A critical look at the past week in boxing
OKAY
The “good thing” that came out of the third fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin on Saturday is that it’s over.
Triple-G, 40, looked his age for two-thirds of the fight and 39 for the final third. Alvarez faded down the stretch of a fight he never really wanted, complaining after he aggravated a painful wrist injury that will require surgery.
The result was painful to watch.
The first seven or eight rounds weren’t even remotely competitive, as Alvarez pushed the action and the industrious Golovkin focused on avoiding punishment rather than dishing it out. He threw almost nothing but inaccurate punches.
It was as if Golovkin, who had pushed his rival to the limit in his previous two fights, did not belong in the ring with him at this stage of the game.
Johnathan Banks, Golovkin’s trainer, clearly frustrated, said in a ringside interview during Round 8 that his man needed to get to work. The fact is that he didn’t show up for work for most of the fight.
Triple-G began to fight back in the eighth or ninth round, making the fight competitive from then on. He claimed that the late start was his strategy, perhaps because he no longer has the stamina to fight hard for 12 rounds.
That effort didn’t save Golovkin or the fight.
The rally (if that is what it was) was too little, too late, as he lost a unanimous decision by scores (116-112, 115-113, and 115-113) that were ridiculously generous to the underdog. (See “worst” below).
And a few competitive rounds don’t turn a horrible fight into a good one, unless you like watching the shell of a great fighter take on an injured opponent who didn’t seem the least bit inspired.
The first two fights between Alvarez and Golovkin were good fights. The third couldn’t have been more forgettable.
BAD
What’s next for Álvarez and Golovkin?
Alvarez said he wants to give his body time to heal, including what he said would be a surgically repaired doll. He will then seek a rematch against Dmitry Bivol, assuming the Russian defeats Gilberto Ramirez in November.
“And I will beat him,” Alvarez said after Saturday’s fight.
I do not think.
Bivol’s unanimous decision victory over Alvarez in May was convincing. He was the bigger and much better fighter that night. And I didn’t see anything in Alvarez’s third fight with Golovkin that would lead me to believe he could beat Bivol in a rematch, though I trust his word on the injury.
I want revenge. Pride. However, I think Alvarez would be smarter when facing smaller opponents than Bivol, guys like David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo. Those fights would be more winnable for Alvarez and better received by the fans.
Who wouldn’t want to see Álvarez vs. Benavidez? That is the most exciting potential matchup for the Mexican.
Álvarez will have plenty of time to consider his options. I hope he puts his pride aside and goes in a fan-friendly direction.
Golovkin?
He made it clear after the fight that he plans to go back down to 160 to defend his middleweight titles, which makes me uncomfortable.
He could still beat Kamil Szeremeta and Ryota Murata, his victims in his previous two fights. But can you imagine him fighting Demetrius Andrade or Jermall Charlo? I do not want to think about that.
The Gennadiy Golovkin who once destroyed everyone in his path is gone. Maybe it’s time to move on.
WORSE
WrestlingNews.com
You could ask this question about too many fights that go far: What were the judges looking at?
I gave Golovkin one of the 12 rounds. I can see giving him two, maybe even three if you give him the benefit of every doubt. But five?
That’s what judges Steve Weisfeld and David Sutherland saw. Both gave Golovkin the first round and four of the last five. Judge Dave Moretti gave the loser four rounds, all in the last seven.
Granted, Golovkin was more competitive in the last third of the fight, but he was still imprecise with his shots, mostly jabs, in those rounds. He was better, but not particularly effective.
Álvarez did not have his best streak either. However, I thought he continued to get the most eye-catching shots.
Consider this: If judges Weisfeld and Sutherland had given Golovkin just one more round, a one-sided, not really competitive fight, it would have been a majority draw. Imagine the ruckus that had occurred.
The end result for me? The official score had to be jarring for disappointed fans because they saw what they saw, a fight dominated by Alvarez that should have been rated as such. They know that the score did not reflect what happened in the ring.
It was as if the judges were going to great lengths to justify a bad matchup. That is not your job.
RABBIT PUNCHES
News item No. 1: Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) and Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) have agreed to terms for a welterweight matchup on Nov. 19, though no one has signed anything. That’s the best possible matchup in boxing, reminiscent of the great 147-pound matchups of the past. I wish Crawford (34) was a little younger, but I’m not complaining. I hope it happens. … News No. 2: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will apparently square off on December 3. It’s a strange matchup given Joshua’s back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, which has damaged his legacy. Why not fight Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship? Because an all-British matchup between Fury and Joshua is bigger than Fury-Usyk in business terms, certainly in the UK it could be the most lucrative fight in UK history despite Joshua’s obvious vulnerabilities. I get it. Fury can fight Usyk later. Who wins the aforementioned fights? Now I’m leaning toward Crawford in a close fight with Spence because he’s the better, more dynamic all-round fighter. And no active heavyweight can beat a fit and focused Fury. …
Boxing can be fun. Junior bantamweight champion Bam Rodiguez (17-0, 11 KOs) destroyed Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and then fought on the Alvarez-Golovkin card against an opponent expected to handle with ease, the four-time title challenger. Israel Gonzalez (28-5 -1, 11 KOs). Rodriguez deserved the unanimous decision win, but he had to work hard to get it. Why? Give Gonzalez credit. The 25-year-old Mexican is a good experienced fighter. And Rodriguez probably suffered a bit of disappointment after his life-changing wins earlier in the year. The 22-year-old from San Antonio deserves credit for getting the job done. And, of course, he is still a candidate for Fighter of the Year. … Super middleweight contender Ali Akhmedov (19-1, 14 KOs) looked terrific in his shutout decision win over veteran Gabriel Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KOs) on the Alvarez-Golovkin undercard. Golovkin’s stablemate outboxed and outworked Rosado, who was never given a chance to do anything. I will always wonder about the light on Akhmedov’s chin from his knockout loss to Carlos Góngora in 2020, but he clearly can fight. Rosado, 36, has now lost his last three fights. The end for the struggling fighter from Philadelphia is near.
Gallery
Photos: Canelo Alvarez beats Gennadiy Golovkin in trilogy finale
