Fans will be treated to the biggest boxing match in a long time on Saturday (Sunday morning South Africa time) when American Gennady “GGG” Golovkin takes on Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
At stake will be the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBC middleweight crowns that are held by Golovkin.
This will be the biggest boxing match of the year. It will appeal to more to fans when compared with the recent mismatch between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
This is one for connoisseurs and purists, where fans will be treated to a real boxing scrap with real punches being traded by true gladiators.
This fight will even eclipse the heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko at London’s Wembley Stadium in April.
Golovkin and Álvarez are set to earn their biggest purses to date, with the latter guaranteed $15 million (R193 million). This might reach $25 million, depending on pay-per-view numbers.
The undefeated Golovkin will also get a big slice, which is estimated at between $10 million and $15 million.
This pales in comparison to what Mayweather ($200 million) and McGregror ($100 million) received for what was termed a joke, a circus and even a scam in some circles.
What makes Saturday’s encounter tick is that the winner will become arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.
After all the hype and bluster that came with Mayweather’s fight against McGregor, boxing fans are already looking ahead to what should be the true boxing match of the year.
Canelo will become WBA and IBF world middleweight champion if he manages to do what no other fighter out of 37 has managed to do.
Golovkin’s other two world titles, the WBC and IBO, would become vacant if he loses.