Five years after their first meeting and four since their second, generational talents Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin lock horns for the final time this weekend (Sat., Sept. 17, 2022) in the familiar halls of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the main event right here, plus quick results from the rest of the main card. The DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast (watch it here) will kickoff at 8 p.m. ET, with Alvarez and Golovkin likely to make the walk closer to 11 p.m. ET.

The PPV main card also features wunderkind Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez defending his Super Flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez, double-tough veteran Gabriel Rosado taking on the dangerous Ali Akhmedov, and blue chip prospect Austin “Ammo” Williams squaring off with British standout Kieron Conway.

We all know why you’re here, though, so let’s not beat around the bush any longer …

Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez

Age: 32
Record: 57-2-2 (39 KO)
Last Five Fights: Dmitry Bivol (UD Loss), Caleb Plant (TKO-11), Billy Joe Saunders (RTD-8), Avni Yildirin (RTD-3), Callum Smith (UD)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Gennadiy Golovkin, Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout

VS.

Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images

Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin

Age: 40
Record: 42-1-1 (37 KO)
Last Five Fights: Ryota Murata (TKO-9), Kamil Szeremeta (RTD-7), Sergiy Derevyanchenko (UD), Steve Rolls (KO-4), Saul Alvarez (MD Loss)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Daniel Jacobs, Kell Brook, David Lemieux, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin, Gabriel Rosado, Grzegorz Proksa

THE FIGHT

Let’s not get it twisted: On Sept. 16, 2017, Golovkin defeated Canelo, regardless of how the ringside judges scored the bout. Indeed, outside of Alvarez’s friends and family, the only people who disagreed were judge Don Trella — who indefensibly saw it as a draw — and Adalaide Byrd, who somehow topped her 30-27 scorecard for Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan by giving Alvarez 10 of the 12 rounds.

On Sept. 15, 2018, Golovkin arguably defeated Canelo again. Rather than a draw, he walked away with a majority decision defeat, the first (and thus far only) loss of his professional career.

It’s almost Sept. 17, 2022, and dammit, I don’t think Golovkin can defeat Alvarez.

Alvarez is unquestionably stronger now than in their previous meetings. Bigger, more powerful, more seasoned, a genuine Super Middleweight who thrashed virtually every threat the division had to offer. Though Golovkin remains a unified Middleweight champion and is coming off a stoppage win over former Olympic gold medalist Ryota Murata, he’s just not the era-defining monster he was in the mid-2010’s. From struggling with and arguably losing to Sergiy Derevyanchenko to his abominably slow start against Murata, he looks, well, like a 40-year-old who’s spent his career welcoming blunt-force trauma with open arms.

It’s a crime that Golovkin doesn’t have an official win over Alvarez on his ledger, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I want to see that rectified on Saturday night. I fully believe Golovkin will fight his butt off and that he’s still tough enough to last the full 36 minutes. I just can’t see the current Golovkin, the slowing, undersized legend walking to his execution with a smile on his face, coming out on top.

Prediction: Alvarez def. Golovkin via unanimous decision

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