Canelo Alvarez Wins The “Story” Of Rematch with Gennady Golovkin, Takes Middleweight Belt

Saturday night’s showdown was an absolute war.

Canelo-Golovkin II concludes with new belt-holder Alvarez

Anticipated for an entire year, the fight between middleweights Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez  at T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the radioactive, grueling death match between two of the greatest boxers of the modern generation. Going the full twelve rounds, the heavy-hitters dealt kinetically charged missiles to each other, with a total of 202 punches landed for Canelo, and 234 for the previously undefeated Golovkin. Power punches, however, were the tells of the tale in Vegas: a 143-116 edge to Canelo helped to make his case to the judges, while also landing a higher percentage. Golovkin landed 70 power shots in the final six rounds, after only 46 in the first six rounds.

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A momentous finish to the instant-classic was Triple G’s biggest separation from Canelo. After a mundane jab-fest form the former middleweight champion, atypical for his fighting style, Golovkin flipped a switch and delivered a flurry of his feared uppercuts to the fearless Alvarez. Fearless is the keyword here. Canelo, accused by Golovkin of “running” in their 2017 bout, impressed by rooting himself in the middle of the ring, rarely cowering despite the onslaught from Triple G.

But Golovkin almost knocked him out. The ninth round saw what was a blinded fury from the dominant middleweight, thwarting the counterpuncher Canelo with bludgeoning hooks to the kidneys and temples throughout. Canelo looked just about finished but was admirably unrelenting to the world-renowned punches from Golovkin’s right hand. If not to the stamina of Golovkin, this is all a testament to Canelo, a magnificent boxer with a superb chin and a spirit of unwavering gaul. The narrative was written for Canelo’s redemption, as the judge’s hair-thin decision ultimately thrust Canelo into superstardom just as a storybook might have ended.

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After a year marked by a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs and verbal clashes with his opponent, Canelo was able to win the “story of the fight” over Golovkin. The aging Khazakstani middleweight, who won more rounds, landed more punches and was never once close to being knocked out. Canelo’s lateral scurries from Golovkin merited him a draw and a rematch, in which he reinvented himself, fighting “Mexican style”. This won over both judges and fans, finally facing the power-puncher straight on, (something that was expected in last September’s bout) and won the fight because of it.

Golovkin needed a knockout – or at least a knockdown – to win himself the “story.” Winning everything else just wasn’t enough.