The time has come for boxing to deliver another glorious night for its thousands of fans around the world. At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin will step into the ring to finally write their long-awaited trilogy. An electrifying bout is anticipated.
In the previous 24 rounds between them, Canelo and GGG offered a memorable war in which the fans were the real winners. By being able to fight for the third time, they are looking for a joint achievement, as incredible as it may seem, and that is to enter the select group of the best trilogies in boxing history.
An old sport in which it is difficult to stand out due to the high number of great exponents it has had. Therein lies the great difficulty for the Canelo Alvarez vs Gennadiy Golovkin III. It will not be easy to be included as one of the great trilogies because it has very complicated opponents that we are going to reveal below.
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier, Heavyweights
Perhaps the most emblematic of all boxing trilogies, since it was starred by the, for many, greatest fighter of all time, Muhammad Ali. The same one who found his true nemesis in the legendary Joe Smokin Frazier.
The first bout took place in 1971, the second in 1974 and the conclusion of the story a year later, in the best known as Thrilla in Manila. The final balance was two wins for Ali and 1 for Frazier, just the one of the first fight.
Muhammad Ali is knocked out by Joe Frazier. (Keystone/Getty Images)
Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran, Welterweights and Super middleweights
The careers of both fighters were not the same before and after they met in the ring for the first time. Sugar Ray Leonard came in undefeated while Roberto Duran had only 1 previous defeat happened 8 years earlier.
The Panamanian proved to the American that he was mortal with a painful defeat in June 1980, but 6 months later Leonard paid with the same coin and defeated Duran by TKO. More than 9 years passed and Sugar Ray repeated the dose to the Manos de Piedra who saw the beginning of the end of his successful boxing career.
Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran. (Holly Stein/ALLSPORT)
Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward, Catchweight (142 lbs)
The perfect example of how a vibrant trilogy can earn you a place in the boxing history books. To be frank, Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward’s careers would not have had the same luster had they not met on 3 occasions.
What the Canadian and the American gave boxing fans were intense wars. Especially the first fight, held in 2002, as it was a real pandemonium. Ward won once, followed by two victories for Gatti in 2002 and 2003.
Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, Super bantamweights, Featherweights, Super featherweights
There’s a saying in boxing that when two Mexicans get in the ring to fight, there’s a guarantee of spectacle and drama. This fight is clear confirmation of that. Simply put, both Morales and Barrera are two of Mexico’s all-time-greats.
Blood, sweat and tears was whatTerrible and the Baby Faced Assassin offered to those fortunate enough to see their three fights in Las Vegas. All culminated in close results: a win for Morales in 2000, and a pair of victories for Barrera in 2002 and 2004.
Marco Barrera vs Erik Morales. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder, Heavyweights
Contemporary boxing raises its hand for a place in the history of the sport with this type of rivalry. Two true titans collided to the delight of those who enjoyed their three fights. Special ingredient: being heavyweights, which guaranteed knockouts.
The first fight was held in 2018 and culminated in a Split Decision Draw, which led to a second edition in 2020, in which Tyson Fury destroyed the undefeated Deontay Wilder with a TKO. The American sought vindication in 2021 but only found a KO by the Briton who became the best heavyweight of recent times.
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
