Analysis: Alvarez vs. Golovkin — Here’s what Simon says

Tahoe Onstage
Gennady Golovkin, left, defends his middleweight title belts against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday, Sept. 16.

In a world middleweight boxing match hyped as the “Supremacy,” the winner will be the fighter who can switch from throwing hooks to straight shots. That’s what boxing analyst Simon Ruvalcaba said before the bout, which on Saturday was ruled a draw.

A former professional boxer born and bred in South Lake Tahoe, Ruvalcaba lives in Reno, where he covers the sweet science for FightHype.com. He is a boxing coach and former boxing instructor for Ken Shamrock and the Lions Den where he was Paige VanZant’s first boxing coach.

Here’s what he told Tahoe Onstage about the Sept. 16 Alvarez vs. Golovkin bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“It’s a toss up but I am slightly leaning Canelo. I think in a war and battle of attrition youth will serve him well down the stretch.

“On the other hand, this is finally Triple G’s big moment, and in my experience fighters that have proven themselves for so long, usually live up to the moment. I would not want to be the guy in the ring against Triple G on the night that he feels that he has finally arrived. If Gennady can shake Canelo early, he might take him out within six rounds.

“The scenario I envision is Canelo making the straight-punch adjustment in a battle of two fighters that love to throw hooks. The quickest way to a point is a straight line. So whoever adjusts to throwing straight shots should tag more.

“I’m going with Canelo in a classic TKO in the 11th or 12th round.”

Ruvalcaba was a member of the U.S. Army Boxing Team at Fort Hood, Texas, and had a 54-17 record as an amateur. He had an 18-fight pro career that was hampered by a shoulder injury he sustained in a 2003 bout at Caesars Tahoe. His final fight was in 2013.

ABOUT Tim Parsons

Picture of Tim Parsons
Tim Parsons is the editor of Tahoe Onstage who first moved to Lake Tahoe in 1992. Before starting Tahoe Onstage in 2013, he worked for 29 years at newspapers, including the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Eureka Times-Standard and Contra Costa Times. He was the recipient of the 2011 Keeping the Blues Alive award for Journalism.

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