By: Nana Yaw Preko Bimpeh
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez dominated Gennady Golovkin over 12 rounds to retain his undisputed super-middleweight crown.
It was the third time the two contemporaries were fighting encounter in Las Vegas with Alvarez claiming a second win following a controversial draw in the first bout.
After sidestepping a fightback from Golovkin in the later rounds, all three judges were in agreement, scoring it 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 for Alvarez.
“Thank you my friend, we gave the fans three great fights,” said the Mexican.
They shared a warm embrace after the fight, despite their rivalry turning sour in the four-year wait for the trilogy encounter, which saw Alvarez retain the IBF, WBA (Super), WBO and WBC titles.
Golovkin said: “I want to shake hands with Canelo. Congrats to all his team. He’s a real warrior – if you don’t understand that, you don’t understand nothing.”
Despite the intense build-up, the final chapter did not have the momentum as the contests in 2017 and 2018.
Alvarez, 32, took control from the first round, dominating an unusually passive Golovkin.
Although showing no signs of hurting Golovkin, Alvarez set the pace and was particularly successful with his left hook.
Golovkin could not respond when Alvarez did land.
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas had been an unhappy hunting ground for Golovkin, losing the rematch to Alvarez there in 2018 and being robbed of what many felt was a superb win in their first fight in 2017.
And it was to be another frustrating night for Golovkin, who lost for just the second time in his illustrious 45-fight career.
