Things will get back to normal, yeah, maybe a “new normal” version of that, but it will happen.

So, it isn’t useless to ponder what happens when we see Canelo versus Gennady Golovkin. We can’t say WHEN “when” will be, but it seems a safe enough bet it will.

And when it does, I’m not seeing many people say or hearing many pundits opine that GGG can get the nod in third faceoff between the eterna-rivals.

What about trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, the young sage tutor? Does he think that the Kazahk vet can summon up an A plus night and do some things he wasn’t able to do in Fight 1 and Fight 2?

First, remember the first bout? Sept. 16, 2017, in Vegas, at T-Mobile.

It was ruled a draw, many of us thought GGG shoulda got the nod. But Adalaide Byrd didn’t–she scored it 118-110 for the Mexican hitter, who came in 49-1-1, and not a favorite in the minds of folks who thought recent conquests Amir Khan, Liam Smith and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr were all at least a half notch below the Kazahk pugilist (37-0 coming in). But Byrd, she I guess has a thing for red-heads? Dave Moretti gave Mr. Big Drama Show the edge, by two points, and fence sitter Don Trella had it 114-114. CompuBox had it for GGG, seeing him throw more, and land more.

So, they’d do it again, to hopefully get a conclusive result…and make mo money. Also, before fighting, there was fighting, of a different sort, as Canelo tested positive for clenbuterol, which changed the plan to stage the sequel on May 5, 2018. He was suspended and the rancor as they reset the date and terms grew quite heated. The Mexican said he ate tainted beef, some scoffed, some accepted the explanation, memes were made..and they settled it at T-Mobile, a home game for Canelo, over 12 rounds. Or, the judges settled it on Sept. 15, 2018:

Álvarez was favoured by judges Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld, both scoring the bout 115-113, this time the fence-sitter was judge Glenn Fieldman, who scored it 114-114.

CompuBox stats showed that Golovkin landed 234 of 879 punches and the red-head landed 202 of his 622 punches, so those liking GGG’s work again used the CompuBox as a “see, I told ya so” point.

That was 2018, then the boxing world experienced a hard shift. HBO closed up shop and Top Rank knew to adapt or risk extinction; they allied with ESPN, working to help build ESPN’s OTT platform, while DAZN, a great white whale of an entity, tried these waters, and spent like drunken sailors with trust funds in attracting talent. They focused on Alvarez and made him lowly oligarch wealthy–which gave him extra leverage to do what he wanted. And he wanted to NOT fight GGG, at least not when others wanted him to. So, 2019 passed and no third fight. Then, DAZN boss John Skipper played it smart, which, I guess, is easier when you are using virtual monopoly money, from the over stuffed coffers of Len Blavatnick. He met with Canelo, and offered him a sweetener.

Yes, he should be smiling. Canelo is now the best self managed fighter in the game, surpassing Floyd Mayweather.

Yeah, funny, being that Canelo negotiated the best deal we’ve ever seen a boxer given…But Skipper added some whipped cream, chopped nuts, and voila, a deal was struck to get DAZN what they wanted when they signed the Golden Boy boxer–a third clash between the aces. And when they do rumble, before the end of the year, Canelo will be 30 years old (he turns on July 18), and regarded by many smart souls as the best pound for pound boxer on this and any known earth…And Golovkin will be 38, he turns that high number April 8, and has fans and pundits thinking this third crack at Canelo will be his highest hurdle yet faced.

Back to Bread…how does he see Canelo-GGG 3?

“I’m a big, big, big, GGG fan, I really believe his birthday in the system of boxing screwed him over,” said Bread, noting Golovkin got big fights after his peak. Kell Brook landed shots and then it was open for business, more people suddenly found his cell number.

“I do think GGG is past his best day…Canelo is operating at level right now, it’s special,” said Bread, who lauded GGG’s heart, and said he likes the work of Jonathon Banks, but age, man.

“I don’t think he can beat Canelo at this stage,” he shared. “In this fight, Canelo has a really good brain, like a computer brain,” so he has plenty of data to sift and work off of. “Very rarely do you see a non athletic pressure fighter operate at na elite level at 38,” he continued. He mentioned Marvin Hagler, Dwight Qawi and Kostya Tszyu, pressurizers who didn’t maintain a late inning career peak.

I have done this for too long to be cocky–anything can happen, and often does, in the ring. Yes, GGG could summon a peak performance versus Alvarez. Will he? Gotta watch…

What say you?

You thinking that GGG has one left in him, one majestic night when everything clicks?

Yeah, I think he’d have to have that, and hope Canelo had an off night, to get that nod…

But let’s remember, virtually every round they’ve fought has been tight, it may be that GGG has Canelo’s number, to an extent…and maybe GGG went into his last fight after battling a bug, and was thus diminished.

Talk to me, Canelo vs GGG 3, who wins, and how? Tell us in the comments section.

Follow Woods on Twitter, if you like, for boxing news and opinion, and off topic material to, so ya know…Also, check out the Everlast TALKBOX podcast if you so desire. In the latest episode, Heather Hardy tells listeners the top 3 things she’s learned from the coronavirus presence in America