Gennady Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will square off in the potential fight of the year Saturday night (HBO-PPV, 8 p.m.). Longtime play-by-play man Jim Lampley explains to The Post’s Justin Terranova why this fight has the opportunity to be so special.
Q: Can you put your personal interest/excitement level in perspective with some of the other great fights you have called?
A: I was probably just aboutꦕ this excited for (Anthony) Joshua-(Wladamir) Klitschko and I was r☂ight — (that) is currently the clear fight of the year.
Q: Is there one particular factor you think is most important in this fight?
A: Can Canelo take Gennady’s punch? … If he thinks he has tasted Gennady’s power because he sparred with him, he’s dreaming. Most likely he knows he hasn’t seen the fastball. He will see it in Round 1. If he can handle it, his chances improve immediately.
Q: What will this fight mean to the legacy of the winner?
A: Legacies are for down the road. This ๊might be a trilogy if it is competitive. But for the moment the winner is the best middleweight and a contender for pound-for-pound No. 1, and if it is Canelo, certainly the biggest draw in the spor💛t. If Triple G produces a Triple G YouTube moment, it will be fascinating to see what it does for his profile. He is already a global phenomenon, but still waiting to really burst as an American phenomenon.
Q: Is there a fight you can point to in each fighter’s career when you realized how special they could be?
A: In Canelo’s case he really turned heads when he won against skilled backup counterpunchers Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout. It was significant to confirm he had a fighting brain to go with the sharp counterpunching and the thudding body shots. As for Gennady, he has been routinely spectacular … the way he cuts off the ring. He suffocates the opponent. Predator at work.
Q: Do you have concerns about this fight being overlooked after the intense coverage of Mayweather-McGregor?
A: Yes, I do, but not that much. And anyone who misses this fight for reasons related to an event involving a retired boxer and a kickboxer is, I guess, more to be pitied than blamed. Would you have passed on (Marvin) Hagler-(Thomas) Hearns? This is your best chance to see a present-day replica of the fiercest three rounds in the🗹 past 50 years. These guys are going to throw down.