Unified middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will put his titles on the line against Canelo Alvarez in a rematch of their controversial 2017 bout, which ended in a split draw. The bout comes much later than everyone hoped thanks to Alvarez’s six-month suspension for a positive drug test. Saturday’s card begins at 8 p.m. ET on HBO pay-per-view (live streaming via FITE.tv,RingTV).
The first fight between the two was indeed close, too close for anybody to reasonably be upset by the decision. The more contentious aspect of the bout was the outrageous 118-110 scorecard handed in by judge Adalaide Byrd, which differed so much from the other two cards that people feel like they were denied a truly proper decision.
Golovkin is currently regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and Canelo is the only one standing in the way of cementing this. He’s putting his WBA (Super), WBC and IBO middleweight titles on the line, while the vacant The Ring Magazine middleweight straps are also on the line. The IBF belt was stripped from Golovkin due to him not facing the mandatory challenger, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, amidst all the drama surrounding this upcoming rematch.
The rematch was originally set to take place on May 5, but Alvarez’s suspension caused a significant delay in that. Alvarez claimed tainted meat from Mexico was to blame for his positive drug test, but whatever the case, Golovkin wound up fighting in May anyway — knocking out Vanes Martirosyan in the second round. Golovkin received a lot of flack for the bout, as Martirosyan was traditionally a light middleweight and was coming off an extended absence.
Though the IBF belt isn’t in the mix, the stakes are still clear for Saturday’s contest. Golovkin, at 38-0-1, would close the book on his series with Alvarez (most likely) and move on to other challengers. For Alvarez, a win on Saturday would mean redemption, though he will always catch flack from those who believe he cheated due to his positive drug test.
Saturday’s card will also feature a WBO junior middleweight title contest between champion Jaime Munguia and Brandon Cook. The card will open with a bout between super flyweights Roman Gonzalez and Moises Fuentes, followed by a middleweight contest between David Lemieux and Gary O’Sullivan.
Below is all you need to know to watch the action. We will also have round-by-round coverage of the card when it gets underway.
How to watch Canelo vs. GGG II
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
TV: Pay-per-view (HBO)
Online Streaming: FITE.tv, RingTV
Canelo vs. GGG II fight card
Middleweight: Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez (unified middleweight title)
Junior middleweight: Jaime Munguia vs. Brandon Cook (WBO junior middleweight title)
Middleweight: David Lemieux vs. Gary O’Sullivan
Junior bantamweight: Roman Gonzalez vs. Moises Fuentes
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