Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez declared his mission for Saturday's trilogy fight with bitter rival Gennady Golovkin is to "finish him off" inside the distance.
After a split draw in their first fight five years ago, Canelo was declared the winner of their September 2018 rematch by a majority decision.
He edged a tight contest 115-113 on two of the judges' cards, with the other judge unable to split the fighters, while many observers thought Golovkin had been the superior fighter.
It means there is unfinished business heading into the long-awaited third fight, which, like the first two, will play out at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Golovkin, now 40 years of age, is a big underdog this time, while 32-year-old Canelo must handle the pressure of being the man expected to reign in the ring.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Canelo said: "I feel great, I'm ready for this weekend, so I can't wait. I'm very excited.
"I was very happy when I won the second fight because I knew I won the first fight, too, so I was really happy."
There is a real dislike between the fighters on a personal basis, with Mexican Canelo open about his disdain for Kazakh Golovkin.
"As a fighter, he's a great fighter, but as a person I don't like him," Canelo said.
The boxing website Boxrec rates Canelo as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, placing Golovkin ninth on that list.
Nothing would give Canelo more pleasure than being able to settle fight three against 'Triple G' without the need for judges this time.
By channelling his personal feelings towards Golovkin into his punching, Canelo is confident of getting the job done.
"It gives you that extra motivation of wanting to win, to go and finish him off basically," Canelo said. "That's what I've been training for and that's what I'm hoping to do on Saturday."
Golovkin carries a 42-1-1 pro career record into the fight, while Canelo is 57-2-2 after slipping up in a light-heavyweight clash with Dmitry Bivol in May, also at T-Mobile Arena.
He narrowly lost on points to his Russian opponent that day, after going up a weight, and is adamant the recent experience of defeat will not hinder him come bell time on Saturday.
"It gives me extra motivation to come back," Canelo said. "Sometimes in boxing you win or lose, but I'm going to come back stronger than ever.
"I did something that I didn't need to do, going up a division, I have no right to go up there, but that's what happens. I lost this, and I need to accept it like a man and come back stronger than ever, and that's what I'll be doing."
For the third, and presumably, the last time, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will share a ring on Saturday as they fight it out for super-middleweight glory in Las Vegas.
The trilogy tussle at the T-Mobile Arena has a lot to live up to after the previous battles between the pair, in 2017 and 2018.
Alvarez goes into this one as the firm favourite, with few giving the 40-year-old Golovkin much hope, but the tight nature of their previous fights could stir something in the Kazakh.
Ahead of the keenly anticipated showdown, Stats Perform has looked at the state of play in one of boxing's greatest modern-day rivalries.
The trilogy so far
If history is a guide, nobody should be surprised if fight three between these warriors goes the distance.
Both previous clashes, which were contested at middleweight, went all the way. The first ended in a split-decision draw, and the second went down as an Alvarez points win, albeit one that many called into question. Two of three judges gave him the win by a sliver, the other scoring it a draw.
So expect a sense of deja vu this weekend, not least because the fight is being held at the same venue that put on their first two clashes.
Alvarez was given a bizarrely lopsided 118-110 victory by one of the first fight's judges, while another scored it narrowly in Golovkin's favour, and the third as a draw, so perhaps this time the fighters will be eager to avoid any possible lottery on the scorecards.
A victory inside the distance for either man might be the most fitting way of bringing their rivalry to its conclusion.
What's happened since the rematch?
There was inevitably talk of a trilogy fight after Canelo got the better of Golovkin four years ago, but it took until May of this year for confirmation to come through.
Canelo has danced between the divisions, winning title fights at middleweight, super-middleweight and light heavyweight since he last encountered Golovkin in the ring.
Golovkin has fought just four times, and will hope that is sufficient preparation.
Unlike Canelo, he has a 100 per cent record from his fights in the last four years. Canelo was beaten on his last outing, losing to Dmitry Bivol on a unanimous, albeit tight verdict (115-113 with all three judges), when contesting the WBA light heavyweight belt.
Has anything changed in four years?
Ask yourself the same question. Of course, things change. We get older; past a certain point, perhaps we slow down a little; the pandemic put the brakes on most aspects of our lives, for a while at least.
It took a heavy toll on boxing, too, but Canelo and Golovkin have got the buzz back, and one thing that has not changed appears to be the enmity between them.
As Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Boxing, said on announcing the fight: "These are two men that bitterly dislike each other and want to end this incredible series with a blistering KO."
Canelo is still a young man, at 32, and he carries a 57-2-2 record into the fight, putting his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts on the line.
