The rivalry between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin (GGG) is one of the most talked about in boxing history. Spanning several years and three intense fights, the Canelo vs. GGG saga has captivated fans with its drama, skill, and controversial decisions. This article delves into the complete history of this epic trilogy.
The Fighters
Before diving into the fights, let's take a look at the profiles of the two warriors:
| Fighter | Nationality | Born | Height | Reach | Total Fights | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canelo Alvarez | Mexican | July 18, 1990 | 5' 8" | 70" | 61 | 57-2-2 (39 KOs) |
| Gennadiy Golovkin | Kazakh | April 8, 1982 | 5' 10" | 70" | 44 | 42-1-1 (37 KOs) |
The First Encounter: Canelo vs. GGG 1 (September 16, 2017)
The first fight took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 16, 2017. Alvarez entered with a record of 49-1-1, his only loss being to Floyd Mayweather Jr., and GGG was undefeated through 37 bouts. Golovkin was defending his WBA, WBF, IBF, and WBO middleweight titles.
The fight lived up to the hype as both went toe-to-toe in a slugfest for all 12 rounds. It was a more tactical fight than expected, but still hard-hitting. Golovkin took control of the fight in the middle rounds, but Alvarez closed the show strong. Still Golovkin outlanded Alvarez in 10 of the 12 rounds and held a 218 to 169 advantage on punches landed on CompuBox.
Ringside judges would rule it a split draw, prompting immediate calls for a rematch. The result of the fight was a draw with Dave Moretti scoring it 115-113 in favor of Golovkin, Don Trella scoring it a 114-114 draw and Adalaide Byrd scoring it 118-110 for Alvarez.
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Byrd’s scorecard was widely mocked as she gave Golovkin just the fourth and seventh rounds. All three judges gave Alvarez the first two rounds and final three rounds. Moretti scored rounds 3-9 for Golovkin and Trella had round 3-6, 8 and 9 for Golovkin. The fight did great business with a 1.3 million PPV buys and $110 million in revenue. Alvarez got $5 million guaranteed and a 70 percent split of the PPV sales. GGG got $3 million up front and 30 percent split of the PPV.
ESPN and HBO’s Harold Lederman scored the fight 116-112 for Golovkin. The Associated Press had it as a 114-114 draw. Byrd’s scorecard was considered more proof that Alavrez gets favored by certain judges with many pointing to C.J. Ross giving Alvarez a 114-114 draw against Floyd Mayweather in a fight that Mayweather clearly dominated. Byrd continues to judge fights, but is rarely used for anything significant.
Canelo vs GGG 1 | Fight Highlights
The Rematch: Canelo vs. GGG 2 (September 15, 2018)
After the draw, an immediate rematch was scheduled for May 2018, but it was put on hold when Alvarez tested positive twice for clenbuterol, forcing a six-month suspension retroactive to February 17. Almost exactly one year later that happened.
The rematch was finally scheduled for September 15, 2018. In yet another classic, Alvarez and Golovkin proved why they were still at the top of their games. Canelo started out more aggressive than the first fight but GGG didn’t hold back either.
The second fight was more indicative of what we had come to expect from Alvarez. He was more aggressive and threw hard shots to the body. Golovkin worked his jab a lot more and outlanded Canelo 234-202 because of it.
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Despite outlanding his opponent in eight of the 12 rounds, Golovkin fell on the scorecards in a close majority decision. Judge Glenn Feldman scored the fight a 114-114 draw. Moretti and Steve Weisfeld scored the fight 115-113 for Alvarez giving him a split decision. Both judges gave Alvarez the final round.
Opinions were mixed again with the slight majority of boxing media favoring Golovkin, but the judging was much better received. The rematch drew well, generating $120 million in revenue with 1.1 million PPV buys. Both fighters received $5 million in guaranteed purse with Alvarez getting 55 percent of the PPV split.
Canelo vs GGG 1 | Fight Highlights
The Trilogy: Canelo vs. GGG 3 (September 17, 2022)
The third fight comes five years and a day after their first fight and four years and two days after their rematch. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennadiy Golokin will fight for the third time this Saturday, September 17 at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip for the unified super middleweight championship. Alvarez (57-2-2) will be defending his WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring title in the 168-pound (super middleweight) weight class. Golovkin (42-1-1) is moving up from the middleweight division where he holds the WBA, IBF, and IBO titles.
In the four years since their last fight, Alvarez has won titles in two more weight classes, but is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Dmitry Bivol in a fight for the WBA “super” light heavyweight title. Golovkin has been less active, but has won all four fights leading into Saturday and claimed three middleweight titles.
On the fight night, Álvarez defeated Golovkin via unanimous decision with the scores of 115-113 (twice) and 116-112. Canelo Alvarez defeated Gennadiy Golovkin via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to remain undisputed super middleweight champion. The win seemingly closes the book on one of the great rivalries in boxing history, a trilogy that saw Alvarez with a 2-0-1 edge.
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The fight proved to be the most lopsided as well as tactical in their rivalry with Canelo easily controlling most of the rounds. The Mexican superstar dominated from the opening bell, landing the more total punches and more significant punches throughout 12 rounds. Golovkin was too cautious early and did not show much aggression until the ninth round. By that point he was down too big and needed a finish to take the fight.
After the win, Alvarez praised his foe for three great fights. “Thank you so much my friend. Thank you for everything. We gave the fans three good fights.”
Canelo vs GGG 1 | Fight Highlights
Full Fight Card Results
- Canelo Alvarez defeats Gennadiy Golovkin via unanimous decision
- Jesse Rodriguez defeats Israel Gonzalez via unanimous decision
- Ali Akhmedov defeats Gabriel Rosado via unanimous decision
- Austin Williams defeats Kieron Conway via unanimous decision
- Diego Pacheco defeats Enrique Collazo via fifth-round TKO
- Marc Castro defeats Kevin Montiel via fifth-round KO
- Aaron Apone vs. Fernando Molina ends in draw
- Anthony Herrera defeats Delvin McKinley via TKO