Canelo Alvarez Says Gennady Golovkin 'Not Really a Challenge'; Open to 3rd Fight

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has said two-time opponent Gennady Golovkin is "not really a challenge" for him, but the Mexican icon won't rule out a trilogy meeting if he considers it good business.

Alvarez moved up two weight classes and took the WBO light heavyweight crown after stopping Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday:

The 29-year-old drew against "GGG" in controversial circumstances in September 2017 before beating his Kazakh rival via majority decision almost one year to the day later.

Canelo was asked about a potential third encounter with Golovkin following his win over Kovalev, per Aragon Garcia of BoxingNews24, and said: "He's not really a challenge for me. I've fought him 24 rounds and he's not a challenge for me, but if it represents business, why not?"

Clinching the WBO light heavyweight title means middleweight regular Alvarez has now won world titles in four weight divisions.

DAZN posted highlights of Saturday's duel, where Kovalev spent much of the bout on the back foot prior to being stopped (U.S. viewers only):

Alvarez has won three times in as many fights since beating Golovkin in their rematch, finishing 36-year-old Kovalev and Rocky Fielding either side of a unanimous-decision win over Daniel Jacobs in May.

Golovkin knocked out Steve Rolls in June 2019—his first bout following his loss to Alvarez—and defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko via unanimous decision on October 5.

"Cinnamon" was anything but complimentary of his former rival following his most recent display, when he also suggested a third matchup may not be of interest, per ESPN's Dan Rafael:

Golovkin spoke to Sports Illustrated in October and said the trilogy was far from a priority:

One can understand why Alvarez would hold little interest in another clash with Golovkin—against whom he is unbeaten—despite the controversial nature of their draw at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Canelo—who turned professional at 15—is entering what should be the prime of his career, and a gargantuan offer seems the only way in which he will be tempted to enter the ring with Golovkin once more.