"It doesn't define my career" - Gennadiy Golovkin hits back at idea that rivalry with Canelo Alvarez defines his legacy

Gennadiy Golovkin doesn't seem to believe that his feud with Canelo Alvarez will define his boxing legacy.

Throughout the history of the sport, a rivalry has helped define a fighter's place in history. Muhammad Ali's trilogy with Joe Frazier helped define the three-time heavyweight champion as 'The Greatest'. He was able to defeat 'Smokin Joe' twice and establish himself as the best of his era.

Golovkin is now in a situation where he can establish himself as the best of his era by taking on Canelo Alvarez for the third time. If both men can win their next bouts, they will settle their differences in the ring in September. The two men have fought twice before, with the rivalry currently standing in Alvarez's favor.

While Golovkin can score a big win in September, he doesn't think that if he does, it shouldn't define his entire boxing career. In an interview with BleacherReport's Lyle Fitzsimmons, he opined that his victories and world titles won show his legacy already.

He said:

"Indeed, you're right that many boxers are characterized by the rivalries they had during their professional career. But at the same time, I don't think that my rivalry with Canelo Alvarez is the only thing that characterizes my career. Just to point out a few things: I am the record-holder for the number of defenses [21 defenses]. I have the biggest number of knockouts. And I think there are people who will remember me by that. There are people to whom it would matter more."

Check out Gennadiy Golovkin's interview with Lyle Fitzsimmons below:

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Gennadiy Golovkin believes he won his previous fights with Canelo Alvarez

While Gennadiy Golovkin could be involved in a trilogy bout with Canelo Alvarez this year, he believes he's already secured two victories against the Mexican.

'GGG' and the Mexican superstar met for the first time in September 2017. Despite Golovkin outlanding Alvarez in ten of the 12 rounds, and most fans believing he won, the fight was ruled a split draw. The controversial scorecards led to a rematch a year later.

Once again, the fight between the two was close. This time, it would be Alvarez who picked up the victory via majority decision. While he technically didn't win either fight on the cards, Golovkin believes he should have.

'Gennadiy Golovkin discussed their rivalry on The Fight with Teddy Atlas. He said:

“I would like to emphasize that I indeed won both fights. I believe so and at the same time I understand that hypocrisy prevails from time to time and unfortunately, there are people who choose the hypocrisy way.”