Golovkin boasts a 42-1-1 career as he steps up to super-middleweight for the first time, but he is very much the veteran, the man that time is most likely to have caught up on since part two of this series.
According to Canelo, Golovkin has been taking on third-rate opponents to extend his career for this payday.
"A knockout, that's what I see," said a confident Canelo in June.
Some juicy shots are being thrown outside the ring, boiling up nicely for ring time.
Anthony Joshua may have needed "two or three" more fights to prepare for Tyson Fury, but his trainer Robert Garcia acknowledged he could not turn down a "big fight".
Garcia joined Joshua's corner to work alongside co-trainer Angel Fernandez before the second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, who successfully defended his belts in a rematch in Saudi Arabia in August.
The split-decision victory for Usyk had led to expectations of a title unification bout with Fury – but it will be Joshua who faces his compatriot after seemingly accepting terms for a clash on December 3.
The WBC heavyweight title will be on the line after Fury refused to wait to meet Usyk next year, but Garcia would have preferred for the all-British fight to take place at a later date.
"Look, it's a huge fight, it's the biggest fight in the UK and it's a fight that actually needs to happen sooner rather than later," Garcia told iD Boxing.
"Would I prefer it to happen two, three fights from now? Yes, but it's a big fight and it's a big business.
"His management team is very smart when it comes to negotiations and the final decisions, so they'll make the right decision. Personally, I'm not a businessman, I'd rather him take two or three fights before anything huge.
"Anthony took the rematch with Usyk right away, when he could have easily taken two or three fights before that. He took it right away because he wants those challenges too.
"If this challenge is there and he wants to take it, he'll take it. He'll go out and train and we'll do our best job to go out there and win. The fight won't be easy but is it winnable? Yes, we could win that fight."
Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, while Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.
With a 'Battle of Britain' on the horizon, Garcia encouraged Joshua to take a trip to the United States for a training camp in a bid to boost his chances of dethroning Fury.
"I haven't talked to him [Joshua] about it [training in the USA], I talked to the management team," Garcia continued. "They all said they would like that, but at the end of the day, it's going to be his decision.
"I think he would do so much better, honestly, training around Jesse Rodriguez, Jose Ramirez and all the young talent that I have. It's not only that he's going to train with them, he's going to compete with them.
"They're going to train together, they're going to push each other and they all want to be better than the other. I think that would help a lot – I would love that."
Tyson Fury's long-awaited bout with Anthony Joshua is '90 per cent' finalised, according to promoter Frank Warren, who says "everybody wants it to happen".
Fury has made a series of U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and originally sought a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia last month.
However, the Ukrainian's reluctance to fight before the end of 2022 led Fury to offer Joshua the chance to face off for the WBC heavyweight belt.
On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 revealed the terms of the fight had been agreed last week, only for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to delay confirmation.
Warren, who handles Fury's fights, says there is still work to be done on the bout – which will seemingly take place on December 3 – but does not anticipate any issues.
"The contracts are on their way," Warren told talkSPORT on Wednesday. "I'm not going into great detail about this, because we saw what happened last time around with people making statements and so forth, and it all fell apart.
"This fight won't be on until it's signed, but everybody wants it to happen.
"The basis of the deal, 90 per cent of what counts, is okay, 10 per cent we've got to sort out. There aren't any obstacles in the way, so hopefully very quickly we can get it over the line.
"When you're a promoter, you're an optimist. That's what you do. You're in the business of trying to make events happen, so we're all excited by it.
"I'm excited about it as a fight, because I always felt that Tyson has the beating of AJ, and now we're going to find out if we get this over the line."
While Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.
Anthony Joshua's management team says he has accepted terms to fight Tyson Fury on December 3.
Fury had originally wanted to face Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia in August – in a title unification bout, but the Ukrainian does not want to compete again until 2023, and Fury intends to fight before the end of the year.
That led to the Gypsy King going public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushed to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.
On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 announced that, along with Matchroom Boxing, the terms had been accepted, but negotiations had been postponed following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
They tweeted: "258 and Matchroom Boxing can confirm, on behalf of Anthony Joshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury's team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.
"Due to the Queen's passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response."
Fury's promoter Frank Warren later replied on Twitter, writing: "Contract will be with you very soon."
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn previously declared his fighter had accepted a proposed deal for the bout, with a 60-40 split in favour of Fury.
Fury had said his team secured provisional dates with Wembley Stadium and the Principality Stadium.
The US promoter of Tyson Fury is unsure if Anthony Joshua and his camp want an all-British heavyweight fight, despite supposedly agreeing to initial terms.
