With that in mind I can make a case for either fighter winning and the 'A' side earning a narrow decision is not a big surprise when the Rounds were as subjective as some of them were.
I would be very surprised if we don't see a third fight between the pair, but Golovkin's best days are behind him and another seven/eight months out of the ring only add to the age factor which means I would favour Alvarez to do enough to perhaps even take a Unanimous Decision next time.
This weekend a big British Heavyweight will be defending his belt in a dangerous fight, but one that has not captured the imagination of the fans. Anthony Joshua's mood has been darker than usual from what I have seen and he won't be much happier on Saturday.
That is because the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder fight moved a step closer with all rumours that a Saturday 1st December date has been agreed and the press conferences will begin a week on Monday. Everyone is going to be talking about that rather than Joshua and I think Alexander Povetkin may take the punishment from the release of Joshua's frustrations in the main event.
It is an event that doesn't inspire much excitement on the undercard either and there won't be a lot of surprise that the Stadium is going to be nowhere near a sell out.
Sergey Kuzmin vs David Price
It was literally a day after I had read an article where David Price said he would not be taking this fight that I saw Matchroom had announced it for the undercard. I am sure Price is going to be well paid for the fight, but he had made it clear in that interview that it was too much of a risk and he wanted to rebuild a little more carefully after the defeat to Alexander Povetkin back in March.
I do think Price has misunderstood people's concern for him from the Povetkin Knock Out.
The shot he took was absolutely brutal and yet another highlight reel Knock Out Price has had against him in his career, but I do respect the way he tried to fight fire with fire and even put Povetkin down in the Third Round. However I respect most who get in the ring and are willing to go out on their shield to secure what they feel is a legacy for them.
In this case I think Price is taking an unnecessary risk against a power punching Russian who may be limited but who has shown he can Knock Out opponents. Sergey Kuzmin will know Price is a dangerous hitter for a Round or two, but Kuzmin will also believe he has the superior tank and he will have seen Povetkin beat Price and be given a chance to have a shot at Anthony Joshua.
It is very unlikely to be the exact same price for Kuzmin but he can announce himself to the UK fans and build towards that title shot he would want. I think in this one he is going to weather the initial Price storm and eventually get hold of the Liverpudlian when the tank runs out of gas as has been the case for Price throughout his career.
There have been a couple of early stoppages on the Price record, but he did last at least Five Rounds against Tony Thompson in the rematch, Christian Hammer in a Seventh Round defeat and against Povetkin in March when beaten in the Fifth Round.
Kuzmin has yet to have a fight of this magnitude in his professional career, but he has shown to be a hard hitter and also had shown his strength in the amateur ranks. I think he will have to be careful early, but eventually Price is going to start getting caught with heavy shots and I will look for Kuzmin to end this in either the Fifth or Sixth Round.
Matty Askin vs Lawrence Okolie
This looks like the best of the undercard fights with two boxers in very strong form meeting one another for the British Cruiserweight Title.
Both Matty Askin and Lawrence Okolie could find themselves moving onto World level with a victory so there is plenty on the line in the fight.
Okolie is the only unbeaten fighter, but that won't worry Askin who has beaten unbeaten fighters in recent bouts to build his own momentum. He has the size to at least match up with Okolie who is used to bullying his opponents in the ring, while Askin also has a lot of experience which may see him make the right adjustments to win this fight.
That makes it a fascinating one and I do think it is going to be very close and that makes the Askin price a big one. You have to believe the judges will favour Okolie if this goes to the cards and is a close fight, but Askin is capable of turning on the pressure and forcing a stoppage if he needs it and I expect him to give Okolie the sternest test of his career.
At the prices Askin is worth a small interest to upset Okolie who I am still not completely convinced by as a future world level star like some of the hype suggests. I could be wrong and a dominant win for Okolie would make me a believer, but I will look for experience to win the day.
Luke Campbell vs Yvan Mendy
This has been billed with a revenge or repeat tagline as Luke Campbell looks to avenge the first defeat of his career when facing Yvan Mendy again.
Mendy comes in with some confidence with the win over Campbell, but he has also won ten straight fights and the talk has been impressive.
However I have to say Campbell is much improved since the defeat to Mendy and he has been in with quality opponents like Jorge Linares and been far from disgraced. That is a step above the level of Mendy and I think Campbell will be able to box smarter and not suffer the Knock Down which effectively cost him the first fight with Mendy.
No will doubt the toughness of Mendy so seeing Campbell stop him would be a real statement from the British fighter as he moves back towards a World Title shot. It is that shot which makes me think Campbell won't take any unnecessary risks by chasing the stoppage and I believe he will show his improvement against the 33 year old Mendy.
Mendy has not really beaten anyone of note since the win over Campbell and I will back the latter to earn revenge with a points victory.
Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin
Everyone is suggesting Anthony Joshua doesn't care about what his Heavyweight rivals are doing, notably Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, but a darkening mood won't have lightened when he hears the news their fight is set to be announced.
Joshua will be trying to take back some of the headlines by becoming the second man to beat Alexander Povetkin and I would be surprised if he is not able to do that for at least a couple of days.
The Russian looks to have seen his better days and Povetkin was hurt quite badly in his last fight with David Price. No one is dismissing the power Price can hit with, but I do think Povetkin is on the way down in his career and I am not convinced there is a lot in the tank.
When he was beaten by Wladimir Klitschko it was a one-sided affair and I think Anthony Joshua is going to control the distance in the first half of the fight and look to take something from the Povetkin gas tank. It is in the second half of the fight when I expect Joshua will plant his feet and let his hands go a little more and that is when I am anticipating a stoppage for the British star.
Taking risks early may not be on the mind for Joshua knowing how hard Povetkin can hit, but I expect him to break down this opponent like Klitschko did. The difference will be that Povetkin is a lot closer to 40 years old now and I don't believe he will have the same resistance he did then as Anthony Joshua becomes the first man to stop Povetkin.
It may even be a slightly controversial one with the referee stepping in at some point in the second half of the fight, but I will back Anthony Joshua to win after weather any early storm Povetkin tries to bring.
MY PICKS: Sergey Kuzmin to Win Between 5-6 @ 6.00 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Matty Askin @ 3.50 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Luke Campbell to Win By Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Anthony Joshua to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Boxing 2018 Update: 25-45, + 9 Units (107 Units Staked, + 8.41% Yield)
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