Boxing: Canelo, GGG set to light up Las Vegas

Gennady Golovkin says his bout with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in Las Vegas today is the “biggest of this era”.

Golovkin holds the WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight titles, although if Alvarez wins he will not take the WBC belt, so that would become vacant.

Golovkin, 35, is looking to extend his undefeated professional record to 38 fights against Mexican Canelo, 27.

“It’s the biggest day for boxing, for this era – this huge history fight,” said Kazakh fighter Golovkin.

Alvarez is a three-time world champion in two classes, and his only defeat in 51 fights came against Floyd Mayweather in 2013.

His promoter, Oscar de la Hoya, says the bout at the T-Mobile Arena, where Mayweather beat UFC’s Conor McGregor three weeks ago, will be “hell”.

“I don’t like to talk a lot. I’m prepared,” said Alvarez.

“I know what it’s going to be: a tough fight. That’s what I’m ready for. I want you to all enjoy it like I’m going to enjoy it.”

Mayweather won his 50th consecutive professional fight with a 10th-round stoppage of UFC star Conor McGregor in August, in one of the most lucrative fights in boxing history.

“Right now is a true boxing fight,” Golovkin said. “I did not watch fight between Mayweather and McGregor because it is not of serious interest to me.

“If this fight was a charity fight, of course I would have watched, but because it was a business fight or a funny project it is not interesting to me.

“This is a totally different situation.”

Golovkin missed the birth of his daughter while preparing for the Alvarez fight.

He said: “My wife feels good and my baby is good. She understands my situation and that this is business.

“The last three months I have just stayed in the gym and right now I just 100% want to win and I give everything for this fight.

“I feel different, more true, right now my focus is 100% on boxing. I am very ready and very excited.”

Alvarez dismissed suggestions that the fight will be “overshadowed” by the Mayweather-McGregor bout.