Tuesday 14 August 2018 18:04, UK
Gennady Golovkin hopes to settle his rivalry with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez with an emphatic 'early' knockout in their September rematch.
'GGG' will face the Mexican star in another world middleweight title fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 15, just over a year since they battled to a draw at the same venue.
Golovkin had to settle for a hotly disputed decision after he could not find a punch to stop Alvarez, but in the second fight, the 36-year-old hopes to impose an aggressive approach that has brought 34 knockouts in 38 wins.
"We have two different styles of boxing," said Golovkin. "I have a completely different style of boxing.
"What I believe and hope that in this upcoming fight, we'll come to this style of boxing which allows us to finish this fight early."
A scheduled return bout between Golovkin and Alvarez in May was abandoned after the Mexican tested positive for a banned substance, which was blamed on 'meat contamination'.
The IBF stripped their title from Golovkin when he instead opted to fight Vanes Martirosyan, stopping his replacement opponent in the second round, but his promoter Tom Loeffler insists there is still plenty at stake for both men.
He's always wanted to unify the titles, so he's not happy with 'Canelo' at this point
"This is a legacy fight for both guys," said Loeffler. "If GGG wins this fight or retains his title, he breaks Bernard Hopkins' legendary record.
"Nobody thought anyone would break that record of 20 title defences in the middleweight division.
"If 'Canelo' wins the fight, all of sudden not only is he the best middleweight now, he's in discussion for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport of boxing.
"He's going to unify the titles that we worked so hard to put together.
"That's another reason why GGG took this personal, because of Canelo's cancellation of the May 5 fight, the IBF ended up stripping him. He's always wanted to unify the titles, so he's not happy with 'Canelo' at this point."
