"We needed 40 more punches" - Canelo Alvarez's coach reveals what went wrong in the first fight against Gennadiy Golovkin
Canelo Alvarez has looked unbeatable in the wake of his maiden pro-loss against Floyd Mayweather in 2013. An exception to this was Gennadiy Golovkin who offered him a gruelling challenge in 2017. The first fight between Alvarez and 'GGG' ended in a draw that many felt could have gone in the Kazakh fighter’s favor.
It wasn't Alvarez’s best night as ‘GGG’ dragged him into deep waters. However, the Mexican put on a much improved performance in their rematch. 'Cinammon's coach Eddy Reynoso recently highlighted what went wrong in the first fight against Golovkin. In a chat with DAZN Boxing, he said:
“For the first fight, we had a great plan, a great training camp, and a great strategy, but we needed 40 more punches. And in addition, be a little more aggressive and make Golovkin move back a little more because Golovkin isn’t used to that.”
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The second fight between the two was also very close. However, Alvarez made sure he had the upper hand when it came to the judge’s scorecard. Reynoso said they changed their entire game plan in the rematch and it helped Alvarez secure the victory.
Canelo Alvarez will now face Dmitry Bivol for the WBA Light Heavyweight belt on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. If successful against the Russian, Canelo vs. GGG 3 could take place before the end of 2022.
Canelo Alvarez is also interested in Oleksandr Usyk
Beyond Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez could move into several more matchups at this point. He is already teasing a potential fight against Unified Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk. Alvarez is also considering an undisputed title fight at 175 lbs if he beats Bivol this weekend.
Oleksandr Usyk's manager has already verified the Ukranian's interest in fighting Alvarez. Usyk has been Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion in the past and Canelo has cited his interest in fighting at 200 lbs. This is a super-fight that would likely garner the interest of fans worldwide.