Gennady Golovkin doesn't think Canelo Alvarez hits as hard as people say. The two boxers fought three times over five years, but Golovkin wasn't impressed by Canelo's punching power.
In a recent interview with DAZN, Golovkin talked about a big right hand Canelo landed in their second fight. Many people thought it was the hardest punch in all 36 rounds they fought together. But Golovkin didn't see it that way.
"I remember that punch. Well, I let it get through. You know it wasn't, I don't know what to call it, it wasn't hard. It felt kind of like a slap I guess. A slap or a sliding punch. Well, it didn't do too much."
Golovkin and Canelo first fought in September 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The middleweight bout ended in a controversial draw, with many fans thinking Golovkin should've won.
They met again a year later at the same place. This time, Canelo won by majority decision and took the WBA (Super) and WBC middleweight titles. Fans were split on who they thought won.
Their last fight happened in September 2022 at 168 pounds. Canelo won by unanimous decision and kept his undisputed super-middleweight titles. It turned out to be Golovkin's last fight so far.
Even after all those rounds together, Golovkin doesn't rate Canelo as the hardest puncher he's faced. You can watch Golovkin talk about Canelo's punch in this video.
Canelo's moving on to his next challenge. He's set to fight Terence Crawford in September. Both guys are seen as some of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing right now. Canelo will put his undisputed super-middleweight titles on the line in what should be a big fight.
