The rivalry between Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez ignited countless wars on Twitter. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
It was very close, but the judges found a winner.
On September 15, 2018, Canelo Alvarez scored a 12-round majority decision over Gennadiy Golovkin to claim the vacant Ring middleweight championship and the WBA and WBC titles at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The official scores were 115-113, 115-113 and 114-114.
Both men had met at the same venue a year earlier. The consensus that night was that Golovkin did more than enough to win, but Canelo escaped with a 12-round split decision draw. Incredibly, judge Adalaide Byrd scored the fight 118-110 (10 rounds to two) for Canelo and he was forever marked as a boxing outcast. She has never worked a high-profile fight since.
The Canelo-GGG rematch was actually scheduled to take place four months earlier, on Cinco de Mayo weekend. However, while training, Canelo was informed that he had tested positive for a banned substance (clenbuterol) and the fight was postponed. As a consequence, the Mexican star was stripped of his Ring championship, removed from the ratings, and served a six-month retroactive suspension.
Whatever respect existed between the fighters was replaced by hostility. Canelo has always maintained his innocence and blamed the tainted meat for the failed VADA test. Golovkin has held a grudge that is unlikely to ever fade.
After a poisonous buildup, the sequel turned out to be better than the original. Accused by Team GGG of rushing in fight one, Canelo purposefully clashed with the fearsome champion in a classic fight. The Mexican star dished out a lot of damage and withstood everything Golovkin had to offer. There were no crashes, but the action was of the highest quality.
There’s no question that the scoring controversy in the first meeting contributed to the furor surrounding Canelo’s rematch win. Actually, the second fight could have gone either way and opinions varied.
The pair collide in a de facto fight this Saturday, again at T-Mobile Arena, and Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight title will be on the line.
