Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
A boxing insider who was present at the Big Bear (CA) gym on the day when Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez sparred has shared his account of what happened: “Golovkin hurt Canelo twice – first liver and then head. Canelo came out strong trying to hurt him right away. Then Golovkin got him with a nice liver shot and then a few head shots that made Canelo spar a lot more gently. It was awkward in the room. It was Golovkin’s first real sparring in America. He was just here from Germany. I think Canelo (then age 21) was just getting ready for Afonso Gomez in Los Angeles (TKO 6 in September 2011).”
It calls to mind the Lennox Lewis vs Andrew Golota sparring session years before Lewis defended the WBC Heavyweight title by first round knockout against Golota in Atlantic City in 1997. Before their fight Lewis didn’t publicly talk about his previous sparring against Golota with the media but I learned from an insider Lennox had his way with Golota in sparring and that when he “turned up the heat Golota couldn’t handle it.” Of course the same pattern transferred to their actual fight which was a one-sided affair. Sparring can reveal nothing – depending on the physical conditions of each boxer or their motivations on that particular day – or it can reveal a lot. By the way Canelo and his team are so very carefully handling this situation of accepting a fight against Golovkin it seems that this infamous Golovkin sparring session with Canelo has had a profound effect on Canelo. Canelo has a memorable first hand experience on just how challenging and difficult it is to compete with Golovkin inside the boxing ring. — By Scoop Malinowski
