Via Jim Calfa: Canelo Alvarez posted footage of his training camp on Monday in preparation for his trio fight against Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17.
What we see from practice is that Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) is working hard on his punch combo and mobility. These are the two areas where his final opponent, WBA lightweight champion Dmitriy Bivol, took the edge on May 7.
Canelo’s fitness is also a big obstacle preventing him from defeating Bivol. If Canelo doesn’t improve his control, he’ll fade after three or four rounds with Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) and find himself in a real dogfight.
Some of Canelo’s fans have lost respect for him after he decided to forgo his rematch with Bivol and fight 40-year-old Golovkin instead.
That move by Canelo suggests that he is on the run from Bivol, wanting instead to fight the washed-out Golovkin, who has looked poorly in his last four fights.
Golovkin will need to change to the normal fighting style he used in the previous two matches against Canelo. GGG’s habit of stacking damage and dashing won’t get the job done against Canelo.
What Golovkin had to do was try and stop Bivol’s fighting style by throwing combinations and not putting everything into every shot. Golovkin needed mass to have a hit that beat Canelo because he had to get past him.
Golovkin tightening the defense is also a good idea, especially when it comes to blocking body shots. Ryota Murata and Sergiy Derevyanchenko both capitalized on Golovkin’s flawed defense downstairs by hitting him with body shots
Murata and Derevyanchenko gave Golovkin damage on his body, and he looked tired and old. Continuing to attack will help Golovkin because Canelo is not as dangerous as when he is backed by opponents.
If Canelo wins this match, it will be important for him to make the rematch against Bivol immediately. The boxing public has been unhappy with Canelo for changing David Benavidez over the past three years.
If Canelo avoids Bivol, it will signal to his boxing fans that he fears him and doesn’t feel like he can win the rematch.
