Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin ends in controversial draw

The long-awaited boxing blockbuster between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin ended in controversy on Saturday night.

After a back-and-forth 12 rounds that saw Golovkin out-strike Alvarez by nearly 50 punches, the bout was stunningly ruled a draw by the judges ringside in Las Vegas. Judge Dave Moretti scored the contest 115-113 for Golovkin, Don Trella scored the contest a 114-114 draw, and Adelaide Byrd turned in a baffling 118-110 scorecard in favor of Alvarez, rending neither man the winner.

“Look at my belts, I’m still the champion,” a frustrated Golovkin said afterward as boos rained down upon the T-Mobile Arena.

“This is a draw. He didn’t win,” responded Alvarez, who also insisted that he “easily” won seven or eight rounds.

MMA Fighting scored the contest 116-112 in favor of Golovkin.

Despite struggling through a slow start, Golovkin (37-0-1) largely controlled the pace of the match, out-landing Alvarez in total punches by a 218-169 clip while also connecting on 210 head strikes to Alvarez’s 127. That being said, Alvarez (49-1-2) did carry the edge in power punches, out-landing Golovkin by a total of 114-110 while coming on strong in the final rounds to eke out a draw on the scorecards.

The first third of the fight was dead even, as each combatant took turns leading the dance. But Golovkin’s relentless pressure and aggression soon took over after that. The Olympic medalist found his groove in the middle rounds, falling back on his jab while deftly cutting off the ring and consistently trapping Alvarez against the ropes. Once there, Golovkin unloaded with non-stop flurries of punches that seemed to take the wind out of Alvarez’s sails.

Sensing the momentum of the fight was not on his side, Alvarez dialed up his punching output in the closing rounds of the contest while also focusing on holding the center of the ring, rather than allowing his back to get stuck on the ropes — a decision which ultimately saved Alvarez from suffering the second defeat of his professional boxing career, but didn’t stop Golovkin from criticizing Alvarez’s early approach.

“I want a true fight,” Golovkin said. “I like Mexican style. I told you every time, I have Mexican style. I want a true fight, close distances. Just, I want big drama show.”

Afterward, both men called for a rematch of the big-money contest, which earned Alvarez a disclosed $5 million purse and Golovkin a $3 million purse.

“Of course I want a rematch,” Golovkin said. “I want to fight. Rematch or next fight, I want to fight.”

“If the people want it, yes,” Alvarez said.