In the eyes of many, it isn’t a matter of if Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) will defeat Gennadiy Golovkin (GGG) come September 17th, but more so how severe a beating he will inflict.

Having turned 40 years of age just a few short months ago, Golovkin appears to be far removed from the pound-for-pound star who terrorized the middleweight division for nearly a decade. Still, even with Golovkin sauntering into their third showdown as a sizable underdog, and despite most of the boxing world going against him, Chad Dawson is standing firmly in his corner.

“Honestly, I thought GGG won the first fight,” said Dawson to Fight Hub TV. “I thought Canelo won the second one and this the third one, I think GGG is gonna get him.”

Golovkin, most recently, ended a lengthy absence from the ring with a ninth-round drubbing against Ryota Murata earlier this year. The win for Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) signaled his fourth consecutive victory, following what he believes was a bogus decision against Alvarez in 2018.

As for his Mexican rival, after being considered by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Alvarez was summarily thrown from boxing’s mountain top by Dmitry Bivol. The two would officially swap fists on May 7th, earlier this year as Alvarez brazenly made the move seven pounds north to the light heavyweight division.

While the 32-year-old Alvarez would enjoy success early on, Bivol eventually found his rhythm, leading to a close split decision victory. Although both Golovkin and Bivol fight in two completely different styles, Dawson urges Golovkin to dissect the film of Alvarez’s recent loss and implement some of Bivol’s tactics into his own game plan.

“I think GGG can take a lot from the Bivol fight. If you look at the Bivol fight, I think you’ll get to see some of the mistakes and errors that Canelo makes. I think GGG, everybody knows he’s a big puncher, he probably punches just as hard as Bivol does. I just think GGG has a lot to prove and I just think he’s gonna come fully prepared for this fight and I think he’s gonna get the victory this time.”