After two compelling fights, it is hard to say a third contest is not needed. But there are plenty asking this week whether we require Saturday’s trilogy fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.

They meet at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with Canelo a handsome favorite.

They shared a draw in their first fight in 2017, which most felt Golovkin won, and Canelo edged him in the 2018 rematch.

There are some who felt going into the initial bout that GGG, who was then 35, had shown us his best work. By the time of the return fight, Canelo had either figured Golovkin out a little more, or the Kazakh had regressed slightly. Maybe it was a combination of the two. Neither are what they were, but Canelo is eight years younger. 

Golovkin is now 40 and he’s had just one fight in the last two years, defeating Ryota Murata at middleweight in April.

The consensus is that Golovkin is faded without being washed. On the other side, there’s a theory that Canelo is great but now not as great as he was. 

That does not mean that there won’t be fireworks. The weight should suit Canelo more this time. He’s coming down from 175lbs and has previously been impeccable at 168.

Golovkin is not at an age where his body is miraculously filling out, it simply means his cut - such as it is - won’t be as brutal.

Both fighters are offensive stalkers and one can see this becoming some kind of shootout in the middle rounds. Alvarez is bigger and fresher. That spells trouble for Triple G, but at the same time Golovkin is so good and so experienced if he switches to any kind of survival mode he would be a very hard man to stop. The problem is, Golovkin’s pride means he might well not have a survival mode in him, particularly in a fight as personal as this one. One can’t see him choosing to do anything but try to win, and that could lead to real danger if he’s shipping big shots - the kind of blows he was able to walk through without blinking in their two previous fights.

Golovkin is the sentimental favourite because he’s been so hard done by on the cards in fights one and two with Canelo. Almost everyone in the boxing stratosphere thought Golovkin was a worthy winner in the first bout, and there were plenty who thought he was worth at least a draw in the second. For most, the series is 1-1. In reality, it’s 0-2. But the playing field isn’t as level as it was five years ago because Golovkin’s that much older and likely wouldn’t be at 168 if it wasn’t for Canelo and this incredible payday, this personal grudge and the opportunity for him to address the perceived injustice of fight one at the very least.

And while neither are not what they were, this isn’t anything like a Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard III cash grab when they traded off their names and not off their abilities from a decade earlier. Canelo and GGG might have regressed, but they would still beat most of the fighters who weigh 160 and 168.

These are still two top-tier modem day stars and future Hall of Famers, Canelo for his achievements through the weights - in spite of the tainted steak issues - and his glittering resume, and Golovkin for his longevity, impact and title defences.

But they will get in to Canastota likely on what they have done rather than what they will do from this point on.

Golovkin has moments of greatness left in him. He was impressive in spots against Murata, but I don’t believe he has 12 solid great rounds left in him. Not at 40. Not against Canelo and not with his mileage.

Canelo has a track record of figuring fighters out as a bout progresses. Billy Joe Saunders might have given him something to think about, but soon fell into a trap and Canelo struck. And the English traveller was not the only one where Canelo took a good look at what was in front of him, decided on his best course of action and then ended matters. Indeed, he was better by the end of the first Golovkin fight than he had been at the start, too.

The Mexican’s not only had 24 rounds of research for Golovkin, but it’s likely that as the trilogy fight progresses he will work out exactly what Golovkin has left, and more to the point what he has not got left.

Canelo’s team will want the big fights moving forwards, with the likes of Artur Beterbiev and David Benevidez and maybe even the rematch with conqueror Dmitriy Bivol, while Golovkin will be hoping to keep his career alive or even sign off with an ultimate act of revenge. 

The hope is that Canelo rolls back a year or two and Golovkin rolls back five or six, while also being comfortable at the new weight, and they deliver another classic. If they to produce the goods, then their feud will be called one of the finest trilogies in history, but the odds, this time, are stacked against Golovkin and for good reason. If he opts for a defensive approach rather than stubbornly fighting to win as the fight goes on, he might hear the final bell. But Canelo’s freshness, body attack and desire to prove he has much left could well see him win inside the distance.