Combat sports reporter Manouk Akopyan delivers round-by-round analysis of Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez’s trilogy finale win over Gennadiy Golovkin Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The first fight between Álvarez and Golovkin in 2017 ended in a controversial split draw. Álvarez escaped with a majority decision win in the 2018 rematch. Both boxers believe they each won the first two bouts. They promised a definitive finish to punctuate their bitter rivalry, but Álvarez largely controlled the bout.
Canelo Álvarez defeats Gennadiy Golovkin and thanks him ‘for three great fights’
LAS VEGAS — Canelo Álvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, rivals for a half-decade atop the boxing world, dropped their gloves once the final bell sounded Saturday. They embraced in the center of the ring at T-Mobile Arena. They exchanged words. Golovkin kissed Álvarez on the cheek.
The animosity between the fighters, after squaring up for 36 rounds since 2017, abruptly had vanished.
“I told him, ‘Thank you for everything,’” Álvarez said in Spanish, “because we gave the fans three great fights.”
Álvarez, 32, wore a gold crown and a smile. He had Golovkin wait four years, until after the Kazakh’s 40th birthday, to complete their trilogy and he ended it with a convincing, unanimous-decision victory to remain the undisputed super-middleweight champion despite fighting with a broken left hand that he said will require surgery.
Judges score Canelo Álvarez as clear winner
The trilogy has come to a close — Canelo Álvarez scores a unanimous decision win over Gennadiy Golovkin with scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
Round 12: Golovkin tries to rally, but it likely isn’t enough
Round 12: After cruising through the first seven rounds, Golovkin continues to show the sense of urgency required to close the fight in style to pull off the upset. He needs a KO to deliver a stunner, but with each second that goes by, it becomes obvious it won’t be in the cards. Golovkin came on strong to finish the fight … but it just wasn’t enough. We go to the cards to get the official ruling.
Round 11: Golovkin tries to mount late rally
Round 11: Golovkin clearly knows he’s behind on the scorecards and desperately tries to kickstart his offense with several combinations. At 40, however, the proposition is a tall task. Canelo Álvarez uses his speed to dodge most of the barrage. Three minutes to go until the bitter rivalry reaches its conclusion.
Round 10: Golovkin lands more punches, Canelo gets cut over right eye
Round 10: The tit-for-tat battle picks up a bit more, as Golovkin is still able to fire off his pistol-like jab. The action begins to resemble the first two fights — even if it is a diet version.
A clash of heads occurs in the final seconds of the round. Referee Russell Mora rules it an accidental headbutt. Canelo’s face is starting to redden, and he has a cut over his right eye.
Round 9: Golovkin delivers his best round
Round 9: Golovkin uses the momentum from round eight to rock Canelo Álvarez several times with right hands. We have a fight all of a sudden!
GGG’s confidence is clearly alive — even though he ate uppercuts and right hands for his efforts. He has the best sequences of the fight and finally wins a round.
The big drama event is showing signs of life.
Round 8: Golovkin finally shows signs of life
Round 8: Did Golovkin just wake up? The action finally picks up and Golovkin forces the issue and lets his hands go. He has his best round of the fight and lands with mean intentions a handful of times. It’s a close round that you could make the argument Golovin won. But Canelo Álvarez is too quick with his counters and combinations. He does not appear to be in any danger.
Round 7: Canelo Álvarez continues to dominate
Round 7: Barring a knockout or a string of unforeseen knockdowns, there shouldn’t be a judging controversy in this one. Canelo Álvarez is increasingly distancing himself from all of the doubts from the first two fights — but it’s coming four years too late.
He wins the round again, albeit in unremarkable fashion. The flare and sizzle from the first two fights simply aren’t there.
Round 6: Golovkin deliver late punches, but they lack power
Round 6: Canelo Álvarez has outlanded Golovkin 25 to 11 in power punches through five rounds. Clearly a determined fighter after suffering his second career loss in May, Álvarez has been a hawk in the fight so far. Golovkin starts to muster offense with an uppercut in the final minute of the round.
