Canelo-GGG Fight: How Canelo Alvarez Beat GGG in Their Third Rivalry Bout (Published 2022) (2024)

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Álvarez outclasses Golovkin for an easy decision win.

“I have shown that defeats are great, because they allow you to come back and show humility,” Álvarez said, while wearing a crown on his head, after the fight.

Álvarez won the fight by unanimous decision, with much of the drama drained from the bout early — although two of the judges said that Golovkin had only lost by one round. Perhaps the only real consolation for Golovkin was that he lasted all 12 rounds; Álvarez repeatedly boasted in the run-up to the fight that he would end it early.

Golovkin started the fight slow, testing Álvarez with his left jab but rarely doing damage with it. Álvarez damaged Golovkin’s temple early, and generally seemed content to counter with flurries while occasionally swinging wildly for the knockout punch he had promised but that never came.

Finally, after eight rounds and 24 staid minutes, a fight broke out in the ninth round. Golovkin threw caution to the wind and repeatedly advanced on Álvarez, switching up his jab-only style for a more varied attack. In the 11th round he finally landed enough hooks to open up a cut on Álvarez’s right eye. But the offensive barrage came at a price, and Golovkin received almost as badly as he gave it. It was also too late.

The judges scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, seemingly giving Golovkin the last four rounds in generous fashion.

Golovkin, 40, has said that he will not retire after this fight. He looked a step slow, however, and very unlike the fighter who fans fell in love with because of his relentless forward-moving style, tentative.

“Remember I have three belts at 160,” he said when questioned about his future afterward. “I can still fight, guys.”

The fight was a nice bounce-back win for Álvarez, who lost to Dimitry Bivol in a light heavyweight matchup earlier this year.

But while he bested Golovkin, he was not back to his showstopping best. He will need to be better if he is to defeat Bivol in a potential rematch or if he wants to continue to dominate the super middlweight division.

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I gave Golovkin one round. Could have seen as many as three and as little as zero.

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And in between rounds, Golovkin’s trainer, Jonathon Banks, told his fighter that he’s making Álvarez look good “because you’re not doing nothing.”

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It almost feels like Canelo’s team was giving GGG sympathy points by using 1990s “Mama Said Knock You Out” in his video while knowing that the actual ring walk would be a way bigger spectacle.

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Canelo brings out a big star for his ring walk: Alejandro Fernández.

Fernández, a three-time Latin Grammy Award winner, accompanied Álvarez into the ring, before departing to headline a concert across Las Vegas Boulevard at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Álvarez frequently turns his walk outs into full blown shows — and he has been accompanied around Las Vegas all week long by mariachi bands and two guys freestyle rapping about him — and Saturday night is no exception.

The first two fights between Álvarez and Golovkin were about as close as you can get.

Álvarez is a fearsome counterpuncher, and many fighters are too afraid of his power to try and walk forward and take control of the bout. But GGG stalked Canelo, forcing him back into the ropes and risking the wrath.

Golovkin got hit, mind you. Especially in the early rounds, and with a few late flurries from Canelo. But the middle of the fight was dominated by Golovkin. Going into the 10th round, HBO’s cameras picked up Eddie Reynoso, Álvarez’s longtime trainer, telling him: “These are for your life. Three perfect rounds, son.”

Of course, as memorable as the fight was, it is mostly remembered for what happened afterward. One judge scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Golovkin. Another scored it a 114-114 draw. The third judge, Adalaide Byrd, scored it 118-110 in favor of Álvarez. According to Byrd, Golovkin won just the fourth and seventh rounds.

Oscar de la Hoya, who was Álvarez’s promoter, defended Byrd as a competent judge. But even he said he scored the fight just 115-113 in favor of his fighter, Álvarez, and added: “A lot of people are not understanding 118-110, just like myself.”

While the final result of the second bout — extremely close and difficult to score — was similar, the manner in which the second fight between Álvarez and Golovkin was contested was not. The mutual respect between the fighters gave way to animosity, as the bout was delayed after Álvarez tested positive for clenbuterol (he said it came from tainted meat) and Golovkin called him a drug cheat.

This time Álvarez was the aggressor, refusing to let Golovkin push him back, and instead the fight was contested in the middle of the ring. Golovkin still threw numerous jabs, but instead of simply advancing forward behind the punch, he stood and traded power punches with Álvarez much more than in their first fight. Consequently, both fighters were bloodied with deep cuts over their eyes.

Golovkin, the older man by eight years, looked like he was fading in the middle rounds, most of which were decisively won by Álvarez. But he laid down a furious flurry of punches in the 10th round and looked like the stronger fighter in the final few rounds.

Golovkin managed to force a draw on one judge’s scorecard, but Canelo won the other two 115-113. This time there was no controversy, just a close fight that barely went Álvarez’s way.

