Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan Fight Criticised by Gennady Golovkin
Middleweight boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin has labelled Amir Khan’s upcoming showdown with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez a “business fight.”
Golovkin is set to face IBF mandatory challenger Dominic Wade on April 23 in Los Angeles, California, and will face the winner of the fight between the aforementioned duo provided he emerges victorious. However, the Kazakh isn’t as excited about the Canelo-Khan showdown as much of the boxing world, it seems.
“I think this is a business plan, a business fight,” GGG told BoxingScene.com. “Thank you very much to HBO and my team because I bring a true fight...not just my fight but a true event. And Chocolotito Gonzalez is on the same day as me. This is a good gift, a good gift to people, a good bonus.”
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It’s a bout that Canelo is the big favourite for. The Mexican cemented his status as one of the brightest stars in boxing recently with a win over Miguel Cotto and looked to be on a collision course with GGG.
A surprise bout with Khan suddenly came to light, though, with the pair set to face off at a catchweight 155-pound limit; it’ll be the heaviest the Brit has ever competed at by a significant amount.
However, Golovkin has told Canelo to dispose of any thoughts of a showdown between the two being held at anything other than middleweight further down the line.
“Absolutely [the fight will only happen] at 160, because he is middleweight champion,” Golovkin told BoxingScene.com. “He is not junior middleweight champion. Middleweight champion is 160. You know this is crazy...I know middleweight is 160.”
Golovkin is currently rated as one of the very best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, having smashed his way through the middleweight division to clinch the WBA, IBO and IBF titles. Here’s a look at why the Kazakh is considered to be the biggest hitter in the sport at the moment:
It’s difficult to disagree with GGG’s notion that the battle between Alvarez and Khan is a bout that makes a lot of business sense.
After all, as aforementioned, Khan is making a huge jump in weight to tackle Canelo. The Bolton-born puncher only fought once last year, too, and at welterweight in the past, he has struggled against big-hitters; it’ll certainly be intriguing to see how he handles the Mexican, who is renowned for relentlessly pressuring his opponents and landing heavy blows.
Boxing expert Tommy Allan feels as though the step up in weight will ultimately prove to be too much for Khan:
"I've been putting off posting this devastating tweet for a while now but the time is right. Canelo beats The King Amir Khan. Middle too much
— Tommy 'Guru' Allan (@TomBoxingAsylum) February 15, 2016"
Indeed, Canelo is a class act, having only lost on one previous occasion against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather. The 25-year-old performed superbly to get the better of a tenacious competitor in Cotto and is the man many expect to emerge as the face of boxing in years to come.
For fans, the bout between Khan and Canelo is at least an intriguing one. While Golovkin will be the landslide favourite when he steps into the ring against Wade for what’s expected to be a tune-up for a mega showdown later in the year, there is at least some kind of intrigue that accompanies Khan-Canelo.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden isn't sure why some are unhappy about the fight being made:
"I'm sort of amazed that #boxing fans are finding ways to criticize Canelo vs. Khan. Why don't you want to be happy boxing fans?
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) February 3, 2016"
The Brit has a superb chance to thrust himself to the summit of the sport. It’s an opportunity that will not come Khan’s way for a long time again should he lose, and having missed out on fights with Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, this is the time to prove he belongs at the top table in boxing.
Canelo is the man who’ll have to cope with the pressure of performing coming into this one. A loss would devastate Khan, but the Brit will be aware a potential showdown with compatriot Kell Brook is always likely to remain in the pipeline. For Alvarez, this is simply a must win if the superfight with Golovkin is to materialise this year.
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