Golovkin vs Canelo fight in detail

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ASTANA. KAZINFORM The T-Mobile Arena audience has seen Gennady ‘GGG' Golovkin vs. Saul ‘Canelo' Alvarez fight, one of the most anticipated bouts over the past few years, Kazinform correspondent reports.

Both opponents began the first round exactly as the experts expected. The Kazakh boxer incessantly attacked and explored Alvarez, whereas the latter stepped back but did it very competently and skillfully, trying to keep a comfortable distance "to shoot his gun". It is interesting that Golovkin did not deliver any massive blows in the debut round. A couple of times Alvarez tried to do it, but his punches did not reach the target. In the second round, Golovkin was still trying to seize the center of the ring, and Alvarez did not oppose well. However, the Kazakh boxer was approaching mostly without punches, waiting for the opponent's mistakes. The rival did the same. A few minutes before the end of the round, Golovkin made several attacks, but Canelo did not fail to pay back at once.
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Basically, everything went as expected. The intrigue was for how many rounds the fight would last. In the third round, the picture has not changed much, except that Alvarez started counterattacking a little more actively. It was evident that Golovkin was ready for that and was waiting for the cold-blooded Mexican to get carried away by attacking and would finally lay himself open. The major thing about the first rounds was that Golovkin increased the pace at the end of each of the rounds, and began making massive punches towards Alvarez. Such punches, as a rule, are not very noticeable for the spectators but for those who let them get through as the breath is interrupted and hands begin to slide down.
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In the fourth round, Alvarez approached the ropes and called the opponent for more massive punches, showing in every way that he had not been damaged at all. Besides, Alvarez got away and was not punished for such a risky behavior. In the fifth round, the champion began arranging more series, leaving less room for maneuvers and making the Mexican change the tactics to a more active one. The opponents appeared to have learned each other very well and predicted most of the actions.
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In fact, both failed to surprise each other, except that Golovkin still preferred to be first in attacking, and Alvarez tried to blow up after each of the Kazakh boxer's massive attacks. The sixth round resembled the fifth one. The rivals did not force events, but tried to make more accurate attacks, not forgetting about the defense.

In the seventh round, an exchange of blows revived the course of the fight. But, both boxers were far from knocking down. In general, in the seventh and the eighth rounds, Golovkin was more active and more often hit the target, but the Mexican kept standing. In the ninth round, Gennady made a typical attack by a series of quick and unremarkable punches with one hand, disorientating the Mexican boxer. Every time Golovkin dominated Alvarez near a corner the fans waited for the red-haired boxer to fall, but Alvarez endured.
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The bout kept going in a similar way in the tenth round, while Alvarez was fresh and dangerous. He seemed to shake Golovkin with 2 swings. Even so, the Kazakh boxer still prevailed by points. Alvarez differed from Gennady's previous contenders by the fact that he boxed at the ropes, timely warding off massive attacks and making his hooks a dangerous weapon. Golovkin continued boxing the same way as before, hoping that the Mexican would reel off. So, the twelfth round started. A few strong blows on Alvarez's head forced him to clinch. It was clear that GGG expects to finish the fight early by attacking Alvarez nonstop, but he never managed to.

The most intriguing moment has come as everything hinged on the judges. It is interesting that Alvarez looked focused, while Golovkin was smiling. At the end, the judges announced the decision that was the least likely before the fight. In the judges' opinion, the fight ended in a split draw. Thus, GGG retained his belts. Yet, it is the first draw for the Kazakh athlete in his career. After the fight, Golovkin said he was not upset because he was still the champion. Both boxers expressed readiness to meet in the ring again.
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Recall that Gennady Golovkin was risking 4 belts - WBA (Super), IBO, IBF and WBC one in the fight against Saul Alvarez.

 

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