As a boxing fan there are few things more satisfying than a long anticipated super-fight justifying its billing. That’s what we received this Saturday in an excellent bout between GGG and Canelo that lived up to the hype. Each fighter fought with their signature brave and fearless styles that made this such an in demand matchup in the first place. Golovkin relentlessly stalked the ever-dangerous Canelo while Alvarez responded with precise and powerful counters. Both men engaged in brutal exchanges of power shots delivered with bad intentions.  I was on the edge of my seat from the opening bell until the moment that the terrible decision was announced. An unsatisfying draw which unfortunately has served as a distraction to the epic battle that preluded it.

THE FIGHT

While the fight was highly entertaining and competitive I believe GGG emerged as the clear winner. In fact, I scored the fight 117 – 111 giving only 3 rounds (1, 2, & 12) to Canelo. GGG was dominant regarding ring generalship and threw nearly 200 more punches resulting in him landing almost 50 more shots than Canelo. He was able to out land Alvarez in 10 of the 12 rounds as you will see in the punch stats provided below.

Canelo had his moments, but the constant pressure and sharp jab from GGG was what separated these two great warriors. In my opinion, this fight can be broken down into 3 parts which tell the story of this bout.

The first part of this story predictably begins in the first two rounds. Round 1 started slow with both men feeling each other out before engaging. GGG was the busier fighter pumping out stiff jabs as he would all fight but couldn’t seem to find a comfortable range to unleash his power. Canelo appeared to be the much quicker and sharper fighter using great head movement and precise counter punches to throw Golovkin off his game. Round 1 could have went to either fighter since there was not much action. Round 2 on the other hand, was a clear victory for Canelo. After the first two rounds it appeared that Alvarez was surprisingly able to stand toe to toe in the center of the ring with the larger, more powerful fighter and deliver cleaner more effective shots.

In round 3 we began to see a shift in momentum. Throughout the first two rounds GGG seemed tentative to commit to heavy punches throwing a combined 23 power shots. In the 3rd round Golovkin appeared far more comfortable finally letting his hands go resulting in him throwing 31 power shots, 8 more than he threw in the first 2 rounds combined. The stiff jab paired with the bombs he was now delivering changed the territory in which this fight took place. The majority of the first 6 minutes were spent in the center of the ring. From the second half of round 3 through the remainder of the bout Canelo spent a significant portion of the fight with his back against the ropes. While Alvarez was still landing solid counters, GGG seemed to have lost respect for his power and began walking right through his punches. Golovkin spent rounds 3 through 9 popping Canelo’s head back with his jab while unleashing heavy blows when pinning him against the ropes. Canelo was slowing significantly and it was clear that only one man’s power was making an impact. That man was GGG.  That’s why I awarded him every round from 3 through 9 on my scorecard.

In rounds 10 through 12 there was an obvious change in the attitude and body language of Canelo. The accumulation of damage due to the constant pressure and power of GGG appeared to be taking a heavy toll. A combination of the extra muscle he put on, along with the excruciating pace, fatigued the red-headed gladiator as he spent much of these rounds breathing deeply with his hands hanging by his side. However, just like a wounded animal, Canelo seemed to be his most dangerous in this weakened state. He began to once again stand toe to toe with Golovkin winning portions of the final three rounds with clean hard combos. Unfortunately for Canelo, he could not sustain this style of fighting as GGG continued to walk right through his monstrous shots. After an impressive 45 seconds to a minute of aggression, Canelo would seem to tire resulting in him once again ending up against the ropes. GGG would then take control and dominate for the remainder of the round.  I gave the 12th to Canelo but didn’t think he won enough of rounds 10 or 11 to deserve the edge.

While I scored it 117 -111, I can understand a scorecard of 116 – 112 or even 115 – 113. That being said, if your scorecard didn’t favor Golovkin, you clearly weren’t paying attention.

