Canelo-Golovkin trilogy ends in unmemorable fashion.
The Canelo-GGG rivalry came to a culmination Saturday night, with the Mexican star edging out his nemesis via unanimous decision. Dave Moretti scored it 116–112 while Steve Weisfeld and David Sutherland scored the bout 115–113. It was a very forgettable third fight, and paled in comparison to the action of their first two wars. Here is what we learned.
Trilogy doesn’t end debate
The trilogy has ended, yet debates about who was the better boxer amongst the two will continue. The trilogy delivered 2 controversial fights and one dud. The first encounter was marred by Adalaide Byrd’s egregious scorecard of 118–110 favouring Canelo, which stole GGG of his signature win and crowning achievement. Roughly 90% of media scorecards had GGG winning the fight, with another 8% scoring it a draw and only 2% giving Canelo the edge. The numbers said it all. GGG out landed Canelo 218–169, and in 10 of the 12 rounds. It was not close. The second fight, which happened a year later due to Canelo testing positive for Clenbuterol, showed to be a bit more competitive yet with controversy again. Canelo took the pressure to GGG early, perhaps earning himself more praise from the judges and boxing community. But by round 6, it was evident Golovkin was just the better man. The judges saw it differently, giving Canelo a razor thin majority decision. Golovkin once again out landed Canelo, this time 234–202, and in 8 of the 12 rounds. Most media had it as a close unanimous decision for Golovkin, with very few picking Canelo as the winner. Finally, the third fight, which proved to be uncontroversial and, to the previous standards, a very boring affair. Golovkin, 4 years removed from the second bout, no longer has the same output nor ability. Canelo won, but failed to deliver an emphatic knockout win as he suggested, instead labouring to a decisive yet close fight. It was a fight he was expected to win yet, being in his prime. He finally was able to outland Golovkin, edging him 130–120 in total punches landed, a far cry from the previous 2 wars. He out landed him in 9 of the 12 rounds. So what does this all mean? In 36 rounds stretched out in 5 years, Golovkin out landed Canelo 572–501, and in 21 of the 36 rounds. The trilogy ends officially showing Canelo being 2–1–0 against Golovkin, a flattering record. Many would argue it is the other way around with Golovkin edging him 2–0–1. Personally, I feel 1–1–1 at worst would've done the trilogy and Golovkin’s legacy justice. He was to me, the better boxer in the majority of those 36 rounds, and the data and analytics prove it.
Golovkin has hit the end of his legendary Career
Father time is undefeated they say, and his relationship with Gennady Golovkin is evidence. Golovkin looked like a former shell of the “Middleweight Monster” who reigned the 160lb division for 20 consecutive title defences. Perhaps the move to 168 did not go as planned physically, because Golovkin was far less mobile, noticeably less precise and did not have enough output. Take, for example, The 2nd fight between Canelo-GGG. In that fight, GGG threw 879 total punches at a 26.6% connect rate. Saturday, he threw a paltry 521, landing only 23%, and averaging roughly 39 punches through the first 7 rounds in which one could make the case he lost all. GGG did pick up the pace in the final 5 rounds, upping his work rate to 49 punches per round, but it was a little too late. After the fight, Golovkin claimed that the reason for his slow start was a tactical error on his behalf. Perhaps, but another reason could be that he simply was too timid to throw in fear of the counter-punching coming his way from Canelo. Regardless of the why, Golovkin’s decline was already on display in the Murata fight, and Saturday was just a confirmation that he is no longer the tour de force he used to be.
Canelo is on the decline, stamina an issue
Canelo Alvarez has been fighting since the age of 15, and with 62 professional fights to his name, his decline is starting to become noticeable even at the age of 32. Saturday, the Mexican’s output was lackluster, as it has been dating back to his move to 168. While he is lauded for his defense, it’s his lack of output and stamina, especially in his last two fights, that should be of huge concern moving forward. He gassed out once again in the 2nd half vs Golovkin as in their first 2 fights and just like earlier this year vs Bivol. Perhaps his utilization and dependence on power punches combined with the extra weight are putting him at a disadvantage, but he has to figure the issue out and figure it out fast if he is to continue winning at 168 or 175, where the top fighters such as Beterbiev, Bivol and Benavidez have no such issues, are naturally larger and whose output and precision dwarfs that of Canelo’s.
Where do both fighters go next?
For GGG, he is nearing the end(if he hasn’t reached it) of his legendary destructive career. He claims he wants to return to 160 to defend his belts, but after how he looked Saturday, I'm not so sure it’d be wise to get into the ring with the younger and hungry Charlo or Andrade. In my opinion, it is best to go out with this unanimous decision loss, as he wasn’t hurt nor suffered any injuries. Nobody wants to see GGG hurt or knocked out, and fighting Charlo or Andrade would do nothing for his legacy moving forward unless he became undisputed, which is unlikely. It’s time to call it a career to one of the most voided and feared boxers in memory.
For Canelo, he has an interesting road ahead. He claims his hand is injured and will need some time off to recover, putting his ring return to Fall 2023. That could be a good thing, as it would allow his body to heal from roughly 6 fights in 2 and a half years. But his return to the ring would be met with stiff challenges. Benavidez is already the WBC mandatory at 168, and he poses a threat that no other 168 pounder has posed. Power, precision, output and a relentless pressure that could suffocate Canelo if he cannot fix his stamina issues. Then their is the 175 pound division, a division I think Canelo should stay away from completely. Pending what happens with Zurdo and Bivol, Canelo would be potentially coming back to rematch Bivol, who beat him soundly, or Zurdo, who is a much larger and harder hitting foe barely entering his prime. A fight with Beterbiev would be highly unadvisable, as he has the power to badly hurt the Mexican star. Perhaps if GGG retires and vacates, Canelo can move back down to 160 and fight the likes of Charlo or Andrade in hopes of becoming undisputed there. Regardless of what path he chooses, it is apparent that he has no easy roads for the foreseeable future. He too, might be nearing the end of his legendary career, albeit much sooner than we thought.
