Alvarez proved to the world that amidst the allegations and suspensions that plagued him over the last year, he found solace in the ring?
Every great fighter learns something about himself by facing the toughest, most skilled opponents. After battling for 24 rounds over the last year, Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin grasped the magnitude of the new level of respect they shared for each other in the ring. Making necessary adjustments after a controversial first fight last September, Alvarez beat his nemesis, Gennady Golovkin, by a majority decision to win the IBO, WBC and WBA titles along with the Ring Magazine title. Lacking the controversy of last September, judge Glenn Feldman scored the fight a draw (114-114), while Steve Weisfeld and Dave Moretti had Alvarez ahead 115-113 after giving him the twelfth round of the fight.
With much talk about what role Alvarez would play this time around, he shocked many in the boxing world by moving from primarily a counterpuncher who slid along the ropes for the majority of the first fight to an aggressive lead fighter who dictated the pace of the fight. By many accounts, it proved to be an extraordinarily brave move that placed him in danger for most of the fight.
Yet, Alvarez did not even hint at going to the ropes until the first minute of round eleven. Even then, Canelo did not stay there, and managed to earn the second half of that round. When asked after the fight about meeting Golovkin one more time, Canelo did not hesitate.
?I want to enjoy it first with my family,? he responded. ?But if people want another fight, we will do it again, no doubt.?
Unfortunately, for Golovkin over the first couple rounds, that same doubt appeared in his demeanor as he allowed Alvarez to take charge. If Golovkin stalked in the first fight, he relented in the rematch. Even Alvarez?s corner acknowledged the reality??See he?s more cautious? ?between the first and second rounds.
A big check hook by Canelo in the first minute of the second round foreshadowed what was to come. Alvarez scored several eye-opening combinations in the same round followed by damaging uppercuts in the third, all the while doing something that is unheard of in boxing circles?walking down the Machine. What was so intriguing was that in the first fight Canelo landed more power punches?114-110?but none severely punctured Golovkin, while a host of Golovkin?s shots (in that fight) were clearly impacting Alvarez.
Using the fourth through sixth rounds as a barometer, Alvarez was the guy landing the bigger punches, while Golovkin piled up points on intermediate punches that lacked real substance. More importantly, no one reminded Golovkin early on that the body shots opened up the rest of his arsenal as he stayed away. Once again, Golovkin went back to the head with hooks and uppercuts, but only settling for one or two punches at a time.
Rabid Golovkin fans had to patiently wait until the fourth round at 1:48 for Golovkin to land a significant punch, a right uppercut. Leading into the seventh round, the narrative had been established: Alvarez, the aggressor, beat Golovkin to the punch as he kept the vicious puncher on the outskirts of the ring. To that point, Alvarez had made changes, and Golovkin did not.
Additionally, Alvarez appeared the fresher fighter.
It would be unfair to assert that Golovkin did not have brief moments of success; however, Alvarez matched him at every juncture as if to confirm to Golovkin this is my fight. Few would have argued that sentiment until the end of the eighth round when the old Golovkin finally came forward, literally. Finally committing to punches with a sense of purpose and with the bad intentions that defined his 18 knockouts in 20 title defenses, Golovkin managed to negate three right crosses by Alvarez at the beginning of the round by landing a right on Alvarez?s bloody left eye in the last ten seconds of the round. Previously, Golovkin did not attempt to engage or move inside, which contradicted everything he stands for.
By switching gears, Golovkin shifted the dynamic of the fight. What Golovkin lost in the previous eight rounds, he had begun to regain in the ninth. And he started by determining the momentum of the round and then jamming a forceful right hand in Alvarez?s face, now bleeding from the nose and eye, as the round closed out.
Brimming with confidence, Golovkin looked to build off the success.
Deep down the round meant something as it proved to boxing fans that great fighters, like Golovkin, even at 36, understand how to revert back to what made them great. That greatness emerged in the tenth round as Golovkin surprised Alvarez, now reeling, with a straight right?his biggest punch of the fight. To Alvarez?s credit, he displayed his heart and fighting spirit as he refused to back down and returned fire with a right and uppercut. In a round where Golovkin landed a five-punch combination, his first of the fight, both men can look back on their individual performances with pride as Golovkin steadfastly searched for that elusive knockout and Alvarez never wavered from his own attack.
Through the late rounds, Golovkin still peppered Alvarez with his sharp jab, and ironically, nearly landed the same amount (118-108) that he landed in the first fight. But the difference was evident: the jab in the first fight opened up his offense; in this bout, the jab represented a one-punch offering, often with no follow-up. In the eleventh round, Golovkin ignited a furious rally where he bested Alvarez, but the Mexican champion came back to rally with multiple right hands at the end of the round. These types of rounds proved difficult to score because both men exhibited periods of control or dominance. Since this pattern had developed throughout the fight, the twelfth round became just as critical as it had been in the first fight.
Eager to get to Golovkin in the twelfth, Canelo hustled out and walked into a left hook. Soon Alvarez took the initiative and scorched Golovkin with three straight rights, the last one landed as he accidentally slipped to the canvas. After trading rights and uppercuts through the middle of the round, the exhausted fighters were no longer able to maintain the same intensity. Prior to the bell, Golovkin landed one more right hand and closed out the fight with an uppercut. The gladiators hugged in the middle of the ring. Two of the three judges felt Alvarez did enough to win the round. Aside from the scoring, the men clearly understood the ramifications of what they accomplished.
Their names forever intertwined, but on this night, Alvarez proved to the world that amidst the allegations and suspensions that plagued him over the last year, he found solace in the ring. After Alvarez shouted ?Viva Mexico? to his adoring crowd and raised his hand in victory, Golovkin, who rushed off, was nowhere to be found.