ADALAIDE BYRD (#ByrdLaw)

Now it’s time to address the elephant in the room, Adalaide Byrd and her appalling scorecard. Byrd scored the bout 118 – 110 for Canelo rewarding him the victory in 10 of the 12 rounds. She is an experienced judge who has officiated over 440 fights prior to this event. Regrettably that experience has been accompanied by it’s fair share of controversy, most notably concerning her scoring of the 2008 Hopkins/Calzaghe bout. If you want to know more about her past, this article (Who is Adalaide Byrd?) can provide more information. Anyone who judges that volume of fights is bound to encounter controversy at some point so I don’t judge her too harshly for her past. Many fans have not been as forgiving and questioned her selection for a fight of this magnitude as soon as the panel was announced. Clearly those fans had great foresight since she produced a scorecard that was completely unacceptable.

I was thrilled to see the Nevada Athletic Commission quickly address this injustice stating they would ask her to take a “small break” from judging major fights. The Executive Director of the commission, Bob Bennett, still defended the veteran judge but had no choice but to request the hiatus after she failed the vision test below.

Hopefully this “small break” will turn into a permanent retirement since a score such as this is both inexplicable and inexcusable. There is no forgiving this large of an error. Time to give someone else a chance who doesn’t have a long history of questionable scoring.

CORRUPTION

From the moment the decision was read, cries of corruption have been echoing from all forms of media. Despite my disappointment in the final result, I do not agree that it is the product of corruption. This isn’t the 1940s when the mob controlled the sport and LaMotta was getting paid to take a dive. Let me tell you why I don’t buy into this.

The Byrd card is the first piece of evidence everyone will point to. This scorecard was so ridiculous that there is no way it could be tainted. If they wanted to fix the fight I’m fairly certain Byrd wouldn’t have been instructed to put out such a bad scorecard causing it to attract a ton of attention, leaving itself open to speculation and scrutiny. She could have easily scored the fight 115 – 113 which would have still been considered controversial but could have easily been explained. If she were on the take, this was the worst execution of a “fix” since Tony tried to shave points in the movie Blue Chips.

People have also claimed that the promoters just want another payday. That they fixed the fight to be a draw so these two fighters can meet again and everyone will continue to get rich. I can understand why people would be skeptical, but the glaring problem with this logic is that Canelo had a rematch clause. If he lost he could and would invoke his right to a rematch which would see everyone involved stuff their wallets once again.

If you think they are trying to protect him for future big money fights against other opponents I understand that theory as well. The problem with this line of thought is that we have already have seen Canelo lose to Floyd and still continue to be one of the biggest draws in the sport. A loss isn’t always a bad thing, just ask Conor McGregor. He fought like a champ against GGG which would only elevate his stock in the eyes of most fans who already respected him for moving up in weight and taking on the bigger man.

Finally this isn’t fixed for the bookies’ or the mob’s benefit. A draw results in the majority of the action on this fight being refunded. This means that anyone in the gambling business does not get to collect the “vig” leading to a loss of almost guaranteed profit. Unless you placed a hefty bet on a draw, no one is making significant coin from this result. Pretty sure the powers involved in gambling would have been thrilled to see a decision for either fighter and collect on that juice.

THE REMATCH

The one good thing to come from this terrible decision will be the rematch. As I stated before, I believe it would have happened regardless of the result due to the contractual rematch clause. Many people have speculated that both fighters will take on other opponents before meeting each other again. Some have even stated that they do not believe a rematch will take place at all. I don’t believe that this is the case. GGG is 35 years old and will want to jump back in the ring for another huge payday ASAP. Canelo is a proud fighter who will want to silence his critics and prove he is the best. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I hope we don’t have to wait too long to see this one again.

Despite the decision, fights like these are what people need to get excited about the sport again. Better judges and more satisfying results would just be the cherry on top. In the end, this fight will be remembered for the epic battle that took place over 36 hard-fought minutes, not the bullshit result.

BONUS KO OF THE WEEK

On another note, here is one of the smoothest KO’s I’ve seen in years from Ryan “Kingry” Garcia. Beautiful timing, precision, and accuracy. The kid only threw 3 punches!!!

11-0 10kos Kingryarmy we are here baby couldn't have done it without my fans love y'all Comment who you want me to fight next #boxing pic.twitter.com/zbnoIXSHjU

— Ryan Garcia – Kingry (@Ryankingry) September 16, 2017