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Canelo Alvarez has said he will "without a doubt" knock out Gennady Golovkin when they fight in September.

He spoke to TMZ on Thursday:

Alvarez said: "This fight, I don't see it going 12 rounds. I can almost guarantee it won't make the 12 rounds."

The match-up is a mouthwatering one indeed, and both fighters—Golovkin in particular—are used to winning by stoppage.

Alvarez, who has lost just one of his 51 fights, has won via knockout on 34 occasions, while Golovkin's 37 career bouts have yielded 37 wins and 33 by knockout.

Both will be putting their middleweight titles on the line, with Alvarez defending The Ring title, while GGG is defending his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and IBO belts.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden is eagerly anticipating the clash:

However, the announcement of Conor McGregor's professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August has taken the limelight away from the fight.

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TMZ asked Alvarez for his take on it being scheduled so close to their September 16 fight, to which he replied: "Personally, it doesn't bother me. I'm not losing sleep over it, but I think as a sport it's a lack of respect. A lack of respect to the fans, to boxing. Mayweather, one of the best fighters in recent years, to be fighting a pro debut? It's a lack of respect."

He added he has "no interest whatsoever" in fighting McGregor himself.

ESPN's Dan Rafael believes it has been poorly scheduled in relation to Alvarez's clash:

While the showpiece between McGregor and Mayweather holds mainstream box office appeal in its own right, Golovkin stepping into the ring with Alvarez will likely be far more hotly anticipated by boxing purists.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is certainly looking forward to it, per BoxingInsider.com:

Seeing how UFC star McGregor fares against Money is an intriguing prospect, but the signs largely point to a one-sided affair in the latter's favour given he boasts a 49-0 career record and is perhaps the best defensive fighter the sport has ever seen.

However, Alvarez and Golovkin are the two most exciting fighters in the middleweight division and have been for some time, so it promises to be a thrilling contest.

It may well end in a knockout, but such is the strength of both Alvarez and Golovkin, it could go either way.