Gloves come off in Golovkin Vegas rematch

A year after their unresolved first fight, which ended in an unsatisfactory draw, rival middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez go at it again in Las Vegas this weekend.

Both have vowed to leave no doubt as to the winner.

The biggest fight of the year will be broadcast live on SuperSport 2, with the crossing to the US at 2am to take in the early action before the main event.

Both fighters have stewed in the past 12 months, Golovkin because of Alvarez testing positive for doping and Alvarez for “GGG” constantly calling him out on it.

While the first fight had ample smack talk, as per boxing’s great tradition, the hostility in the rematch is genuine.

The needle between the pair is tangible, as are their savage instincts.

The first fight was notable for Alvarez’s size – he was huge – and for the Mexican’s preference for boxing at a distance, clearly alert to Golovkin’s power. It served to frustrate the Kazakh’s punching and Golovkin had a hard time landing squarely, even though most believe he did enough to win.

Golovkin has the best, most accurate jab in boxing, but he is a man who likes to hurt his opponents.

Alvarez has both a tidy defence and a solid chin, but he will not relish a close-quarter battle, which is why the fight will likely play out largely as the first did.