Reflections on Golovkin-Canelo

By Boxing News - 09/17/2017 - Comments

Image: Reflections on Golovkin-Canelo

By Navi M: A compelling, tactical encounter between middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Mexican challenger Saul Alvarez was tarnished, many claim, by a triumvirate of bizarre scorecards which culminated in the anticlimactic declaration of a split draw.

Golovkin’s team appeared to be visibly incredulous after inimitable emcee Michael Buffer announced the divergent scorecards of Don Trella (who scored the fight even), Dave Morretti (who scored it to Golovkin by two rounds), and Adelaide Byrd who, according to her scorecard, amazingly believed that Triple-G’s efforts were only sufficient to win two out of twelve rounds in a fight where he appeared to be outworking and effectively pressurizing his opponent throughout the majority of contest.

Despite the cagey opener, which was to be expected in a fight of this magnitude, neither fighter was ostensibly dominant, so to speak, although it seemed that Canelo had managed to secure the first couple of rounds through elusive movement and sharper, crisper punching.

Golovkin however adopted an increasingly aggressive approach as the middle rounds progressed and appeared to be successful for the most part in his strategy of cornering Canelo against the ropes and unleashing some powerful combinations. Canelo, to his credit, covered up well and did not succumb to the devastating effects of Golovkin’s power, even displaying some impressive punch resistance on the occasions where Golovkin did in fact connect cleanly with head shots.

Towards of the end of the fight, Canelo demonstrated his superior hand-speed and defensive skills, landing some destructive shots that Golovkin inexplicably withstood courtesy of his tremendous chin.

The size difference was extremely conspicuous in the ring (although according to the official statistics, Golovkin is only an inch taller than his Mexican counterpart), and it is reasonable to suggest that Canelo understood that he was fighting a bigger, stronger, more powerful fighter and as a result was reluctant to become embroiled in too many exchanges with his dangerous opponent despite being beckoned in repeatedly to do so by the characteristically ferocious Kazakhstani.

Nevertheless, Adelaide Byrd’s astonishing scorecard is not one that even the most vehement Canelo supporter can sympathize with and was therefore roundly booed by most of the assembled spectators (who were overwhelmingly pro-Canelo) at the T-Mobile arena.

Overall, it was a relatively competitive, entertaining affair. Although it wasn’t the toe-to-toe, quintessentially Mexican slugfest that many were hoping for, it was unquestionably a compelling, tactical contest, complemented by some exhilarating action-packed exchanges, that captivated both casual and hardcore boxing fans alike. Ultimately, the general consensus seems to be that Golovkin was the clear, deserved winner in a fight that was closer than many people originally anticipated (myself included).

Regardless of the contentious scoring, Golovkin certainly appeared very human and it is needless to say that at the age of 35 he is in athletic decline. There has been persistent speculation pertaining to his difficulties making the weight which is dubious as it is my opinion that Golovkin is not a super-middleweight; however, pre-fight rumors of him sustaining a minor injury where validated somewhat by a video showing the champion seemingly limping into the venue. Whether this apparent niggle significantly affected his in-ring mobility (and as a result his performance) remains open to discussion.

A good fight marred by a series of baffling scorecards that were extremely unfair on Golovkin leaves fans unsure as to the contractual stipulations pertaining to a rematch. Personally, I would like to see Golovkin realize his long-held aspiration of becoming undisputed middleweight champion by fighting Billy Joe-Saunders in December and adding the less prestigious WBO title to his impressive collection of championships. How realistic a unification option is, following the outcome of this super fight, remains to be seen.