"Does the old Lion get to roar one last time?" - Teddy Atlas discusses Gennadiy Golovkin's chances against Canelo Alvarez in trilogy bout
On a recent episode of The Fight podcast, Ken Rideout and Hall of Fame boxing commentator Teddy Atlas discussed Canelo vs. Golovkin III, scheduled for September 17. Atlas lamented that many potentially great fights are often negotiated too late for them to be fair tests of one or the other boxer's skills, saying about GGG:
"Not too many people beat Father Time. That’s possibly gonna come to light in their third fight. Does the Old Lion get a chance to roar one last time? That’s what it’s going to come down to."
Many fans are upset with the judges' decisions in the first two Canelo vs. Golovkin fights. The first fight, in Las Vegas on September 16, 2017 ended in a draw, with the cards very lopsided.
The rematch ended in a controversial Canelo victory by decision. First planned for May 5, 2018, the fight had to be rescheduled for September 15. The pace of the second fight was similar, with alternating dominance between rounds, but this time Golovkin shone at the outset and Canelo in the end.
Atlas spoke of the tide having shifted in Canelo's favor over the four years since their first fight. All quotes are sourced from the podcast below:
Disputing the judges in Canelo vs. Golovkin I and II
Rideout and Atlas agreed that Golovkin should have won the first fight, and that it's hard for anyone to make the case that Canelo won. Rideout went on to say that he didn't have much of a problem with the judges awarding Canelo the victory in their second fight, but said he thought it could have been ruled a draw, like the first fight.
Atlas said he thought that GGG had won both fights, and that the judges had robbed him on both occasions. Regarding the second Canelo vs. GGG matchup, Atlas said:
"Triple G boxed more, used the jab more, he fought down the stretch when he had to, and I thought he won that fight."
According to Atlas, while Gennadiy was initially the bigger fighter, Canelo had become the bigger, stronger, and more confident of the two by the time their second bout rolled around. Teddy said:
"No doubt thdt Canelo’s a different guy now...Canelo grew up in that second fight…That’s why he brought the fight the way he brought it, rather than the first time."
Rideout opined that GGG should knock Canelo out cold if he hopes to win their third bout. Atlas seemed to agree that GGG not only must beat Canelo -- who's younger, more confident, bigger and stronger -- but that he must also "beat" the three judges with an indisputable victory.