GGG and Canelo adhering to and adding to the Great WBC middleweight tradition

Fast closing in on the September 15th rematch revelation at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where World Boxing Council middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs), and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KO’s), will fight a fierce, pride brimming  tiebreaker.

They collided for the first time on September 2017, in a highly competitive and absorbing 12-round bout, which ended in a draw.
In the illustrious history of the  WBC, the middleweights have been a particularly spectacular weight category, producing some all time fantastic and forever memorable encounters plus stellar performances.  Here are the champions who`ve provided them to thrill us:

DICK TIGER (NIGERIA) 1963
JOEY GIARDELLO (US) 1963 – 1965
DICK TIGER (NIGERIA) * 1965 – 1966
EMILE GRIFFITH (VIRG. ISLAND) 1966 – 1967
NINO BENVENUTI (ITALY)        1967
EMILE GRIFFITH (VIRG. ISLANDS) * 1967 – 1968
NINO BENVENUTI (ITALY) * 1968 – 1970
CARLOS MONZON (ARGENTINA) 1970 – 1974
RODRIGO VALDEZ (COLOMBIA) 1974 – 1976
CARLOS MONZON (ARGENTINA) * 1976 – 1977
RODRIGO VALDEZ (COLOMBIA) * 1977 – 1978
HUGO CORRO (ARGENTINA) 1978 – 1979
VITO ANTUOFERMO (ITALY)                   1979 – 1980
ALAN MINTER (GB) 1980
MARVIN HAGLER (US) 1980 – 1987
RAY LEONARD (US) 1987
THOMAS HEARNS (US) 1987 – 1988
IRAN BARKLEY (US) 1988 – 1989
ROBERTO DURAN (PANAMA) 1989
JULIAN JACKSON (VIRG. ISLAND) 1990 – 1993
GERALD MCCLELLAN (US)              1993 – 1995
JULIAN JACKSON (VIRG. ISLANDS) * 1995
QUINCY TAYLOR (US) 1995 – 1996
KEITH HOLMES (US)                                          1996 – 1998
HASSINE CHERIFI (FRANCE) 1998 – 1999
KEITH HOLMES (US) * 1999 – 2001
BERNARD HOPKINS (US)                                                   2001 – 2005
JERMAIN TAYLOR (US) 2005 -2007
KELLY PAVLIK (US)                           2007 – 2010
SEBASTIAN ZBIK (GERMANY) INTERIM 2009 – 2011
SERGIO GABRIEL MARTINEZ (ARGENTINA) 2010
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. (MEXICO)                 2011 –      2012
SERGIO GABRIEL MARTINEZ (ARGENTINA) * 2012 – 2014
MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO (MEXICO) INTERIM 2014
GENNADY GOLOVKIN (KAZAKHSTAN) INTERIM 2014 – 2016
MIGUEL COTTO (P. RICO) 2014 – 2015
SAUL ALVAREZ (MEXICO) 2015 – 2016
GENNADY GOLOVKIN (KAZAKHSTAN)   2016 – 2018