Pound for pound: Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin could shake up list

The third fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin next Saturday in Las Vegas will put to rest one of the most compelling rivalries in recent years.

It also could shake up Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound rankings even though neither is as high on the list as they once were.

Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) dropped from No. 2 to No 7 after his one-sided loss to light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7 at T-Mobile Arena, the same site as the upcoming showdown with Triple-G.

And the 40-year-old Golovkin, once near the top of the list, has gradually slipped down because of a series of so-so performances and the rise of other fighters. He’s currently at No. 13.

What would a victory do for Alvarez? Not much. The 32-year-old super middleweight champ is a significant favorite over his challenger, who is perceived to be in decline and moving up in weight for the fight.

Alvarez will likely retain his current position if he has his hand raised.

If Golovkin scores what would be a monumental upset? Well, he could jump back into the Top 10 depending. More important to Kazakhstani, he would claim his greatest victory and extend his status as one of the sport’s most significant stars.

And, naturally, Alvarez, considered by many to be the best in the business before the Bivol fight, would take another tumble. Could he recover from that?

Yes, a lot will be at stake on Sept. 17.

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

Terence Crawford – Reportedly in talks to face Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed welterweight championship before the end of the year. Naoya Inoue – Reportedly has reached an agreement to meet Paul Butler for the undisputed bantamweight championship on Dec. 13 in Japan. Oleksandr Usyk – No fight scheduled. Errol Spence Jr. – Reportedly in talks to face Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship before the end of the year. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to defend his WBA light heavyweight title against Gilberto Ramirez on Nov. 5 in the United Arab Emirates. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to defend his undisputed super middleweight titles in a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin on Sept. 17. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Reportedly set to face Jamaine Ortiz on Oct. 29 in New York but no official announcement has been made. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled. Jermell Charlo – Reportedly set to defend his undisputed junior middleweight championship against Tim Tszyu on Jan. 28 but no official announcement has been made. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled. Artur Beterbiev – Had been scheduled to defend his unified titles against Anthony Yarde on Oct. 29. However, the fight was postponed after Beterbiev was injured. Gennadiy Golovkin – Scheduled to face undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez a third time on Sept. 17. Jermall Charlo – No fights scheduled. Shakur Stevenson – Scheduled to defend his unified junior lightweight titles against Robson Conceicao on Sept. 23 in Newark, N.J.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (no fight scheduled); Stephen Fulton Jr. (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Devin Haney (scheduled to defend his undisputed lightweight championship in a rematch with George Kambosos Jr. on Oct. 16 in Australia); Josh Taylor (reportedly in talks to defend his WBO junior welterweight title in a rematch with Jack Catterall but no deal is in place).