Brutal slugfest settles nothing

Golovkin retains middleweight titles after brawl with Alvarez ends in draw

LAS VEGAS - Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin argued afterward about who won their middleweight showdown on Saturday night.

But no one could argue it wasn't a great fight.

Golovkin retained his titles, fighting to a 12-round draw with Alvarez in a brutal battle that ended with both fighters holding their hands aloft in victory.

Canelo Alvarez slams a right to Gennady Golovkin's head during their middleweight title fight at T. Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The 12-round bout ended in a draw. John Locher / AP

It was a fight neither deserved to lose and, when the scores were tallied, neither did.

Two years in the making, the fight lived up to its hype as the two men traded huge punches and went after each other through all 12 rounds. Neither was down or seriously hurt, but both landed big punches that had the capacity crowd at T. Mobile Arena screaming in excitement.

Alvarez rallied late to win the last three rounds on each scorecard and pull out the draw, though both fighters claimed victory.

"I won 7-8 rounds easily," Alvarez said. "I was superior inside the ring tonight."

Golovkin disagreed.

"Tonight people give me a draw, but I focused on boxing," said the unbeaten Kazakh (38-0-1), who owns the WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO titles. "Look at my belts, I'm still champion. I've not lost."

Golovkin was the aggressor throughout and landed punches that had sent other fighters to the canvas. But he couldn't deck Alvarez (49-1-2), and the Mexican more than held his own in several prolonged exchanges.

They were still brawling as the final seconds ticked down.

Alvarez was leading after the first three rounds, then Golovkin dominated the middle rounds. After a pep talk from his corner, Alvarez came out more aggressive in the 10th to pull out the draw.

Two scorecards were close, with Golovkin ahead 115-113 on one and a 114-114 draw on the other. But female judge Adalaide Byrd had Alvarez winning 118-110, giving him all but two rounds.

Alvarez showed that he could not only take the punches of his hammer-fisted opponent, but land telling punches of his own.

The frenzied crowd of 22,358 stood for much of the fight, watching both men use sharp jabs and clever counter punching, with neither willing to give the other much room.

"Congratulations to all my friends from Mexico," Golovkin said in a post-fight TV interview. "I wanted a true fight. I wanted a big drama show."

There was plenty of drama toward the end as Alvarez rallied over the final three rounds and rocked Golovkin with uppercuts and big right hands.

But just as soon as he landed, the red-headed Mexican often took one back from the slugger so feared that most other fighters have avoided him.

It was a battle from the opening bell, as Golovkin tried to walk Alvarez down only to get hit by sharp counters.

Both fighters raised their hands in triumph at the final bell and jumped into the arms of their corner men. Then they waited as the scorecards were added up to see who would leave the ring with the belts.

"It's not my fault," Golovkin said. "I put pressure on every round."

Golovkin predicted before the fight that the late rounds would resemble a street fight, and in a way they did.

Both fighters were willing to trade, and both had no problems landing hard shots to the head. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Golovkin landed 218 of 703 shots (31 percent), and Alvarez landed 169 of 505 (34 percent).

Golovkin had chased Alvarez for nearly two years, trying to get the signature fight that would pay him millions and make him a pay-per-view draw on his own.

Alvarez, who owns the Ring Magazine lineal title, finally agreed to the match after Golovkin looked vulnerable earlier this year against Daniel Jacobs in winning a decision that ended his knockout streak at 23 straight.

Alvarez said Golovkin didn't have anything he wasn't expecting, and that his power wasn't what it was made out to be.

Golovkin, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, said he would definitely welcome a rematch.

"Of course I want to fight him again," he said. "I have my belts and I want a true championship fight."

Alvarez said he was more than willing to do it again.

"Obviously yes, if the people want it," Alvarez said. "He didn't win, it was a draw. I always said I was going to be a step ahead of him."

After the decision was announced, both fighters hugged and Golovkin whispered something in Alvarez's ear. They then exchanged thumbs-up signs and a handshake.

"We knew this was going to be a war," said Golovkin trainer Abel Sanchez. "There were no surprises."

Associated Press