Fury had wanted to face Oleksandr Usyk in a title unification bout but the latter does not want to compete again until 2023, and Fury intends to fight before the end of the year.
That led to the Gypsy King going public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushes to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn declared his fighter had accepted a proposed deal for a bout with Fury on Wednesday, with a 60-40 split in favour of Fury.
Fury also said on Wednesday his team had secured provisional dates for Wembley and Cardiff, with Hearn suggesting December 17 as a good option for the bout.
However, speaking to Sky Sports, Fury's US promoter Bob Arum raised doubts about the sincerity of Joshua's camp in wanting the fight.
"I really don't think Joshua's people are anxious to make the fight now," Arum said. "Because he's come through a devastating loss and I think, conventionally, Joshua is going to want a couple of soft touches to get back in the swing of things.
"Our guy, Tyson Fury, wants to fight this year. I tried to see if we could get Usyk this year and apparently they don't want to do it until February.
"We're going to try to get an opponent for Tyson Fury – Joshua or somebody else – and make sure he gets in the ring this year.
"Eddie Hearn is just talking. Eddie Hearn, if he wanted to make the fight, he knows me well enough and knows I'm over here – he knows the Warrens. We haven't really heard from Eddie Hearn; he's really good at making statements to the press and television, but he's not – I don't think – anxious to make this fight."
Joshua is coming off a second defeat to Usyk, losing on split decision to the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last month, and Arum believes the Brit would not want to take on Fury at this time.
"I've been in boxing a long time and the fact that Eddie and Joshua would want this fight is, to me, incomprehensible. It makes no sense," he added.
"If I'm wrong and they decide they want it, they know where to find us and call, and stop talking to the press and talk to us and see if we can put it together."
Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has declared his fighter has accepted a proposed bout with Tyson Fury.
The Gypsy King went public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushes to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.
Fury and Joshua had an agreement to fight in Saudi Arabia in August 2021 but those plans came crashing down after a judge ordered Deontay Wilder to be granted his rematch with Fury.
But now the fight looks likely to go ahead, and is set to be held in the UK, after Hearn confirmed an offer has been accepted.
"We offered Tyson Fury the fight when he wasn't champion, at 60-40, and he turned it down; he asked for 50-50," he told IFL TV.
"I spoke to AJ [this time], and he said, 'Look, I don't believe he's for real, but yeah, I'll take the fight. See what the offer is'.
"They came back yesterday, and me and George [Warren] kind of had an agreement that we weren't gonna talk about it, but obviously Fury came out and basically let the world know the offer.
"Sixty-forty was the offer, as Tyson said. They want a rematch clause, and they asked for a date at the beginning of November [for the initial fight].
"I don't know whether that was a wind-up or whatever, but we just went back this morning and said: 'We think, I think particularly, he deserves more than 40 per cent, but he's happy. And I don't make the decisions, he does'.
"So, I went back this morning and said: 'We accept 60-40, we want that reversed in a rematch, rightfully so. [Fury is] the champion here, you want the biggest split, which I think is fair - and we want to do the fight in December'."
Fury said on Wednesday that his team had secured provisional dates for Wembley and Cardiff, with Hearn suggesting December 17 as a good option for the bout.
Hearn added: "Interestingly, they have [a date booked for] 17 December held at [what was formerly] Millenium Stadium, so that's perfect. That's perfect for us."
Tyson Fury has claimed his team has provisionally booked dates at Wembley and Cardiff for a potential 'Battle of Britain' clash with Anthony Joshua, with a date at Manchester United's Old Trafford seen as "too short".
The WBC heavyweight champion has laid down the mantle to his compatriot in attempts to finally give fans the fight they have been crying out for, although not with the same stakes as previously anticipated.
Fury and Joshua had an agreement to fight in Saudi Arabia in August 2021, which would have been a unification of the three leading heavyweight titles, but plans collapsed after a US judge ruled Deontay Wilder's rematch with Fury should go ahead.
While Fury was able to defeat the Bronze Bomber, Joshua lost his titles to Oleksandr Usyk and lost again to the Ukrainian in last month's rematch.
That seemed to spell the end of Joshua's stint at the top of the heavyweight game but Fury has offered a shot at his WBC belt later this year, with Usyk not planning to fight until 2023 due to injuries.
Fury has made his proposals public knowledge on social media and explained why he has gone in with a 60/40 offer, while adding venues have been provisionally booked.
"I think it's more than generous. I didn't want to go in at 80/20 like they would do to me," he told TalkSport.