But the debilitating jab he’s been famous for throughout his middleweight reign is nowhere to be found. If the first two fights had seesaw action, this has been a one-way swing so far. Álvarez again wins the round.
Round 5: Canelo Álvarez continues to control the bout
Round 5: As Golvkin’s face increasingly reddens, Canelo Álvarez starts attacking the body. Then toward the end of the round, he connects with a resounding right hand and left hook combination that shakes Golovkin — the best sequence so far from Álvarez in the fight.
It’s open season for Canelo so far. He is doing anything that he wants. You have to start wondering what is exactly is Golovkin’s gameplan. There really isn’t anything there. A shutout so far through five.
Round 4: Golovkin begins to press, but Canelo continues to bring more energy
Round 4: Canelo Álvarez is patiently marching forward and unleashing jabs and right hands. Halfway through the round, GGG begins to press the action a bit more, but there is no substantial offense.
Canelo notices the change of temp and counters with a big right hand that makes Golovkin reconsider plans. GGG fails to land anything of consequence, yet again. The fight is one-third complete and the drama is lacking so far.
Round 3: Canelo’s blows start to make an impact
Round 3: Canelo’s crushing left jab is beginning to make a mark on Golovkin’s forehead. Red hues begin to cover the Kazakh KO artist’s face. Canelo’s activity is simply stalling any offensive attack Golovkin had in mind. Golovkin’s animosity that had bubbled over the last four years simply is not on display so far. Surely age and deteriorating skills has something to due with that. Canelo is cruising through the first three rounds so far.
Round 2: Canelo Álvarez remains more active, but isn’t causing much damage
Round 2: Canelo lands a looping left hook 20 seconds into the round, which ends up being the best punch of the fight. Neither fighter is targeting the body. The head hunting continues from both sides as they trade jabs. The 40-year-old Golovkin is starting off slow, much like he did in has last fight in April. He’s not getting severely touched, however. Canelo is more active, even though he is missing most of his attack. Another close round, but Canelo Álvarez is simply the more active fighter so far.
Round 1: Canelo Álvarez is the early aggressor
Round 1: The trilogy finale four years in the making is finally underway! Ten seconds pass before the first punch is thrown which is a Gennadiy Golovkin jab that misses. The first minute of the fight is a tense one.
It’s round 25 between the two, but they are still taking a wait-and-see approach. GGG is more tentative than Canelo Álvarez.
Canelo unleashes a lopping right hand that barely connects. Canelo is the aggressor who is marching forward picking and choosing one punch at a time. Not much action, however. A calculated first round comes to a close, with Canelo doing just more to edge it.
A look at Canelo Álvarez’s entrance
Canelo Álvarez enters the ring accompanied by Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández.
Jesse Rodriguez outlasts Israel Gonzalez to defend 115-pound WBC title
The youngest world champion in boxing proved yet again he has poise of a much more seasoned fighter.
Breakout star Jesse Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs) leveraged his newfound marquee stage as a co-main event attraction during one of the biggest fights of the year to score a unanimous decision against Israel Gonzalez (28-5-1, 11 KOs).
“Bam” Rodriguez used his speed and fleet feet to display a high level of boxing to outlast the experienced Gonzalez, receiving scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 114-113 from the judges.
Rodriguez, 22, defended the WBC super flyweight title the southpaw won earlier this year for the second time. Gonzalez gave Rodriguez everything he could handle in the seesaw, mostly even affair.
CompuBox had Rodriguez landing 288 out of 812 punches to Gonzalez’s 200 of 766. Rodriguez used a deft jab for most of the fight to keep Gonzalez at bay.
Rodriguez improved to 3-0 this year. He previously knocked out a pair of former world champions, Carlos Cuadras in February and former pound-for-pound stalwart Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in June.
Rodriguez is based in San Antonio and coached by Los Angeles native and former world titlist Robert Garcia.
The 25-year-old Gonzalez was no stranger to the big stage, as he was challenging for a world title for the fourth time. His previous losses were to Roman Gonzalez, Khalid Yafa, and Jerwin Ancajas.
Golovkin understudy, Kazakh countryman Ali Akhmedov defeats Gabriel Rosado
Ali Akhmedov used his skills, size, speed and nine-year age advantage to pitch a shutout against rough and rugged contender Gabriel Rosado for a one-sided unanimous decision win.
Akhmedov was awarded scores of 100-90 from all three judges in their 10-round, super middleweight scrap.
Akhmedov (19-1, 14 KOs) — a countryman and training partner of Kazakh KO artist Gennadiy Golovkin — easily handled the one-time Triple G challenger Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KOs, 1 NC), who was knocked out by Golovkin in 2013.
Rosado never offered a scare to Akhmedov, but he proved to have plenty of resistance, absorbing a barrage of combinations and one-way traffic. Akhmedov outlanded Rosado in every round, ending the night with a 179-78 advantage.
Akhmedov, who’s also trained by Golovkin coach Johnathon Banks, sparred with GGG extensively throughout camp as they prepared for their respective bouts.
The 27-year-old, Los Angeles-based Akhmedov’s lone career loss came to Carlos Gongora in 2020 via a 12th-round knockout.
The Freddie Roach-trained Rosado lost for the third-straight fight after shocking 2016 Uzbek silver medalist Bektemir Melikuziev last year with a one-punch knockout.
Canelo Álvarez’s countrymen help star celebrate Mexican independence day weekend
Canelo Álvarez will celebrate Mexican independence day weekend by having countryman Alejandro Fernández usher him into the ring with a performance on Saturday night.
Mexican artists ACZINO and Jay De La Cueva performed before Álvarez weighed in on Friday.
Here’s how Álvarez entered the ring in his last fight against Dmitry Bivol.
Austin Williams drops Kieron Conway, earns unanimous decision win
Houston-based prospect Austin “Ammo” Williams (12-0, 9 KOs) methodically broke down and bloodied a game Kieron Conway (18-3-1, 4 KOs) to score a ninth-round knockdown and a 10-round unanimous decision win in a middleweight bout to kick off the pay-per-view portion of the show.
The determined Conway was profusely bleeding around his nose and mouth area when the southpaw Williams landed a leaping right uppercut to drop him.
Judges awarded Williams scores of 97-92, 97-92 and 96-93.
Conway gave Williams everything he could handle in a test for the 26-year-old. Williams barely edged Conway in total punches landed, 95 to 87.
Williams fought until the 10th round for the first time in his career. His previous high was eight rounds.
Experts predict the winner of Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III
Will Canelo Álvarez earn a decisive win over Gennadiy Golovkin III or will his nemesis close their trilogy series with a victory?
Boxing experts share their predictions:
“Here’s the thing about trilogies in boxing. They’re awesome, because of how unpredictable they can be. I do wonder about that here, in the latest installment of Canelo-GGG. Much has been made about Canelo’s loss to Dmitry Bivol. To me, it’s tough to project that here, beyond the fact he took a beating. It’s possible Bivol was simply too big. Much has also been made about GGG’s last win, and, while I thought he moved a little slower than normal, his thudding shots sent a message, too. I’d imagine that both will be in play on Saturday, and I think the fight will be close, perhaps more like the first installment. But I think that trilogies — and their odd nature — could play a factor, too. To that end, I’m picking Golovkin by 11th round knockout. Is that crazy? Maybe. Probably. But trilogies always are.”
— Greg Bishop, Sports Illustrated senior writer
“If I were betting, I would take Golovkin by decision at +700. Canelo is just too big of a favorite to lay that kind of money on, but he’s younger, still in his prime and I believe he’s better than he was in 2018 when he won their second fight. I believe his counter punching will be the difference in a more clear victory for him. Álvarez by decision.”
— Kevin Iole, Yahoo Sports boxing and MMA columnist
California’s Diego Pacheco, Marc Castro victorious during Alvarez vs. Golovkin undercard
Preliminary action kicked off for the Canelo Álvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin trilogy fight with a showcase of several boxing prospects.
The Los Angeles born and bred Diego Pacheco (16-0, 13 KOs) headlined the pre-pay per-view portion of the show by scoring a fifth-round technical knockout win against Enrique Collazo (16-3-1, 11 KOs).
The 21-year-old rising super middleweight upstart Pacheco — an eight-time amateur national champion — knocked down Collazo with a looping right hand in the fifth round. Collazo shook off the cobwebs and got back up, but Pacheco unleashed a combination of punches until referee Celestino Ruiz stepped in at the 2:29 mark to end the fight.
In other action, Fresno-based boxing phenom Marc Castro (8-0, 6 KOs) viciously knocked out Kevin Montiel Mendoza (6-2-2, 3 KOs) with a right-hand uppercut in the fifth round.
Referee Tony Weeks immediately waved off the lightweight fight at the 1:40 mark of the round. The 23-year-old Castro was controlling the fight from the onset, and Mendoza appeared to be getting weary as the eight-round scheduled fight went on.
The fight marked the fifth time the 17-time amateur national champion and two-time amateur world champion Castro has fought on an Álvarez undercard.
In a battle between unbeaten junior welterweight prospects, Aaron Aponte (6-0-1, 2 KOs) and Fernando Molina (8-0-1, 3 KOs) traded knockdowns but neither suffered a defeat, fighting for eight rounds to a split draw.
The Canelo Álvarez -promoted Molina knocked down Aponte in the fifth round and closed the show strong, but the 20-year-old Mexican didn’t do enough in the eyes of the judges to land the clear victory.
Aponte also dropped Molina in the second round, but he appeared to fade in the second half of the fight.
One judge had it 76-74 for Aponte, while another had it 76-74 for Molina. A third judge had it 75-75.
To kick off the night of fights, Anthony Herrera (3-0-1, 2 KOs) scored a technical decision win over Delvin McKinley (4-4-1, 4 KOs).
The six-round junior flyweight fight came to a halt 19 seconds into the final round due to a clash of heads. The 21-year-old Los Angeles-bred Herrera was ahead on all three scorecards 50-45 at the time of the stoppage.
Tale of the tape between Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III
Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez
Age: 32 (July 18, 1990)
Hometown: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Residence: San Diego
Record: 57-2-2, 39 KOs
Nickname: Canelo
World championship fights: 18-2-1, 11 KOs
Championships: Super welterweight (154 pounds), Middleweight (160 pounds), Super Middleweight (168 pounds), Light Heavyweight (175 pounds)
Total rounds fought: 448
Knockout Ratio: 63%
Height: 5-foot-8
Reach: 70.5 inches
Weight: 167.4 pounds
Stance: Right-handed
Manager / Trainer: Eddy Reynoso
Turned Professional: 2005
Notable wins: Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Rocky Fielding, Gennady Golovkin (one draw as well), Julio César Chávez Jr., Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Erislandy Lara, Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout, Josesito López, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintrón and Matthew Hatton.
Notable losses: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol
Gennadiy Golovkin
Age: 40 (April 8, 1982)
Hometown: Los Angeles
Residence: Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Record: 42-1-1, 37 KOs
Nickname: Triple G
World championship fights: 22-1-1, 20 KOs
Championships: Two-time unified middleweight titlist (2010 to 2018; 2019 to current); 2004 Olympics silver medalist
Total rounds fought: 228
Knockout Ratio: 84%
Height: 5-foot-10 ½ inches
Reach: 70 inches
Weight: 167.8 pounds
Stance: Right-handed
Trainer: Johnathon Banks
Turned Professional: 2006
Notable wins: Daniel Jacobs, Kell Brook, David Lemieux, Martin Murray, Ryota Murata, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Gabriel Rosado
Notable loss: Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III PPV undercard
The pay-per-view portion of an eight-fight program will be headlined by the trilogy tilt between Canelo Álvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin and begins at 5 p.m. PDT.
