Via Craig Daly: Bernard Hopkins predicts Canelo Alvarez will deal a terrible blow to 40-year-old Gennadiy Golovkin and end the match by surprise with a blow. “Shoot the liver” between the fourth and seventh rounds on September 17.
Golovkin was repeatedly injured with body shots during his final match against Ryota Murata last April.
Although Hopkins doesn’t say that Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) was shot, it’s pretty clear from watching his last four fights that he has nothing left at this stage but his strength.
Unfortunately, Golovkin’s hand speed and reflexes have deteriorated to the point where his power will be rendered useless against the much faster and defensive Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs).
You could argue the only reason Canelo is up against Golovkin now instead of continuing to ignore him like he has for the past four years is that the Mexican star desperately needs a win to redeem himself in the public eye. boxing after a loss to Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
“First of all, GGG is joining this war, and he always one more punch to restart his career,“Bernard Hopkins said to Little Giant Boxing. “He is a puncher. That’s how he got there, and that’s how he was unmasked by Canelo.
“It will be interesting to see two boys a few years older than them, not as young as they are. I think there will be more hits coming from both sides. I’m picking Canelo by injury time in the sixth or seventh inning,” Hopkins continued.
“I don’t see this as a fight that will be as exciting as the first two. I predict Canelo will find his forest and then stopped at the sixth or seventh inning.
“It could be either [body or head stoppage]but it looks like it will slow down [for Canelo over GGG]. I think it’s going to be a liver shot, and that’s going to happen in the first four innings.
“Canelo is a good body shooter guy that knocks you down, and then hits your head [of Golovkin] will be exposed to do what he wants to do. But that’s where it will begin.
“It will start from the bottom in bringing the head down. Hopkins said.
