By: Sean Crose
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez returned to the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday to once again face his arch-rival, Gennady Golovkin. The first two controversial bouts (which ended in a draw and won against Canelo, respectively) between the two men were held in the middleweight division. The timing of the match was held in the super-middleweight division, with all of champion Canelo’s world belts at stake. The feeling of unfinished business, coupled with the fact that both 57-2-2 Canelo and 42-1-1 Golovkin don’t seem to like each other, add to the element of intrigue.
A close round with both men looking down sharp. However, Canelo could have made it through with more activity. Canelo continued to assert himself in the second half, dribbling efficiently while Golovkin used his stinging jab. Canelo made a difficult landing in the third round when Golovkin’s face began to bruise. In the fourth season, it’s clear that age influenced Golovkin’s fear, as he was hit a lot, was slow to pull the trigger, and didn’t often throw shots. On the other hand, Canelo looks great, when shooting and landing.
With that said, Golovkin had a better fifth, although Canelo was still able to beat him with powerful hits. The pace slowed down a bit in the sixth round, but it was past time for Golovkin to make it up if he wanted any chance of winning the skirmish. The seventh round was clearly the closest round of the match up to that point, with Canelo’s output slowing down considerably. Things are still interesting – and pretty close – in season eight. Canelo still delivers powerful shots, but not as many as he has. Moreover, Golovkin could have successfully changed the pace.
There is no doubt in season nine that the fight has become competitive. However, the power of Canelo’s punches seems to be the difference. Things were still competitive in the tenth round, but Golovkin needed to be more competitive at that point. By leaning heavily on his shot – as he did for most of the fight – Golovkin could have won the eleventh inning. Surprisingly, Golovkin held out a lot in the twelfth and final round. Fortunately, both men hugged each other warmly after the fight ended.
Canelo – deservedly – got a decisive unanimous victory.
“Thank you very much, my friend,” Canelo said kindly to Golovkin afterward. “Thank you, Golovkin. Thank you.”