"I really want this fight to happen because Usyk the middleweight doesn't want no smoke like I thought he didn't and now I'm going after AJ. I've already beaten Wilder and there's only one other person and that's AJ the bodybuilder.
"Why not give him 40 per cent, no excuses, let's get the fight made for the British public. the Battle of Britain, who's going to win it, me or him?
"He only had a sparring contest [against Usyk] didn't he? He's match fit, coming off a training camp. I've seen they're trying to wriggle a bit with the dates.
"We had Manchester United football ground booked for November 12 but they're saying that's too short.
"Even better, we've got Wembley booked for November 26 and if he doesn't want that I even have December 3 in Cardiff, so take your pick you dosser."
Wembley was the venue for Fury's knockout of Dillian Whyte in April, while Cardiff played host to Joshua's 2018 victory against Joseph Parker.
Due to the winter months proposed, Cardiff's Principality Stadium may be the preferred option due to the closing roof.
Jake Paul will return to the boxing ring to face UFC legend Anderson Silva at Phoenix's Gila River Arena on October 29.
Paul has not fought since his sixth-round knockout of Tyron Woodley in December 2021, his second of two wins against the former UFC welterweight champion.
Before that, Paul had knocked out Ben Askren and after overcoming Woodley for a second time was meant to face Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. before both fights fell apart in August.
YouTube star Paul has made somewhat of a name for fighting former professionals from the octagon, with the next challenge coming against former UFC middleweight champion Silva.
While holding the record for most consecutive victories in UFC (16), 47-year-old Silva boasts a 3-1 tally as a professional boxer, beating the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
He retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 after five losses from his last six fights, albeit against world-class opponents.
The bout will be contested at 187 pounds over eight three-minute rounds, the weight Paul claims Anderson's team requested.
"The plan is for me to fight at 185 [pounds] going forward and that's what I wanted this fight at given it was the weight Anderson Silva fought at during his reign as the most dominant UFC champion ever," Paul told ESPN.
"Anderson's team asked if we could set the weight at 187, two pounds more than what I wanted. That level of professionalism and precision is appreciated, and of course I agreed to his request."
Paul hailed the capabilities of Anderson with a statement to announce the clash, pointing to his victory over Chavez as proof of his boxing ability.
"Anderson 'The Spider' Silva is the most versatile fighter the world has ever seen," the statement said. "Just a year ago he outclassed boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and showed the world why he is often referred to as the greatest fighter of all time.
"Every expert, from MMA to boxing, has said Jake Paul won't fight Anderson Silva. They said Jake Paul is afraid of Anderson Silva, and Jake Paul would lose to Anderson Silva.
"Well, to all the non-believers – Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva. It's an honour to have the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest UFC striker of all time.
"On Saturday, October 29, I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend and do my best to exterminate 'The Spider'."
Anthony Joshua has been offered 40 per cent of the fight purse to take on Tyson Fury, who has said the ball is now in his would-be opponent's court.
A fight between heavyweights Fury and Joshua has long-been mooted.
Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch last month, failing to regain his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles from the Ukrainian.
Usyk seemed set to take on Fury for the WBC belt, yet instead it seems a clash between the Brits is more likely.
Fury wants to fight Joshua before 2022 is out, with the latter tweeting on Monday that he would be "ready in December".
On Tuesday, Fury revealed the details of the offer made to Joshua.
"I'm being bombared with messages on, 'How much am I gonna pay AJ?'", Fury said in a video shared on social media.
"Everyone's saying 80-20, 70-30, 75-25. The actual answer is: I've offered him 60-40; 40 per cent of this amazing fight, because I want this fight to happen.
"He doesn’t have any excuses now not to take it. He can't say I've low-balled him and offered him 20 per cent, 30 per cent.
"I've offered the people 40 per cent, take it or leave it. Let us know. Boom."
Fury subsequently tweeted: "He will never get a better offer. Straight WBC Boxing shot, the ball is in your court @anthonyjoshua."
Tyson Fury has taken to social media to offer Antony Joshua a WBC heavyweight championship fight amid delays to his plans to face Oleksandr Usyk in a unification bout.
Fury has made several U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and has been widely touted to be Usyk's next opponent following his split-decision win over Joshua in Jeddah last month.
But the Ukrainian is reportedly ready to wait until 2023 for his next bout, leading Fury to vow he would "wait around for nobody" on Sunday.
Fury, who has 32 wins and one draw from his 33 professional fights, promised to announce a new opponent within the next few days, and the 34-year-old appears to have his sights set on Joshua.
"Tyson Fury here, aka the Gypsy King, the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, as you can tell," Fury said in a video posted to Instagram, wearing his belts.
