical one. Both fighters need to be very smart, they must cover their chin well, keep their guard up." (ESPN Deportes)