Whether the wait was too long to produce the sort of classic most insist exists within the matchup will be determined Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, where a middleweight unification title fight could set the stage for other such clashes.
Boxing
The megabout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena became official Friday after both fighters made weight at 160 pounds each.
Lamar Jackson has been sensational this season, compiling 1,010 total yards and eight touchdowns while leading the No. 14 Cardinals to road wins against Purdue and North Carolina.
Gennady Golovkin downplayed the significance of the fight’s location, but acknowledged that Saturday is indeed the zenith of a career that started in his native Kazakhstan.
There are high hopes this potential fight of the year between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will be remembered for a long time and possibly produce the latest boxing trilogy.
Bryan Salmond, Ed Graney and Gilbert Manzano go over Wednesday’s highlights from the Canelo vs “GGG” press conference and make their predictions for Saturday’s fight.
It appears those involved with what could prove to be one of the sport’s all-time classics in Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin have finally moved on and stopped condemning something of which they had absolutely no connection.
Trainer Abel Sanchez is no stranger to the spotlight. He guided Hall of Famer Terry Norris to stardom in the 1980s and 1990s, and worked with several other champions before aligning in 2010 with Gennady Golovkin.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is eight years younger than Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, but that wasn’t evident Tuesday when the two middleweights made their arrivals at the MGM Grand lobby.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was viewed as Floyd Mayweather’s toughest challenger when the two boxing stars met at the MGM Grand Garden Arena four years ago.
When Saturday’s 11 a.m. deadline to enter the Westgate SuperContest expired, there were a record 2,748 entries — an increase of 48 percent over last year’s record of 1,854.
These days, former sparring partners Gennady Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez don’t smile together anymore. They don’t like being around each other either.
Expectations are high for the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin bout to deliver like the throwback middleweight fights of the 1980s when the fists did the talking.
David Benavidez survived Ronald Gavril’s late charge and won a split decision Friday night at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel to become the youngest world champion at 168 pounds.
Freudis Rojas wasn’t eligible to compete for a spot on the United States men’s Olympic boxing team for the Rio de Janeiro games last summer. It wasn’t because of a lack of talent, he simply wasn’t old enough.
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