LOS ANGELES: World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez promised to deliver an explosive sequel to their epic draw here on Tuesday as they faced off ahead of their May 5 rematch.

Hard-hitting Kazakh Golovkin was widely beli­eved to have won last Septe­mber’s first battle against Mexican star Alvarez, when a bizarre judging controversy dominated the aftermath of the bout.

“Everything is ready for an amazing show,” Golovkin told reporters, unsurprisingly adamant that he had won the first bout. Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, meanwhile taunted Alvarez’s hit-and-run strategy in the first meeting.

“I definitely think he ran a lot more than we thought he was going to,” Sanchez said.

Alvarez, 49-1 with two drawn and 34 knockouts, was unimpressed with Sanchez’s barbs, insisting he had done enough to win the first installment.

“I hope he [Sanchez] goes home tonight and really thinks about what he says. Because he’s saying stupid, idiotic things,” Alvarez said.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2018