Latinos will be very well-represented when Canelo Álvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin clash in their trilogy bout this weekend, with the PPV event’s undercard pretty Latino-heavy. The fight, set for September 17th, will be covered by Matchroom Boxing, while UK residents will be able to tune in via DAZN from 1am on September 18th.
The Undisputed Super Middleweight Titles won’t be the only ones up for grabs given that WBC Super Flyweight Jesse Rodriguez will be defending against Israel Gonzalez.
Canelo vs. GGG Undercard
The undercard for this highly-anticipated event is right below, per Matchroom Boxing:
- Anthony Herrera vs Delvin Mckinley
- Aaron Aponte vs Fernando Angel Molina
- Marc Castro vs Kevin Montiel Mendoza
- Diego Pacheco vs Enrique Collazo
- Austin Williams vs Kieron Conway
- Ali Akhmedov vs Gabriel Rosado
- Jesse Rodriguez (c) vs Israel Gonzalez – WBC Super Flyweight Title Bout
- Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin – WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring Super Middleweight Titles Bout
Canelo has stated that he is not averse to a catchweight fight vs. heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk if he is victorious against the Kazakhstan native.
It’s difficult, but I don’t care. I like that kind of challenge. It’s going to be difficult, I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that kind of situation.
Canelo Alvarez speaking to Fighthype (via Boxing Scene)
This would certainly make for an exciting watch, but Canelo will have to get past GGG first. There’s also the possibility of Tyson Fury getting a crack at Usyk first.
As it pertains to the Canelo vs. GGG undercard, Ali Akhmedov vs. Gabriel Rosado is one of the more attractive fights where fans are concerned.
Rosado, a Philadelphia native, will surely have all of his city behind him. The 36-year-old began his boxing career in the light middleweight division, winning his first regional title – the interim WBA-NABA middleweight title – in 2011 via a 12th-round technical knockout over Jamamaal Davis.
He went on to win the Pennsylvania state light middleweight title later that year following a 10th-round unanimous decision against Keenan Collins.
Rosado went up against Sechew Powell in 2012 and got his win in the ninth round to win the WBO Inter-Continental light middleweight title, which was vacant at the time. He went on to challenge GGG, who was the undefeated WBA and IBO middleweight champion in 2013, on the back of picking up a 21-5 professional record.
The fight, which took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden, was controlled by Golovkin, who left a nasty cut over Rosado’s left eye in the second round. Rosado’s trainer, Billy Briscoe, called an end to the fight in the seventh round as the PA native was also bleeding from his nose, courtesy of some strong jabs from GGG.
Rosado then challenged undefeated WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin but would suffer a cut around the same left eye in the 10th round. A doctor stopped the bout, resulting in a technical knockout victory for Quillin.
Rosado vehemently disagreed with the doctor’s decision, branding it “bullshit” right after the fight was stopped. Many onlookers agreed that the fight was competitive but the judges scored 87-83, 89-81, and 90-80 to Quillin at the point of stoppage. Rosado told Jim Gray he wanted a rematch but it never happened.
Having lost both of his world title challenges in 2013, Rosado got some big wins over former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey two years later and undefeated prospect Bektemir Melikuziev by knockout last year.
Fans are looking forward to seeing him perform against Akhmedov. Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn has said he’s planning to pit Rodriguez against the winner of the fight between Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez set for December 3. Rodriguez, as mentioned above, will be fighting Israel Gonzalez as part of the Canelo vs. GGG undercard.
Hearn reckons the unbeaten ace, who has a 16-0 record (11 of them knockouts), is ready to go up against talents such as the aforementioned pair. That isn’t saying much, however, as he was confident Julio Cesar was ready for Roman last year before he lost to him via unanimous decision last year.
Of course, Hearn might hold off on a fight if Roman dominates the bout against Estrada in December. While Rodriguez looked good beating Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras, Roman looks the much better fighter at the moment.
He will have to focus on his upcoming match before thinking about any of that, however.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming fights on the Canelo vs. GGG card? Who are you backing to win? Let us know in the comments below.
For even more content like this, check our Combat Sports section.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks