Alvarez, Golovkin begin promotion with intense staredown

Las Vegas Review-Journal

2 years ago

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez holds his belts while posing with opponent Gennadiy Gennadyevic ... — Saul "Canelo" Alvarez holds his belts while posing with opponent Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin, or "GGG," second from right, and promoter Eddie Hearn, third from right, in Los Angeles on Friday, June 24, 2022. The two are scheduled to fight in a super middleweight title boxing bout Sept. 17 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, left, poses with Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin, known as "GGG," second from right, and promoter Eddie Hearn, middle, in Los Angeles on Friday, June 24, 2022. Alvarez and Golovkin are scheduled to fight in a super middleweight title boxing bout Sept. 17 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

If the intense two-minute staredown between undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on Friday in Los Angeles didn’t intimate the personal nature of their rivalry, then Alvarez’s comments minutes later surely did.

“It’s personal for me, because he talks (about) a lot of things,” Alvarez said. “He’s two different people. He pretends that he’s a nice guy but he’s not.

“He’s an (expletive).”

Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 knockouts) and Golovkin will settle their rivalry Sept. 17 where it began — at T-Mobile Arena, where they battled twice before in two of the most memorable and marketable fights in recent memory. The two icons began the promotion Friday with a press conference moderated by Alvarez’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing.

They’ll hold another one Monday in New York.

The 31-year-old Mexican indicated Friday that he plans to retire Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) by knocking him out. While the 40-year-old Kazakhstani called his move from middleweight to super middleweight “a new stage” in his stellar career.

Speaking through a translator, Golovkin declined to engage in Alvarez’s war of words and said “I respect him a lot” for what he’s accomplished in boxing.

“As far as him saying it’s personal, I really don’t understand what he’s talking about,” said Golovkin, who unified the IBF and WBA middleweight titles in April by knocking Ryota Murota out in Japan. “Because after the second fight, we shook hands. I believe we put everything behind us back then.

”He says that he still has something against me. That’s his problem, not mine.”

Golovkin was referencing Alvarez’s controversial victory on Sept. 15, 2018.

That night he was awarded a majority decision following the controversial split draw that ocurred Sept. 17, 2017, thus beginning the trilogy.

Golovkin hasn’t lost since falling to Alvarez, who lost for the first time since 2013 on May 7 to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol at T-Mobile Arena.

Alvarez insists the loss made him “more dangerous.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.