Golovkin retains titles in thrilling draw with Alvarez

Gennady Golovkin retained his three world titles Saturday, fighting to a draw with Mexican star Canelo Alvarez in a showdown for middleweight supremacy that lived up the hype. The 35-year-old Golovkin, making his Las Vegas debut, kept hold of the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation belts in front of a crowd of 22,358 at the T-Mobile Arena.
Judge Dave Moretti scored the tense battle 114-114. Dan Trella saw it 115-113 for Golovkin but Adalaide Byrd had it one-sided, 118-110, for Alvarez. Byrd's lopsided score didn't reflect the explosive drama of a bout in which Golovkin moved forward aggressively while challenger Alvarez was the counter-puncher with sometimes faster hands.
"This was a real drama show," Golovkin said. "I want to thank all my fans for supporting me. "Of course I want the rematch. This was a real fight." Asked if he thought he won, Golovkin said, "Look I still have the belts and I am still the champion." The baby-faced champ from Kazakhstan with the steel jaw is considered one of the fittest athletes in boxing, but Alvarez was also well-prepared for the 160-pound fight which both needed to validate their places in history.
"This is one of the best fights we have seen in recent years," said promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Asked if he wanted a rematch Alvarez said, "Absolutely. If the fans want to see it again, why not?" Despite the draw this was Alvarez's coming out party in the higher weight class as he delivered a performance that established himself as a bona-fide middleweight. He had won seven straight fights since losing his only fight to Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
"He has a different power than others I have faced," Alvarez said of Golovkin. "But he is not the monster everybody is talking about. I didn't feel that." Alvarez, who is eight years younger than Golovkin, is entering his prime and will certainly move up on the pound-for-pound list. "We used the ring. We used the ropes and we fought in the centre of ring. We did exactly what we prepared for," he said. Golovkin won most of the early rounds but then got hammered a few times with Alvarez's uppercuts and right hands and seemed to be the more tired of the two near the end.