Well, it was certainly more Leonard-Duran 3 than Ali-Frazier 3, that’s absolutely certain.
The Canelo Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin rivalry concluded with a groan at the same venue, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where it began half a decade ago. Canelo walked away winning a 12-round unanimous decision, the undisputed super middleweight champion and will always have a 2-0-1 lead in the trilogy, officially.
Compared to the first two battles, this one was a waltz. Golovkin was so coy with his offense for the first two-thirds of the fight that Canelo racked up rounds in second gear. As a fight fan, you get frustrated when an event falls short of expectations, but we’ve been down this road before.
Nearly 33 years ago, less than two miles from T-Mobile Arena, at the then newly built Mirage, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran made the moves in a third fight. It was a battle of boxing legends, but the only fireworks that night were set off before the fighters entered the temporary outdoor arena. Leonard won a decision and the crowd booed during the closing stages. Sounds familiar?
Last night’s official score (115-113, 115-113 and 116-112) was a surprise. He had 119-109 Canelo, which is wider than most cards I’ve seen. However, it was never a 7-5 fight. I know a lot of fans and pundits made GGG win most of the last third, but I didn’t see it that way. While Golovkin threw more punches later than early, I was careful not to be too charitable. He didn’t do anything at first, so any increase in hit production would look more impressive. I just felt that Canelo was more consistent.
Photo by Ed Mulholland/ Matchroom
Golovkin, 40, is a magnificent warrior and one of the best boxers of his generation. He trots into the Hall of Fame with a first ballot nomination and his work will never be forgotten. What we saw last night was a big old wrestler come to the end of the road. If you look back at the first two fights, Golovkin still has his timing and reflections on him. He attacked with confidence and punished Canelo for his mistakes. Last night, there was a split second delay from the brain to the extremities. That is the age.
As for the final score of this trilogy, there will always be a complaint. Canelo was very lucky to get a 12-round split decision draw in the 2017 original, and he knows it. If Golovkin gets that win, then the division will go in a completely different direction. And while I thought Canelo legitimately won the epic 2018 rematch, a dark cloud will always hang over that win because the Mexican star failed a VADA test months earlier. The fact that GGG walks out of this rivalry without winning will be disheartening to many. I remember feeling the same way after Manny Pacquiao received charity in his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Like Canelo over GGG, “PacMan” had a 2-0-1 lead in that trilogy, but Marquez vindicated himself by pinning his opponent to the ground in a fourth fight. Golovkin will not have that opportunity.
While he still has IBF and WBA middleweight titles, I’d like to see GGG finish him. He has absolutely nothing else to prove.
And what about Canelo moving forward? He didn’t look particularly good in that fight. I think the task was easier than he expected and he almost seemed bored at times. He tried to find a moment in either of the first two meetings when he hit Golovkin with a shot, turned his back on him and walked nonchalantly. You will be searching for a while. I think the former pound-for-pound king can be a lot better than he was last night, though he still wouldn’t allow it in the same zip code as WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. Canelo is a true fighter and he will be itching to avenge May’s humiliating points loss. I just think it would be better to target another light heavyweight, or maybe super middleweight bogeyman David Benavidez.
Bivol’s style is poison and it doesn’t look like Canelo has the antidote.
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
CANELO CLEARLY DEFEATS GGG TO PUT AN EXCLAMATION TO THE TRILOGY
