At the beginning of this year, middleweight boxing superstar Canelo Álvarez was widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But to the surprise of pugilism pundits worldwide, Álvarez slipped. In May, Dmitry Bivol of Russia upset Álvarez in a light-heavyweight matchup, handing Álvarez, just the second loss of his professional career.
All which makes tonight’s fight, between Álvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin in Las Vegas, all the more crucial for Álvarez. The Mexican boxer is already one of the most influential fighters of the 21st century. In 2018, he inked staggering 11-fight, $365 million fight deal with DAZN, a new sports media entity that had just launched. Álvarez, who hails from Mexico, trains in Southern California and has homes in both San Diego and Guadalajara, is popular throughout North America. Although his original DAZN deal fell through, Álvarez, 32, re-upped with DAZN for a lucrative two-fight deal in February.
“This fight is very important for my career,” Álvarez told TIME in a pre-fight interview. “Golovkin is a great fighter with a lot of accomplishments. This fight is important for my legacy, to be remembered as one of the greatest fighters in boxing history.”
These two fighters share a history. In 2017, they met for the first time in the ring, and the bout ended in a controversial