The co-main event features 2022 breakout star Jesse Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs), who is defending his WBC super flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez (28-4-1, 11 KOs).
A 22-year-old from San Antonio, “Bam Bam” Rodriguez is a southpaw slugger coming off a destructive eight-round knockout against one-time pound-for-pound stalwart Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
In other action, Golovkin countryman and Kazak KO artist Ali Akhmedov (18-1, 14 KOs) will take on former Triple G challenger Gabriel Rosado (26-15-1, 15 KOs, 1 NC) in a 10-round super middleweight bout.
Touted prospect Austin “Ammo” Williams (11-0, 9 KOs) will kick off the pay-per-view event by taking on Kieron Conway (18-2-1, 4 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight bout.
Preliminary bouts begin at 1:45 p.m. PDT and will feature the following fights:
- Diego Pacheco (15-0, 12 KOs) vs. Enrique Collazo (16-2-1, 11 KOs), 10 rounds, super middleweights.
- Marc Castro (7-0, 5 KOs) vs. Kevin Montiel Mendoza (6-1-2, 3 KOs), 8 rounds, lightweights.
- Aaron Aponte (6-0, 2 KOs) vs. Fernando Molina (8-0, 3 KOs), 8 rounds, junior welterweights.
- Anthony Herrera (2-0-1, 2 KOs) vs. Delvin McKinley (4-3-1, 4 KOs), 6 rounds, junior flyweights.
Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III betting odds
Sportsbooks have little qualms or concerns that the four-division champion Canelo Álvarez is coming off the second loss of his decorated career.
Álvarez was a -500 favorite entering his May fight against Dmitry Bivol — an eventual unanimous decision defeat — and he’s again a consensus betting favorite heading into his trilogy fight against Gennadiy Golovkin, clocking in at the neighborhood of -500, depending on the sportsbook. Triple G is listed as a +380 betting underdog.
This will mark the first time Álvarez is a betting favorite against his archrival.
During their first fight in 2017, which ended in a split draw, Golovkin was nearly a -150 betting favorite, while Álvarez was nearly a +130 underdog.
During the 2018 rematch, a majority decision win for Álvarez, Golovkin was a -155 favorite heading into the fight, while Álvarez was a +125 underdog.
How to watch Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III
Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez’s fight against Gennadiy Golovkin can be streamed on DAZN pay-per-view. You need either a $19.99 monthly subscription or a $149.99 yearly subscription to DAZN to have the ability to purchase the fight for an extra $64.99.
The pay-per-view portion of the event begins at 5 p.m. PDT. Preliminary bouts are scheduled to start at 1:45 p.m.
PPV.com is also carrying the event for $84.99. The event can also be purchased for $84.99 through cable and satellite operators in the United States.
DAZN has also partnered with Barstool Sports to provide an alternative broadcast.
Tickets are still available to attend the trilogy tilt in person at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Joe Hand Promotions has a complete list of bars and restaurants that will be carrying the fight across the country.
Fathom Events will be screening the PPV portion of the event in movie theaters across select markets in the United States.
Canelo Álvarez says his fight against Gennadiy Golovkin is important for his legacy
LAS VEGAS — The horde snaked through MGM Grand on Wednesday in matching white hats.
“MEX” was spelled out on the crown in green, white and red. Canelo Álvarez’s personal logo was on one side. A motto was stitched in red on the other: “Legacy is Earned.”
The messaging from Álvarez and his team was precise. Álvarez, a world champion boxer in four weight classes, cares about his legacy, about how he will be remembered among Mexican boxing legends. In his estimation, a win over Gennadiy Golovkin in their trilogy’s finale at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, will further solidify his legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
“This fight is important for my legacy,” Álvarez said. “I need to win this fight very convincingly.”
For others, the bout, no matter the result, has already tarnished it.
It has been four years since Álvarez and Golovkin last fought. Álvarez won a majority-decision in 2018, giving Golovkin his first career defeat, as the aggressor. The strategy was in stark contrast to his more passive approach a year earlier in the first meeting, which ended in a controversial draw.