"I think you've all heard that I'm going to be fighting soon, within the next few months, and I think that before I announce an opponent, I need to do this, just in case.
"Anthony Joshua, I know you've just lost a fight to Usyk and you're beltless at the moment, and I'd like to give you an opportunity to fight me for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world in the next few months.
"You're coming off a 12-round fight, so you're match-fit, you're ready.
"I'm giving you a few months notice, if you're interested I'll send you the date over and we can have a rumble, a battle of Britain for the WBC championship.
"Let me know if you're interested. If not, I will select another opponent. Thank you very much, and good night."
A bout between Fury and Joshua has been rumoured for several years. Should it be arranged, it would represent a huge chance at redemption for Joshua, who had lost three of his last five fights after winning each of his first 22.
Tyson Fury declared "never say never" about joining WWE after playing a starring role at Clash at the Castle in the Cardiff.
The 34-year-old featured at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, joining in the headline clash between champion Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.
Fury left his front-row seat in Cardiff when Austin Theory attempted to cash in his 'money in the bank' contract before downing the 25-year-old.
Reigns emerged victorious by pinning McIntyre before the pair were greeted in the ring by Fury, who treated the crowd to a rendition of Don McLean's 'American Pie'.
While Fury waits for a heavyweight unification clash against Oleksandr Usyk, he refused to rule out moving to WWE after his boxing career comes to an end.
"At the moment I'm a heavyweight world champion, and I have plenty of fights I have to take care of over the next few years," Fury responded when asked about the prospect of joining WWE.
"But I really, really have a passion for WWE. Never say never."
"Usyk was calling me out after his last fight with [Anthony] Joshua, I've replied and said let's do the fight this year, wherever they want to do it," Fury said.
"I've been waiting for offers from countries to come forward, and all of a sudden Usyk has stated he doesn't want to fight anymore, he wants to fight next year, not this year.
"So I'm not going to wait around for anybody, I'm announcing a fight next week."
Tyson Fury has issued a fresh challenge to Oleksandr Usyk, responding to the latest comments from the Ukrainian where he referred to the WBC heavyweight champion as a 'crazy guy'.
Usyk successfully defended his belts against Anthony Joshua in last month's rematch, clearing the way for boxing fans to secure the unification fight they have long been waiting for on the heavyweight stage.
Fury had claimed he would retire following his win against Dillian Whyte in April but has since made it clear he is open to returning to the ring for a unification bout against Usyk.
Former middleweight fighter Usyk spoke about the prospect of facing off against Fury earlier this week, stating: "I want the WBC title. It was captured by the gypsies, some kind of king.
"We don't know what Tyson has in his head. Everyone knows that this is a very crazy guy. I would really like this fight to happen next year."
That sparked a fiery response from Fury, who directed jibes at Usyk's former middleweight status and named three prospective dates for a potential bout.
"Usyk, middleweight, you say you want the WBC and it's held by gypsies, it is held by gypsies and it's held by the gypsy king, it's held tightly," he said in a social media video.
"All rounds lead to a seven-foot behemoth who will absolutely destroy you, middleweight, you will get smashed to bits.
"You said you wanted to fight me after you beat the bodybuilder [Joshua], called me out on television, and now you're being a little b****, saying you've got injuries.
"You ain't got no injuries, you had a sparring contest. Get out and fight in December, you let your mouth go, now let's see if you can back it up.
"Doesn't matter if it's December, April or August next year, the outcome will be the same, I will obliterate you. I am a seven foot, 20 stone behemoth and I will destroy you. Find your balls, come see me."
Tyson Fury has set a one-week deadline for "suitors" to "come up with the money" to fight him.
Fury claimed before and after retaining his WBC world heavyweight title by stopping Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April that the all-British fight would be the last of his career.
Yet talked has turned to a unification bout between the 34-year-old and WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk following the Ukrainian's second victory over Anthony Joshua on Saturday.
Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk said a fight with Fury is "in the making", while Fury's co-promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum are also confident of doing a deal.
Fury on Wednesday urged the interested parties to put their money where their mouth is.
He posted on Instagram and Twitter: "Hi guys, for all these suitors out there that want to make the fight, I’m gonna give you all seven days, until the first of September, to come up with the money. If not, thank you vey much, it's been a blast, I'm retired."
Fury added in another video: "And also guys, forgot to say, all of them offers submitted, must be to my lawyer Robert Davies, in writing, with proof of funds. So let the games begin. Boom!"
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman this week said Fury has until Friday to make it clear whether he intends to fight again.
Fury stated in June that he would want £500million to come out of retirement.
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