Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin will meet in an epic trilogy clash on September 17. OddsCritic looks at the betting and the background.
Four years on from their epic second meeting, these two titans of the sport will at last lock horns for a third time, likely on Saturday September 17 in Las Vegas.
That date had been apparently locked in weeks ago - with the two men just needing to win interim bouts to make it official. Golovkin vs Ryoto Murata at middleweight in Japan and Canelo vs Dmitry Bivol at light-heavy.
Canelo makes decision and its…GGG 3
GGG kept up his side of the bargain with a thrilling victory in Saitama in early April, but then Bivol threatened to tear up the script by claiming an upset victory over the reigning P4P king in Las Vegas on May 7.
Canelo talked of an immediate rematch vs Bivol in the aftermath of that loss, which would have scuppered the Golovkin trilogy for now. Just over two weeks on though, he came to a very different conclusion.
‘I feel very happy and proud to be able to give the best fights and this fight won’t be an exception’, said Canelo.
Golovkin said: "I hope to see you on September 17."
Eddie Hearn said: “The Canelo vs. GGG trilogy is the biggest fight in boxing and I am delighted to get this made for September 17. These are two men that bitterly dislike each other and want to end this incredible series with a blistering KO. I truly believe this will be the most thrilling fight between these two great champions and will be fireworks from the first bell to the last man standing.”
Canelo’s decision will finally close the loop on a titanic rivalry with Golovkin, which began with those two fantastic fights between the pair in 2017 and 2018. Both took place in Vegas, both produced magnificent entertainment and both ended in controversial circumstances.
Most experts felt GGG won the first meeting comfortably, but astonishingly the bout ended in a draw. The second meeting was definitely much closer as Canelo controlled centre ring and fought with great smarts and cojones. He claimed a close decision - despite again some experts feeling Golovkin should have got the nod.
Canelo vs GGG 3 odds
We await odds from UK bookmakers, but the early news from the U.S. have FanDuel inserting Canelo as a -390 favourite (equivalent to 1-4) with Golovkin at +290 (2.9-1).
Until that loss to Bivol, Canelo (57-2-2) had appeared to be at the peak of his powers. Golovkin meanwhile turned 40 the day before that April defeat of Murata, and many experts wonder just how much he has left.
Golovkin will step up from middleweight to super-middle (168lbs) for the Canelo trilogy. Alvarez is the undisputed champion at that weight, having annexed all the belts during a stellar run from late 2020 to late 2021.
Canelo vs. GGG III will be live on DAZN PPV in the US and Canada and around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan) and is in partnership with Matchroom, Canelo Promotions and GGG Promotions.
Canelo vs Bivol was available to DAZN subscribers in the UK at no extra cost on top of their normal monthly plan.