It’s not often that the performances from a pay-per-view superfight help raise the critical stock of both fighters. But despite the negative hangover from the fight’s scoring, that’s exactly what happened between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
The short-term talk about their middleweight championship bout in Las Vegas will undoubtedly center around judge Adelaide Byrd’s egregious 118-110 scorecard in favor of Alvarez, which helped secure a widely disputed split draw. But in the long run, the equal levels of action, drama and elite skill shown by each fighter will prove to be the bout’s legacy.
Alvarez showcased just how much he has improved from his humbling 2013 defeat against Floyd Mayweather by using defense and toughness to push GGG to the limit over 12 hard rounds. And while Golovkin wasn’t able to drop or finish the Mexican star, he boxed well enough to feel like he had won, easing the beliefs of some that he has lost a step at 35. Boxer Record Division Trend 1. Andre Ward 32-0, 16 KOs Unified light heavyweight champion — Fresh off a pair of impressive victories over feared destroyer Sergey Kovalev — including a stoppage via body shot in June — Ward’s next move remains uncertain. Although the 33-year-old has teased the idea of moving up in weight for the right fight, a showdown with 175-pound lineal champ Adonis Stevenson is still on the board. 2. Vasyl Lomachenko 9-1, 7 KOs Junior lightweight champion —
Promoter Top Rank continues to line them up and Lomachenko, the crafty virtuoso, has done his part to knock them down. Next up is a unique matchup between double Olympic gold medalists when “Hi-Tech” faces Guillermo Rigondeaux on Dec. 9. 3. Gennady Golovkin 37-0-1, 33 KOs Middleweight champion — Although it took five years to secure his first marquee opponent, Glolovkin pulled off a strong performance that was overshadowed by questionable scorecards. Most ringside observers had it a clear victory for GGG while some, at worst, scored it a draw. Either way, the thunderous puncher relied more on his jab and boxing ability in what was best described as violent chess. 4. Terence Crawford 32-0, 23 KOs Junior welterweight champion — Crawford became the first in boxing history to unify all four 140-pound titles with his August knockout of Julius Indongo. “Bud” is taking his talents to welterweight in search of big money and a possible run at P4P supremacy when all is said and done. 5. Canelo Alvarez 49-1-2, 34 KOs Lineal middleweight champion Finally a full-fledged middleweight, Alvarez cemented his elite status by showcasing his defense, chin and counter punching against Golovkin in their split draw. At 27, we are finding out how great Canelo really is. 6. Mikey Garcia 37-0, 30 KOs Lightweight champion Garcia’s disarming of Adrien Broner in his junior welterweight debut was a step-up and statement performance. Garcia has not only stated he will fight anyone between 135 and 147 pounds, he has floated the idea of moving up to 154 pounds if he can entice Miguel Cotto. Talk about daring to be great. 7. Errol Spence Jr. 22-0, 19 KOs Welterweight champion
The Spence era at welterweight is upon us. By traveling to England in May to stop titleholder Kell Brook, “The Truth” showed his true colors as a calculated and dynamic boxer-puncher with a real backbone, not to mention unlimited talent. 8. Keith Thurman 28-0, 22 KOs Welterweight champion — “One Time” continues to sit out the remainder of 2017 resting his injured elbow following surgery. There will be plenty of challengers lined up upon his return, including a very interested Spence. 9. Guillermo Rigondeaux 17-0, 11 KOs Junior featherweight champion At 36, following years of inactivity and questionable matchmaking, the Cuban defensive wizard will finally get his time to shine on Dec. 9 against Vasyl Lomachenko. Rigondeaux will need to move up two weight classes to pull it off in the toughest test of his talents since his breakthrough 2013 win over Nonito Donaire. 10. Naoya Inoue 14-0, 12 KOs Junior bantamweight champion The Japanese “Monster” has become a terror in the small weight classes, with a Lomachenko-like mentality to test himself. The 24-year-old slugger won his first world title in just his sixth pro fight and added a belt in a second division just two fights later.
