The old lion naps under a tree, avoiding the midday heat.
The King sports the visible scars of his reign. Cuts on his nose, missing fur, a mangled ear and a chipped tooth.
He is not as fast as he used to be, but his aura is still evident, still menacing.
Don’t mess with the King.
This king is IBF and WBA middleweight champ Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin (42-1-1; 37 KOs) aka “Triple G,” aka “The Big Drama Show.”
Once again, he steps into the squared circle and moves up in weight to challenge his old rival for the third time.
No, he’s not facing Scar, but Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (57-2-1; 39 KOs) another king (IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight champ) of the jungle.
Their trilogy continues Saturday, September 17 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
Just another day in the jungle.
“[Canelo] doesn’t bother me at all, but when a person has a lot of bad traits, traits that get in the way of him living a normal life,” says Golovkin from his training camp in Big Bear, CA, using a translator for clarity, “that bothers him. That’s what we see right now.”
What we saw in Canelo’s last fight in May was him losing a 12-round, uninspired decision to one Dmitrii Bivol, the WBA light-heavyweight champ since 2016.
Canelo, 32, may not bother Golovkin, 40, but Triple G sure knows how to get under his skin.
“All those nonsensical claims he’s making,” he states, “they just show that he loses track of reality very often.”
Instead of battling Golovkin for the third time at middleweight, Canelo fought at super middleweight, light heavyweight and was contemplating fights at cruiserweight and heavyweight. Then he lost to a tactical boxer in Bivol (20-0; 11 KOs) who hasn’t knocked out a fighter since 2018. To make matters worse, Canelo tired down the stretch.
If the last weapon a lion loses is his bite, for a fighter, it’s his punch. Golovkin still has that.
In 44 bouts, he’s stopped his opponents 37 times. That’s an 84 percent kayo rate. That’s why he’s called “The Big Drama Show.”
Canelo has stopped 39 of his 61 competitors, but his KO rate is 63.9 percent.
Oddly, both fighters have had their problems in the T-Mobile Arena.
Golovkin has lost and drew with Canelo there, while Canelo has a loss and a draw there.
Canelo is coming down in weight while Golovkin is coming up for this battle.
Still, Golovkin isn’t worried. He drew and lost a razor thin majority decision to Canelo in 2017 and 2018, respectively, but he doesn’t feel he needs a knockout for victory.
“In his last fight, the knockout was not necessary,” he points out. “It’s encouraging that the judges are not loyal to Canelo anymore.
“They don’t feel this burden of his image.”
That image took a big hit in March 2018, six months after their second fight, when Canelo tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol (twice), cancelling a possible third contest with Golovkin.
Canelo was suspended for six months. Some have moved on from the suspension, but not Golovkin.
“I don’t think this can ever be forgotten,” says Golovkin very sternly. “Some people came to terms with that situation. Some people don’t want to continue thinking about it. Some are turning their eyes away from it.
“It’s hard to be an honest person. It’s hard to be truthful. It’s not for everybody.”
And Canelo’s weakness in the ring?
“Arrogance,” he spits out, “and arrogance is punishable.”
In the ring, Golovkin, born in Kazakhstan and now living in Santa Monica, CA, saw a way to beat the Mexican icon after his defeat at the hands of Bivol. But the silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics isn’t locked into the blueprint of a sluggish, tiring fighter. He expects the best of Canelo on Sept. 17.
“It’s a different weight class,” he acknowledges. “Bivol is a bigger boxer, and he has a different style. One thing is certain, our fight is going to be taken more seriously by my opponent. He’ll be more responsible.”
Canelo puts pressure on a fighter, as does Golovkin. Trainer Johnathon Banks, an Emanuel Steward protégé, knows Golovkin will be ready for anything. He wants him to show the fans his complete arsenal and not just power.
“I would like Triple G to be able to display more than one skill,” states Banks, 40, who posted a 29-3-1 mark with 19 kayos during his career as a cruiserweight contender. “He knows he has the punching power. I want the people to see his movement, his offense, his quickness.
“He’s a complete fighter and I’m trying to wake that guy up. In the amateurs and the Olympics, he was boxing circles around guys. That’s what ‘G’ did the first time. He just boxed him.”
Canelo has been the busier of the two. Since their second encounter, Canelo has fought seven times, Golovkin only four. The old lion doesn’t seemed concerned.
The only thing different since the last fight?
“My age,” chuckles Golovkin. “At least he decided to fight me at 40 and not 50.”
