After controversial scorecards overshadowed their first two meetings, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin met for a third time on Saturday night in Las Vegas. This time around, Alvarez left little debate that he was the better fighter, though the scorecards may have reflected a closer fight than actually took place.
Alvarez dominated the fight with defense and a strong combination of wide overhand rights, jabs and left hooks. Golovkin spent the first eight rounds working behind a largely ineffective jab, seemingly digging himself a deep hole on the scorecards.
While Alvarez had promised a knockout, he never needed to shift to a higher gear to shoot for the finish, instead working over Golovkin with his crisp boxing.
Despite seemingly having earned a wide decision win, the scorecards were controversial for the third straight meeting between Golovkin and Alvarez. Alvarez took the deserved decision victory, but by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
“He’s a really good fighter,” Alvarez said after the fight. “He’s strong. He’s a great fighter and that’s why we’re here. I’m glad to share the ring with him. I’m going to keep forward to keep my legacy strong.”
CBS Sports will be with you throughout the night in Las Vegas, so be sure to follow along with the live results and highlights below. Alvarez vs. Golovkin 3 fight card, results
Canelo Alvarez (c) def. Gennadiy Golovkin via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) Jesse Rodriguez (c) def. Israel Gonzalez via unanimous decision (118-109, 117-110, 114-113) Ali Akhmedov def. Gabriel Rosado via unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90) Austin Williams def. Kieron Conway via unanimous decision (96-93, 97-92, 97-92)