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Jesse Rodriguez gets a good sweat, but follows through to stay undefeated.

Midway through the seventh round of a competitive bout, Rodriguez, the heavy favorite, clipped Gonzalez with a low blow. Gonzalez hit the canvas, and the referee, Kenny Bayless, deducted a point from Rodriguez for repeated punches below the belt. Deductions can turn a slim win into a draw, and a draw into a heartbreaking loss.

When the scores were announced, one judge had Rodriguez, a rising star in the 115-pound division, winning 114-113 — meaning he had won seven of 12 rounds, and lost a point for the low bow.

The other cards went 118-109 and 117-110, and left the rest of us to wonder how closely the judges watched the action.

Gonzalez, the challenger, used his length, timing, and body punching to control range in the early rounds, keeping Rodriguez at the end of his jab, and pounding him with counterpunches to the rib cage.

But as the rounds progressed, Rodriguez worked his way inside, landing heavy left hands before introducing his right hook in round six. He won more rounds, but did not appear to win nine or 10.

Either way, Rodriguez, who lives in San Antonio, improves his record to 17-0, and positions himself to face the winner of a December title fight between Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez.

The paydays for Canelo and GGG should hit the tens of millions.

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The judges see it for Rodriguez, too.

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Bookies give a clear edge to Álvarez.

A few hours before the fight, most sports books have Canelo at -550 (meaning you have to bet $550 to win $100) and Golovkin at +370 (bet $100 to win $370). The implied probability of those odds means bookies give Álvarez an 85 percent chance to win.

Though they clearly expect an Álvarez victory, oddsmakers do not necessarily believe it will be an easy one. The over/under for how long the fight will last is set at 10½ rounds, with their being shorter odds on the over (-200) than the under (+140).

Finally, the most expected outcome is Álvarez winning by a decision, at +100 odds. The odds of Canelo winning by a knockout or disqualification are set at +150, while a Golovkin win by decision (+700) or knockout or disqualification (+900) are much longer.

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Ali Akhmedov, a protégé of Golovkin, dominates Rosado.

In the movie version, the older, slower Rosado might have gutted out a win, or at least lost a close decision. Rosado has experience there. He had a small role as a gatekeeper-type fighter in the 2015 feature film “Creed.”

But Ali and Rosado fought in real life, where the 27-year-old Akhmedov’s speed and footwork and combination punching propelled him to a lopsided victory. All three judges scored all 10 rounds in Akmedov’s favor.

Where Rosado wanted to force a toe-to-toe brawl, Akmedov used a sharp jab to maintain distance, and mixed in a few heavy right hands and left hooks. One straight right in the fifth round nearly dropped Rosado. According to CompuBox, Akmedov landed 179 of 452 punches, compared with 78 of 410 for Rosado.

Akhmedov’s record improves to 19-1, while Rosado drops to 26-16-1.

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Jesse Rodriguez could make the 115-pound division highly interesting.

Casual sports fans might not have seen Rodriguez’s previous fight, an eighth-round stoppage win in late June over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, the former world champion from Thailand. But hardcore boxing fans noticed the way Rodriguez turned an evenly-matched title bout into a one-sided boxing clinic. It was the kind of win that — like Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s whitewash of Diego Corrales in 2001 — signaled that a boxer with potential might actually be a generational talent.

Big boxing fans salivate over the possibilities at 115 pounds, if Rodriguez can defeat Gonzalez. Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico holds two major title belts, and the 35-year-old Nicaraguan legend Roman Gonzalez remains a major player in the division. All are aligned with Matchroom Boxing and the DAZN streaming service, which means boxing politics likely will not prevent any of them from pairing in the future.

Drive-by fans likely do not realize how many high-level fights are possible at super lightweight, but a definitive win by Rodriguez, on Álvarez’s undercard, could help them figure it out.

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The fight occurs on an auspicious day for Mexicans.

Boxing promoters are not particularly subtle people, and Canelo Álvarez is the most popular Mexican boxer of his generation, and perhaps ever. He has had a handful of different promoters in his career, but they all settled on the same formula: Have Álvarez fight as often as possible in early May, for Cinco de Mayo, and mid-September, in line with the formal day of independence, Sept. 16.

The timing does not always work out, but when it does — like when Álvarez shattered Billy Joe Saunders’s orbital bone in front of over 73,000 screaming fans in Arlington, Texas around Cinco de Mayo last year — it makes for a frenzied boxing atmosphere.

In Las Vegas, Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Canelo fans of all stripes have taken over the city. Mexican flags are everywhere and the array of bootleg Canelo merchandise available from street vendors is astounding. Mariachi bands are roaming the city, and are present at every official event, like the weigh-ins.

Golovkin will be lucky if 5 percent of the crowd is cheering for him.

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