Triple G and Canelo ready for showdown

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Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez are preparing "a true fight" that could be "dangerous" as they meet Saturday night in a middleweight showdown.

The fight has been brewing for years. They do it in their prime, and they both bring the kind of power that could make for a night that will be talked about in boxing for years to come.

Three weeks after Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor met in an odd spectacle, boxing shows off its best side in a scheduled 12-round fight that will pay both men millions and make one of them the undisputed top 160-pounder in the world.

"It's a true fight," Golovkin said. "You can go back home or go to the hospital. It's dangerous. Everyone understands that."

Indeed they do, which is one reason Golovkin has had trouble getting fighters in the ring with him. The fearsome slugger from Kazakhstan has stopped almost everyone put in the ring with him, winning all 37 of his fights, 33 by knockout.

But Alvarez packs power, too, and the red-headed Mexican is a savage counterpuncher with a style that should match up perfectly against the onrushing Golovkin.

"I don't back down," Alvarez said. "I'm a counter puncher, and I like to fight."

Canelo Alvarez, left, and Gennady Golovkin pose during a weigh-in Friday, September 15, 2017, in Las Vegas. /AP Photo

The combination of styles has boxing fans salivating over what will happen in the same ring where Mayweather stopped McGregor three weeks ago. The fight quickly sold out and is expected to do well on HBO pay-per-view, though it will not reach the level of last month's spectacle.

Still, it promises to be a can't miss fight that brings back memories of the great middleweights of the 1980's. Both fighters weighed in Friday at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds.

It won't be the first time the two have met, but it will be under far different circumstances. They sparred together at Golovkin's camp in Big Bear, California, in 2011 as both were preparing for fights and, though accounts vary, both had their moments with each other.

But this is a real fight, with Golovkin's titles at stake and a lot more. Both will make millions of dollars in a fight that holds risks – and plenty of rewards – for both of their careers.

Alvarez is already an established superstar, arguably the most popular athlete in Mexico. Golovkin, who won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games, is hoping for the kind of performance that will finally win over fans not overly impressed by a 23-fight knockout streak of 18 middleweight title defenses.

"It's not an easy fight for him or me," Golovkin said. "I think the first couple of rounds will be very close. I think the second half will be much crazier, like a street fight."

For Golovkin, the fight is the culmination of a long battle to establish himself as the top middleweight in the world.

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Source(s): AP