Gennady Golovkin jabs at 'clown' Canelo Alvarez at weigh-in

Members of entourages quickly get between two fighters to head off physical confrontation after Alvarez appeares to rush towards Golovkin

Canelo Alvarez, center left, and Gennady Golovkin face off during a weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Alvarez and Golovkin will fight Saturday night in a middleweight title bout. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Powered by automated translation

Gennady Golovkin and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez faced off for the final time ahead of their eagerly awaited rematch here on Friday as they comfortably made the weight for their middleweight grudge match.

An ill-tempered confrontation before several thousand fans at the T-Mobile Arena saw a minor scuffle after the two fighters came together after stepping on the scales.

Kazakh fighter Golovkin, the defending WBA, WBC and IBO champion, weighed in slightly heavier at 72.4 kilograms.

Mexico's Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 knockouts) meanwhile came in at 72.3kg, well within the limit.

Members of both entourages quickly got between the two fighters to head off a physical confrontation after Alvarez appeared to rush towards Golovkin, who did not flinch.

A relaxed-looking Golovkin later took a verbal jab at his Mexican rival after the face-off.

Asked what he had seen when he looked at Alvarez, Golovkin replied: "I saw he's like a clown. He is showman. He is not true guy."

A stony-faced Alvarez meanwhile claimed a psychological victory. "I won the weigh-in, and tomorrow I'll win the fight," he said.

Golovkin, (38-0-1, 34 knockouts), is chasing a record-breaking 21st consecutive defence of his middleweight crown when he faces Alvarez again on Saturday.

Saturday's 12-round battle comes almost a year to the day after the two fighters battled to a controversial draw in their first encounter.

A planned rematch for May 5 was cancelled after Alvarez twice tested positive for the banned performance enhancer Clenbuterol in February and was subsequently hit with a six-month suspension.

Alvarez blamed the test results on eating contaminated meat in his native Mexico.

______________

Read more:

Oscar De La Hoya confirms Alvarez-Golovkin rematch in September

Alvarez-Golovkin rematch talks collapse, according to media report

With Golovkin-Alvarez rematch confirmed, fight could be explosive

Alvarez-Golovkin right outcome, but one judge a laughing stock