Golovkin and Canelo draw in brutal middleweight title fight
Gennady Golovkin and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fought out a draw in a stunning middleweight title fight in Las Vegas.
Gennady Golovkin and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fought out an incredible draw in their slugfest for the middleweight titles in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Golovkin, defending his WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight crowns, appeared to have edged the bout at T-Mobile Arena.
However, a judge scored it 115-113 in Golovkin's favour, another 118-110 to Canelo and a third 114-114.
The result ended Golovkin's winning streak at 37 – but he remains unbeaten – after a thrilling slugfest, and a rematch appears almost certain.
Golovkin was the dictator throughout against Canelo (49-1-2), who appeared to get desperate in the closing stages.
Both men were cautious in trading the opening rounds, but they opened up at the start of the third.
That round went to Canelo, who appeared to be landing more than his opponent, but Golovkin – who was dictating – started to take control.
Golovkin pushed a defensive Canelo against the ropes, the fight coming to life in the fifth as the Kazakh landed a flurry of punches.
While Golovkin remained in control, the ninth round was brutal as both fighters landed big blows, a counter right by Canelo finding its target – but seemingly doing little damage.
The wild battle continued into the 10th, perhaps edged by Canelo, but Golovkin remained the aggressor despite a desperate flurry from the Mexican in the 12th.