LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez embraced the final challenge from his long-strained rival Gennady Golovkin on Saturday night, and after convincingly defeating the long-reigning middleweight champion, Alvarez hugged the man he had finally definitively conquered.
“Thank you so much, my friend. Thank you, Golovkin,” Alvarez said he told the 40-year-old Kazakhstan fighter whose career record (42-2-1) is only blemished by the four-division champion from Mexico.
Coming off his first loss in nine years, Alvarez, 32, delivered a crisp, energetic showing, continually beating Golovkin to the punch and winning the limited exchanges that occurred.
This was not like the first two classic brawls between these champions, when Golovkin was viewed as rightfully objecting to judging that left him with a 2017 draw against Alvarez.
In their 2018 rematch, Alvarez’s role as the aggressor paced him to victory in another tightly contested outcome that Golovkin protested.
There was none of that Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Undisputed super-middleweight champion Alvarez was clearly the better man, landing blows that backed up the current middleweight champion, causing Golovkin to uncharacteristically retreat from exchanges.
Still, neither man touched the canvas in the bout, and after 36 rounds without that ever happening, Golovkin wanted to bury the hatchet, too.
In the ring afterward, Golovkin said, “I want to shake hands with Canelo,” reaching to clutch the hand that helped Alvarez land 86 power punches to Golovkin’s 46.
Added Golovkin: “He’s a real warrior.”
Here's how USA TODAY Sports' Lance Pugmire scored the bout:
Round 1
Following another entrance sounded by the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," Golovkin found the ring and watched as a mariachi band trumpeted Alvarez's ring walk adorned by a fireworks display.
Golovkin may be performing in his first super-middleweight fight, but it's worth recalling he fought more than 300 amateur fights at the middleweight limit of 166 pounds, so he should be comfortable here against the sport's first undisputed champion at 168 pounds.
Backed by Michael B. Jordan, who saved a role for Canelo in the upcoming "Creed 3," Alvarez looked determined as he was called to the center of the ring by referee Russell Mora.
And the first bell rings ... An exchange of jabs and Alvarez throws two hooks before a shadow boxing session with little contact ensues. Golovkin paws in a left, and Alvarez closes with a clean jab.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 2
Golovkin struggling to get started. He's overly patient and Alvarez capitalizes by landing a clean jab and a right hand flush to the head before delivering another right to close a successful round.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 3
Alvarez seizing control here as Golovkin looks flat-footed and too slow on the trigger.
Alvarez lands two hard rights, including one to the body that backs up Golovkin, and while Golovkin whiffs on a left, Canelo produces a hard right-left – the second blow right on the button.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 4
The age divide – Golovkin is 40, Canelo 32 – is glaring through four rounds. Alvarez is attacking, landing a right to the body and a hard left to the head, while Golovkin is stuck in cement.
A jab and right by Canelo is followed by a scoring combination.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 5
All those narrow rounds that dominated the first two fights are a thing of the past.
Alvarez smacked Golovkin with a head-rocking right in the fifth to punctuate a body shot and a clean left earlier.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 6
Golovkin's best round was still not enough. Golovkin scored some jabs and a nice uppercut here, but Alvarez was more active and answered each blow impressively.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 7
Golovkin winced from a right to the body and retreated from pressure set up by a Canelo jab. This is not the former monster who reigned with 23 straight knockouts years ago.
Alvarez's aggressiveness remains, peppering jabs and backing to make Golovkin swing and miss with a left hand.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 8
Alvarez's landed punches are beginning to ring heavier, and Golovkin responded to the battering with his best three-punch combination yet.
But he couldn't sustain the attack as Canelo responded with a right-left.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 9
Golovkin finally wins a round by getting the best of an entertaining exchange and then delivering a hard combination to the head.
The crowd relished the drama of the action -- like days of old. Canelo responded with a hard uppercut.
Who won the round?: Golovkin 10-9
Round 10
Alvarez takes back the fight with a hard right uppercut to start things, adding a left to the head.
Golovkin looking his age, and a bit winded, missing another left entirely.
Canelo pursues the body and the pair exchange uppercuts.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 11
Unlike in the Bivol loss, Alvarez doesn't have to expend energy here. He's lively and fast on his feet still, going to the body to defuse early Golovkin pressure and then burying a short right uppercut.
A jab and body shot clinch another round for the champion.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Round 12
Both try hard rights that the other muffles. At the close of an exchange, Alvarez shoves his left glove to Golovkin's face. There's holding, and an exchange of uppercuts.
Canelo scores the final, best combination, and the pair -- who've been so bitter at each other during this 36-round rivalry -- embrace and share extended words before separating, and the judges take control again.
Who won the round?: Alvarez 10-9
Judges: 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 for Canelo Alvarez
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