Pressure on Canelo to make Golovkin fight a classic – Sanchez

The pressure will be on Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez to ensure his superfight with Gennady Golovkin goes down as of the greatest middleweight bouts of all time, says Abel Sanchez.

Golovkin (37-0) will defend his WBC, WBA, IBA and IBO titles against Canelo (48-1-1) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday in a showdown that is expected to be a thriller.

The Kazakhstani is the undisputed king of the division, while Canelo has risen through the ranks from welterweight to challenge for his throne.

Golovkin's trainer Sanchez thinks the bout could surpass the legendary middleweight meeting between Jorge Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales, as well as Marvin Hagler's clash with Thomas Hearns, but only if the Mexican tries to get on the front foot.

Sanchez told Omnisport: "I think the pressure Canelo has on his back from just the talking that he's been doing and all the boasting and [saying] 'I'm gonna knock out Golovkin' – all those things are putting pressure on him to be in the middle of the ring and throw punches and to go at Golovkin. If that's the case we're all going to be treated to a great fight.

"I think that it has a chance if that happens of going down as one of the great middleweight fights.

"We're looking at this as another Castillo-Corrales, another Hagler-Hearns kind of fight. I hope he can so that they can thrill us and give us the kind of fight we're going to be talking about for a lot of years."

Sanchez was unimpressed by Canelo's unanimous-decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who had been fighting at light heavyweight, in May, taking it as proof he is unlikely to be able to hurt Golovkin.

"You fight a dead man, you fight a guy that they brought down to 164 pounds, the kid probably didn't eat for five days so he couldn't even hurt him," said Sanchez.

"So his performance to me was what I've always thought he was, a slapper, a guy that really can't punch. He's got great combinations, he throws nice counter-punches, but he as he couldn't hurt [Miguel] Cotto he couldn't hurt Chavez."

And while Sanchez is confident of Golovkin wearing down Canelo, he is taking nothing for granted.

"I expect a tough fight. I expect a young man that's going to be very well prepared," he said.

"I expect the first three or four rounds to be difficult for both guys as they start to figure out the tactic and figure what one wants to do to the other.

"But once the fight starts to develop into the second half I think Golovkin's physicality will be too much for Canelo and eventually he will wear him down.

"His presence will be too much for him and he'll touch him with shots that Canelo has never been touched with and either stop him late in the fight – 11th or 12th – or with a decision going our way."