Gennadiy Golovkin on Canelo Alvarez: “I WON both fights”

By Boxing News - 02/17/2022 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: Gennadiy Golovkin believes he deserved to win both of his fights against the superstar Canelo Alvarez in 2017 and 2018, and he admits to being bitter about the experience.

Golovkin says some people were “delusional” believing Canelo won or deserved a draw, and felt it was a “fraud.”

After four years, Golovkin, 39, may finally get the opportunity to right the wrongs against Canelo in a trilogy match that potentially takes place in September.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has offered Canelo a two-fight deal, and he reportedly is interested in accepting it over the $100 million deal made by PBC for him to face Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez.

For Golovkin to get the Canelo trilogy match, he’ll still need to defeat WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs) in early April in a unification fight pegged for Japan.

As long as GGG wins that fight, he’ll likely be facing Canelo on September 17th in the trilogy match that boxing fans have been waiting for since their controversial 2018 rematch.

If Golovkin gets his long-awaited trilogy match with Canelo, hopefully, it takes place somewhere outside of Nevada. That’s where both of Golovkin’s two previous fights with Canelo took place.

Golovkin says it was “fraud”

“I have the opinion that I won both fights. But some people are comfortable being delusional,” said Gennadiy Golovkin to Walking The Floor on his two fights with Canelo Alvarez.

“Whether it soured me a bit? Yes. To see people were able to get away with this fraud, you think, ‘Really? This is how it works?'” said Golovkin.

In the last four years, the memories of boxing fans seem to have gotten worse, as many of them now believe that Canelo deserved to win BOTH fights, not just the second won, which is crazy because he did virtually nothing in the first fight.

For the judges to give Canelo a 12 round decision in that fight without him scoring a knockdown, was troubling.

Interestingly, both fights with Canelo took place at the same venue at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, there were some fans wondering why the organizers of the event chose to bring it back to the same place after the controversy over the first fight.

Image: Gennadiy Golovkin on Canelo Alvarez: "I WON both fights"

Canelo did better in second fight with Golovkin on September 15th, 2018, but he ran out of gas after six rounds and was eating jabs the entire second half.

Golovkin appeared to win the last six rounds with ease and arguably should have been given a draw if not a win.

It’s common knowledge among boxing fans that saw both Canelo-Golovkin fights that Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) deserved the victory in their first fight on September 16, 2017.

Golovkin dominated Canelo in fight 1

The three judges working the fight that night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada felt that Canelo had done enough to rate a draw. The boxing world largely saw Golovkin winning eight rounds to four (116-112).

This writer had Golovkin winning 116-112, as he had Canelo on the run, eating jabs the entire night, and unable to land his counters because was getting jabbed nonstop.

The scores were:

  • 118-110 [Adalaide Byrd] – Canelo
  • 115-113 – [Dave Morretti] Golovkin
  • 114-114 [Don Trella] – Event

Given questionable outcomes of both Canelo-Golovkin fights, you can argue there should be asterisks next to both of the matches in the record books.

You have to assume that Canelo and his trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso will choose to stage the third fight with Golovkin in Las Vegas if the match happens.

With the success they have fighting Golovkin in that city, why would they want to mess with it by placing it in California, New York, or Texas?

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