Gennady Golovkin vs Saul Alvarez

Longtime titleholder Gennady Golovkin retained his middleweight championships when his long-awaited contest with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez ended in a disputed split draw at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 16, 2017. Both men weighed exactly 160 pounds. Golovkin entered unbeaten in 37 contests, with 33 victories inside the distance, and defended the WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO titles. Alvarez, a former champion at light-middleweight and middleweight, brought a record of 49 wins, one defeat and one draw. The arena announced a capacity attendance of 22,358, while Nevada commission figures later recorded 17,318 paid admissions and a gate exceeding $27 million.

The match had been discussed for two years. Golovkin, then 35, had built his reputation through sustained pressure and a succession of stoppages, although Daniel Jacobs had recently taken him the full distance in a close contest. Alvarez, eight years younger, had recovered from his 2013 defeat by Floyd Mayweather and developed into a more complete counter-puncher. He last boxed in May, when he comfortably outpointed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Golovkin was the natural middleweight and the heavier puncher; Alvarez had quicker hands and had shown increasing strength as he moved through the divisions. Kenny Bayless was the referee.

Golovkin advanced behind his jab from the opening bell, while Alvarez moved clockwise around the perimeter and looked for counters to the body. The Mexican was economical but sharp, slipping several of Golovkin’s early leads and landing a right hand as the champion came forward. His quicker combinations gave him the better of a cautious first round. Alvarez continued to box neatly in the second, using feints, changes of direction and a stiff jab to prevent Golovkin from setting his feet. Golovkin pressed without recklessness, but his right hand was still falling short, and Alvarez’s cleaner punches caught the eye.

The shape of the contest began to alter in the third. Golovkin’s jab found its range, and he reduced the space in which Alvarez could work. Rather than follow him directly, the champion stepped across to close the exits and forced Alvarez towards the ropes. Alvarez remained difficult to hit cleanly, rolling his shoulders and bending at the waist, but he was now spending longer periods with his back near the strands. In the fourth and fifth rounds Golovkin’s greater activity became decisive. He repeatedly drove his jab through Alvarez’s guard, followed with right hands and continued advancing after the challenger’s counters. Alvarez landed the more decorative individual blows, including hooks to the body and short uppercuts, but he was fighting in bursts while Golovkin dictated where the exchanges took place.

Alvarez produced one of his best combinations early in the sixth, landing a right uppercut and a left hook before moving away. Golovkin absorbed the attack and resumed his advance, answering with his jab and a right hand. The champion’s composure was important. Alvarez’s counters were fast and accurate, but they did not discourage him or relieve the pressure for long. Golovkin was not throwing with his customary abandon to the body, possibly because of Alvarez’s countering speed, yet the jab allowed him to keep scoring while remaining properly balanced. Alvarez’s movement was skilful, but much of it was defensive, and he surrendered ground after completing his attacks.

Golovkin strengthened his position through the seventh, eighth and ninth rounds. A solid right hand in the seventh forced Alvarez back, and the champion kept him occupied with repeated jabs and hooks around the guard. Alvarez sometimes stood on the ropes and invited Golovkin forward, using upper-body movement to make punches miss before replying with fast counters. The work was accomplished, but it came in short spells. Golovkin was more persistent, and even when his heavier punches were blocked or slipped, his forward movement and jab obliged Alvarez to fight at a pace he had not chosen. The eighth contained several close exchanges, with Alvarez landing clean counters and Golovkin answering immediately. By the ninth, Alvarez’s periods of inactivity had lengthened, and Golovkin was doing most of the leading.

Alvarez rallied strongly in the tenth. He began the round with renewed urgency, landing a hard right hand and an uppercut as Golovkin stepped into range. Golovkin took both punches without showing distress and came back at once, pushing Alvarez towards the ropes and turning the latter part of the round into a sustained exchange. The eleventh was closely contested. Alvarez’s speed again brought him success in the early stages, particularly with counters to the head, while Golovkin’s jab and pressure remained constant. Alvarez began the final round as though aware that the decision was uncertain. He attacked with combinations during the opening minute and produced some of his best offensive work of the contest. Golovkin continued coming forward, answered through the middle and closing stages, and neither man was seriously hurt before the final bell.

The official decision produced immediate disagreement. Dave Moretti scored the contest 115–113 for Golovkin, Don Trella returned a level card of 114–114, and Adalaide Byrd gave Alvarez ten rounds, scoring 118–110 in his favour. The last card bore little relation to the balance of the fighting and overshadowed an otherwise absorbing contest. Most ringside scores favoured Golovkin by a narrow but clear margin, commonly 116–112 or 115–113. The draw itself could be argued because Alvarez had landed many of the cleaner power punches and finished well, but a margin of ten rounds to two for him was indefensible.

The punch figures supported the view that Golovkin had done the greater volume of work. He landed 218 of 703 punches, compared with Alvarez’s 169 from 505, and outlanded the Mexican in ten of the twelve rounds. Golovkin held a considerable advantage with the jab, while Alvarez landed slightly more power punches and did so at a higher percentage. Those figures reflected the contest accurately: Golovkin was the busier man, controlled long passages with his jab and pressure, and forced Alvarez to retreat; Alvarez was the quicker and more precise counter-puncher, particularly at the beginning and end. Neither man was knocked down or visibly close to being stopped. Golovkin remained champion and recorded the nineteenth consecutive defence of his middleweight reign, but the unsatisfactory verdict made a second meeting inevitable.

I had Golovkin winning this fight 116–112, and I’ve never seen a convincing argument for Alvarez winning it. Canelo boxed beautifully in patches, especially early and late, but boxing in patches isn’t the same as controlling a contest. Golovkin’s jab, pressure and ring positioning dictated too many rounds.

What impressed me was how intelligently Golovkin cut the ring down. He didn’t chase Canelo around like a novice; he stepped across him, closed the exits and kept that ramrod jab in his face. Canelo landed the quicker, cleaner combinations, but he often admired his work, then gave away the next two minutes while retreating toward the ropes.

This was the fight Golovkin had waited years for. He had demolished most of the middleweight division, while Canelo had become boxing’s biggest attraction after rebuilding from the Mayweather defeat. The Mexican proved he belonged at the weight and showed a tremendous chin, but he didn’t do enough to take Golovkin’s titles.

A draw was generous to Canelo. Adalaide Byrd’s 118–110 card was indefensible and damaged a fine contest. Golovkin landed more, controlled the geography and forced the fight. Canelo had the flashier moments; Golovkin did the better work. For me, the wrong man was denied victory.