In the coming months, two high-profile rematches in the boxing world will take place at once.
But if the second fight between Alexander Usik and Anthony Joshua has been known for a long time, then the third fight between Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin has been in limbo for a long time.
It was expected that it would take place only if the Mexican coped with Dmitry Bivol and again won the WBA light heavyweight title.
However, he decided not to change plans even after a crushing defeat.
As planned, the meeting will take place on September 17 in Las Vegas, and the title of the absolute world champion in the second middle category will be at stake.
It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the fact that the confrontation between the Mexican and the Kazakhstani is one of the hottest in boxing in recent years.
The excitement around the first bout was huge, and the controversial refereeing decision and the scandal surrounding Adelaide Bird only fueled interest in the second.
Then the American not only gave preference to Canelo, but managed to see his advantage in 10 rounds out of 12. And this despite the fact that Golovkin delivered much more accurate blows (218:169), and in general looked preferable.
However, a lot has changed in the last five years.
A year after that draw, Saul won the second fight more confidently, after which the opponents parted ways for a long time.
Golovkin refused the services of the legendary coach Abel Sanchez and fought with not the strongest opponents.
The most dangerous of them was the duel with Sergey Derevyanchenko, which lasted all 36 prescribed minutes.
Gennady experienced serious problems and came out as a whitewash only thanks to the location of the judges.
After that, he partially rehabilitated and chalked up two knockouts, but he hardly impressed anyone.
By the age of 40, the legendary athlete had noticeably passed and ceased to be one of the strongest boxers in the world.
At least in the eyes of the public.
This is confirmed by the rating of fighters regardless of the weight category (Pound-for-Pound) according to the authoritative magazine The Ring, in which he fell out of the top 10.
Therefore, one might get the impression that now the next fight between Alvarez and Golovkin no longer causes the same excitement as before.
Currently, the opponents are at different points in their careers: even despite the loss to Bivol, Saul still remains at the top, while Golovkin's best years have already passed.
And many are of the same opinion.
According to former two-division belt holder Timothy Bradley, in September, Canelo will “wipe the floor” with an opponent and knock him out.
The legendary Oscar de la Hoya and Tony Bellew are thinking in a similar vein, predicting the beating of a Kazakhstani.
Indeed, at the moment, the third fight with Golovkin is seen as a stage in preparation for a rematch with Bivol and an excellent opportunity not only to put an end to the protracted feud, but also to regain confidence after a crushing defeat.
Although in terms of style, Dmitry is not very similar to Gennady, but in the battle with Saul he used his achievements.
Like the Kazakhstani in the battle five years ago, he tried to crush and press the opponent to the ropes, after which he scored with a long series of blows.
And for Canelo, this is a great chance to be in such difficult conditions and work out options for getting out of pressure.
After all, it can be useful to him at the beginning of 2023.
But the second battle between Usyk and Joshua seems much more intriguing.
And not only because her victor can soon compete for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion.
The last time all prestigious titles were united by Lennox Lewis in 1999, however, then it was enough to take three belts for this - WBC, WBA and IBF.
The upcoming battle may well put an end to the career of the British superstar, who has long been considered the most promising representative of his category.
Until June 2019, Joshua went undefeated and in 95% of cases took the upper hand ahead of schedule.
And if he continued in this spirit, then in terms of the percentage of knockouts among the current champions, he would be second only to Artur Beterbiev, but Andy Ruiz confused all the cards.
He created a sensation and completely defeated the Briton in his debut fight on American soil.
But if the physical recovery did not take long, then psychologically he has not managed to recover so far.
From a bright swordsman, Anthony turned into a cautious fighter who does not dare to force the course of the fight even at a critical moment.
But if in the answer with the Mexican this was enough to win, then in the meeting with Usyk it was not.
For 12 rounds, he could not oppose practically anything to the Ukrainian and lost in all respects.
Even the judges from England and the USA did not save
And while it is difficult to say whether Joshua came to his senses.
During the press conference, he made more excuses than expressed his readiness to get even with the offender, and during the new duel of views he did not give the impression of a self-confident athlete.
Especially against the background of the extremely calm and relaxed Usyk, who looked like the master of the situation.
And this is taking into account the difficult geopolitical situation in the world.
But in the rematch, Joshua will have to jump above his head.
To defeat one of the strongest boxers of our time, he needs to become the aggressor again, the one who dictated the terms to Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte.
Then the Briton fearlessly went forward and worked as the first number, constantly pressing and loading the head and body of the enemy.
If he again gives up the initiative and allows Usyk to control the pace, it will inevitably lead to a second capitulation, and this time everything can be completed ahead of schedule.
At the end of the first fight, Anthony missed a lot of punches and almost ended up on the canvas.
Yes, on the one hand, Joshua and Golovkin are in a similar position.
A victory will return them to the boxing Olympus, while a defeat will mark the end of their time in the elite.
But if a Kazakh is at risk of losing this status at 40, then a Briton is at 32. Usually, at this time, heavyweights only reach their peak and carry out the main battles in their careers.
For comparison, at this age, Muhammad Ali got the better of Joe Frazier for the first time and knocked out George Foremann, Larry Holmes made 11 of 20 WBC title defenses, and Evander Holyfield was just getting ready to fight Mike Tyson.
And if Joshua enters the ring as confused as in September 2021, he will surely give in and make Iron Mike company among the most talented boxers who have not managed to fully realize their potential.
True, in this case it will not be about problems with the law, violent temper and lack of work ethics, but about psychological problems and fear of taking risks.
However, not only the situation around Joshua makes this duel especially intriguing.
It is also extremely curious how collected Usyk will approach her.
If Vasily Lomachenko was forced by the events in Ukraine to refuse to meet with at that time the undisputed world lightweight champion George Kambosos, then Alexander decided not to postpone the defense of the belts.
It was originally scheduled for July, but was later rescheduled for August 20.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia was chosen as the venue.
And this is symbolic, because it was there that Anthony took revenge on Ruiz.
If Usyk escapes the fate of the Mexican, he will not only win the 20th fight in a row, but also take a step towards the biggest fight of his career.
In this case, there will be no barriers to organizing a fight for the title of absolute world champion, from which Alexander will be separated by Tyson Fury.
The problem is that earlier the Briton decided to hang up his gloves on a nail, although you should not take his word for it.
Like Conor McGregor, he has repeatedly announced his retirement from the sport, but returned.
And four titles and a colossal fee can again make him change his mind.