By Daniel Yanofsky
September 18, 2022
Source: ESPN
Photo Source: Ed Mulholland, Matchroom
A trilogy fight for the ages took place Sept. 17. Canelo Alvarez successfully defended his undisputed super middleweight titles against Gennadiy Golovkin.
Canelo dominated the majority of the fight en route to a unanimous decision win. Golovkin faltered at the beginning but looked sharp toward the end. The latter showed his age while Canelo looked like a dominant star as he moved to 2-0-1 against GGG.
Now that everything is said and done, what does the future hold for both fighters? The Sporting News looks into what may be next following the one-sided affair at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
What's next for Canelo Alvarez? Thanks to his win against Golovkin, Canelo's momentum prior to his loss to Dmitry Bivol is back in full force.
Momentum aside, Canelo will be out of action for a few months. Canelo said in his post-fight interview that he might need surgery on his left hand after suffering a cartilage tear in his wrist. He did say that he wants to continue defending his super middleweight titles, but a rematch with Bivol is the one fight that's on his mind.
"It's very important for my legacy, for me, for my country, for my family, for everything," Canelo said. "I will beat (Bivol)."
Bivol, the WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion, is scheduled to defend his titles against Gilberto Ramirez on Nov. 5. If Bivol can beat "Zoro" in Abu Dhabi, a rematch with Canelo doesn't seem that far out there. So says Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn. The promoter told "The DAZN Boxing Show" that he is looking to book Canelo vs. Bivol 2 in May 2023. But if Bivol gets past Ramirez, a fight with Joshua Buatsi may be in his future.
"The fact is, to fight Canelo Alvarez, Bivol might have to fight Buatsi and Zurdo [Ramirez], Hearn said, via DAZN. "That fight's not a definite because we can't just wait until May. It's impossible, and there's so much risk in those fights." Also waiting for Bivol is Artur Beterbiev, the WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion. Bivol will not be ready to compete until 2023 because of an injury he recently suffered. He is expected to defend his titles against Anthony Yarde.
Depending on how long Canelo is out, we could be waiting until late 2023 for a return bout.
What's next for Gennadiy Golovkin? At 40, anything is possible for Golovkin. At the pre-fight media scrum, he said that he would be interested if any offers were on the table, including for a fourth with Canelo.
"I have certain plans, without any doubt, regardless of the outcome of this fight. Whether it's going to be a draw and the fourth fight is going to be offered, I would say 'Why not?' You should not forget that I have three belts at 160. . . . I retired three years ago, before the pandemic. Right now, I stay here," he said.
Golovkin said after the loss that he would not retire. He has plans to travel the world and defend his IBF, IBO and WBA (Super) middleweight titles. One fighter did call Golovkin out on social media: Chris Eubank Jr. Besides Eubank, Golovkin could face WBA (Regular) middleweight champion Erislandy Lara to unify the WBA belts. He could also face mandatory and top-ranked challengers Michael Zerafa and Esquiva Falcao, respectively. Speaking of titles, a match with WBC champion Jermall Charlo has been campaigned for by Charlo's camp for years. There is also new WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.
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