Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) retained their respective titles in a back-in-forth war that was ruled a draw on Mexican Independence Day in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,358 raucous fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View and before 17,931 Closed Circuit attendees.
The action-packed fight featured everything a boxing fan would hope for in a battle that not only featured the two best middleweights in the world, but the two of the best pound-for-pound fighters. Canelo took an early lead, outboxing Golovkin from the outside with lateral movement, a quick jab and hard counterpunches to the body.
As the rounds progressed, Golovkin returned fire, tapping through the middle of Canelo’s guard before ripping left and right hands around it.
The action reached its peak in the championship rounds, where both men went back and forth, exchanging bomb after bomb in an explosive attempt to avoid scorecards.
Adalaide Byrd scored the fight 118-110 for Canelo. Dave Moretti scored the fight 115-113 for Golovkin, and Don Trella scored the fight a 114-114 draw.
Celebrities in attendance for this sold-out event included LL Cool J, George Lopez, Randy Orton, Chris Brown, Mario Lopez, Micheal Strahan, Jamie Foxx, Dave Chapelle, Chris Walhberg, Victor Espinoza, and former world champions Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins and Miguel Cotto.
“I thought I won the fight,” said Canelo Alvarez. “I think I was superior inside the ring. I won at least seven or eight rounds. I was able to counterpunch, and even make Gennady wobble a couple times. It’s up to the people if we fight again. I feel frustrated over this draw.” When asked if he felt Golovkin’s power, Canelo said, “No, truthfully, not really. There wasn’t any power that surprised me. In the first rounds, I came out to see what he had. Then I was building from there. Yes, of course I want the rematch. Obviously, if the people want it, then yes.”
“It’s a big drama show,” said Gennady Golovkin. “I want to thank all my fans. I want to thank all my Kazakhstan fans for supporting me, for coming out. Of course I want a rematch. This was a real fight. Look, I still have all the belts. I’m still the champion.”
