Former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew believes Gennadiy Golovkin will take a very bad beating in a trilogy fight with Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

Golovkin returned to the ring last Saturday night in Japan, where he stopped Ryota Murata in nine rounds to unify the IBF, IBO, WBA middleweight belts.

Golovkin is now in line to face Canelo in a trilogy fight, for the undisputed super middleweight crown, in the month of September.

They fought to a controversial twelve round split draw in 2017, with Canelo winning a close twelve round majority decision the following year.

Based on the number of punches he took against Murata, Bellew would advise the 40-year-old Golovkin to head in another direction.

"This was a perfect audition for Triple G for a third fight with Canelo. If you look at it from an audition perspective, the audition was absolutely perfect. He looked vulnerable, he looked aged, he was being pushed back by a man who is not known as a severe puncher," Bellew told the DAZN Boxing Show.

"Looking at Triple G’s side and how he should be feeling, I wouldn’t be going anywhere near Canelo if I was him. It’s going to end badly in my opinion. Age waits for no man, that was clear to see. Triple G in my opinion isn’t what he once was and ideally I don’t want to see him get brutally beaten up by Canelo in a third fight, because I think that’s what will happen.

"The reality is only one fighter has got better here and we all know who that is. He hasn’t just got better he’s got bigger and stronger… and I think it will show if they meet for a third time."

Canelo will return to the ring on May 7, when he moved up to the light heavyweight division to challenge WBA champion Dmitry Bivol at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.