Canelo Alvarez says it's important for him to KO Gennadiy Golovkin in trilogy fight 

For Canelo Alvarez, making a statement win against his arch-rival Gennadiy Golovkin is of the utmost importance.

The pair are set to face each other for the third time on September 17. The Mexican superstar acknowledged that it’s important for him to knock out the Kazakh fighter to settle the score once and for all.

In an interview on Boxing with Chris Mannix, the Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion said:

“It’s important for me to end this fight before the twelfth round.”

Watch the excerpt of Canelo Alvarez’s interview with Chris Mannix:

Alvarez, 31, and Golovkin, 40, fought in 2017 and 2018 at middleweight. Their first meeting ended with a highly controversial split draw.

The rematch a year later was once again plagued with controversy as Alvarez defeated 'GGG' via majority decision after 12 rounds. After years of waiting, the pair are set to face each other for the third time at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which is also the site of their first two meetings.

On the line this time are Alvarez's WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring Super Middleweight Titles.

Watch the recent staredown between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin at Yankee Stadium:

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Can Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin become friends?

Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin had a cordial relationship that stemmed from their sparring sessions earlier in their careers. More often than not, after boxers share the ring together, they form a special bond and become friends later in their lives.

However, Alvarez believes that will not be the case between him and Golovkin, at least not in the immediate future.

In the same interview over Boxing with Chris Mannix, the Mexican was asked if he and his rival could become friends after their hotly-anticipated trilogy fight. Alvarez responded:

“I don’t think so. Maybe later, years later. But not now. We’re good after the second fight and then he started talking a lot of things.”

In the long and rich history of boxing, a lot of fierce adversaries ended up becoming friends outside of the ring. Among them were legendary Mexican rivals Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, who have become friends well into retirement.

Another classic example is Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, who met four times in their careers and now share a special connection.