Another classic middleweight era has begun with Saturday night’s epic win by Canelo Alvarez over Gennady “GGG” Glolovkin.
One year after their controversial draw deflated the T-Mobile Arena in a fight that most observers felt Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) had won, Alvarez claimed a majority decision in a thrilling fight in front of a sellout crowd of 21,965 to unify GGG’s WBA and WBC titles with his own lineal championship.
24/7: Canelo/Golovkin 2 (Full Show)
Watch the entire HBO Sports special 24/7: Canelo/Golovkin 2 ahead of the megafight rematch between middleweight titans Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. Canelo vs. GGG 2 happens Saturday, Sept. 15 live on HBO Pay-Per-View at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
With Alvarez’s win, he dashed Golovkin’s dream of breaking Bernard Hopkins record of 20 successful middleweight title defenses.
Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs), entered the fight with a pair of failed drug tests in February that forced the postponement of their originally scheduled May rematch. However, from the intense weigh-in that evolved into a shoving match, Alvarez showcased his incredible chin and reversed the roles on GGG by pressing the action, stalking his feared opponent and trading with the bigger punches consistently throughout.
Marred by controversial scoring in the first fight from Judge Adelaide Byrd, special scrutiny would be paid to the final scores if the fight went the distance, which it did. Judge Glenn Feldman scored it 114-114, while Steve Weisfeld and Dave Moretti had it 115-113 for Alvarez, tipping the scales in his favor.
Classic Fight: Canelo vs. Golovkin 1
Ahead of Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin 2, re-live every moment from their first matchup from September 2017. Then, watch the rematch live on HBO Pay-Per-View on Saturday, September 15.
“If the people want a third fight, we will do it again. But for now, I want to enjoy the moment with my family and my people,” Alvarez said in the post fight presser. “But if they want us to do it again, no doubt.”
Alvarez showed he is a student of his own history and there is nothing revisionist about it. From being on the bad end of a boxing clinic from Floyd Mayweather to remembering that ring generalmanship is what created the popular consensus that GGG won the first fight, Canelo clearly learned from the mistakes he made in these two earlier high profile fights.
He took the lead with his jab, utilizing his quickness in the first half to counter Golovkin at close range and force him to lower his output.
Alvarez became the first fighter to back up Golovkin, continuing to do so for stretches at a time. The strategy was especially effective for the first six rounds as Canelo attempted to back up his claim that he would win via knockout.
“It was very difficult and [Golovkin] is a great fighter,” Alvarez said. “I tried to do [the knockout], but in the end, it was a great victory for Mexico. I want to thank my corner, which is the best in all of boxing. I am a great fighter and I am a great rival and I showed that tonight.”
Canelo Alvarez vs. GGG harkened back to the era of the middleweights when anticipation was at an all time high. Remember Hopkins vs. Trinidad?
Canelo vs Golovkin 2 Full Fight
Uploaded by NIO DE LUJO on 2018-09-16.
Remember Hopkins versus anybody for that matter during the late nineties and early 2000’s and you will understand that life has certainly repeated itself. With the amount of quality fights available for Alvarez now in Danny Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders or Jermall Charlo, the healthy boxing landscape just keeps regenerating.
Saturday night, Canelo Alvarez did more than dethrone the Golovkin train.
He and his dance partner reignited yet another chamber of boxing and laid the foundation for what could prove to be a historic trilogy.
