The scandalous epic confrontation between Gennady Golovkin and Saul Alvarez, which has been going on for five years, will end this weekend. The third fight should put an end to the relationship of these great boxers. Golovkin has always bravely entered the ring against the daring Mexican. But Gennady has something to prove to Canelo in the final fight.

Twice in the fights with Alvarez, the judges made questionable decisions for Triple G. The defeat of Gennady in the second fight turned out to be especially offensive, when the red-haired Mexican was caught doping, but escaped severe punishment.

“He needed to eat five kilos”

The first fight between Gennady Golovkin and Saul Alvarez took place in September 2017. According to many experts, the victory was stolen from the boxer from Kazakhstan in this match, which ended in a draw. Immediately after the end of the battle, the opponents declared their readiness to hold a revenge. But the parties could not settle the details of a new confrontation for a long time.

The teams of athletes hardly agreed on the financial side and the timing of the fight. As a result, the second fight was scheduled for May 5. One of the mandatory items during the preparatory period was the testing of both boxers for doping. Canelo’s side insisted on this.

But what was the surprise of the boxing community when the Nevada Athletic Commission caught Alvarez using clenbuterol two months before the fight. This drug is used to increase endurance and build muscle mass. Bodybuilders also use clenbuterol to cut weight before competitions.

The side of the Mexican during the investigation of the doping commission came up with a ridiculous excuse for the boxer. Golden Boy said that the banned substance entered Alvarez’s body along with contaminated meat. But Tony Bellew, the former heavyweight champion of the world, questioned this version.

“He says it’s the contaminated meat. But in order for this to lead to the appearance of prohibited substances in the blood, he had to eat five kilograms, the boxer told Metro.

Not convinced by the version and the doping commission. As a result, the Mexican was suspended from fighting, but only for six months. The disqualification automatically led to the postponement of the fight with Golovkin. At the same time, even the use of doping by Saulem did not force Gennady to refuse revenge. He stated that he was ready to fight the Mexican at any time.

After serving a six-month suspension, the fight was scheduled for September 15, 2018. Regular scandals riveted great public attention to the fight. A crowd of 9,000 gathered at the T-Mobile Arena alone for the weigh-in procedure.

At the battle of views, Alvarez behaved like a rooster stung by a wasp. He jumped out of the crowd of guards and began to butt heads with Golovkin. But the Kazakh fighter did not follow the cocky Mexican, demonstrating amazing composure. He kept all his emotions for the duel.

Photo: © Omar Vega / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Best match of the year

All Golovkin’s charge for the fight showed up after the starting gong. In the first round, Triple G methodically worked the Mexican boxer’s head with precise jabs. Saul only occasionally answered, and his sweeping blows often only shook the air. As a result, the judges gave this segment to Gennady.

In the second and third rounds, the referees showed amazing unanimity, giving the victory to the Mexican. But during these six minutes, the athletes demonstrated almost the same level of boxing. In some places Golovkin looked preferable, but a few bright missed shots from Canelo did their job.

The fourth round again remained with the athlete from Kazakhstan. Gennady acted more diversely, while Saul relied on the left hook, which he regularly missed. Golovkin saw all attempts at powerful blows in advance and correctly parried them.

In the fifth round, Gennady again delivered more punches. The vast majority of them were jabs, but there were enough heavy hits on Alvarez. The Mexican also answered hard, but in the middle of the round Golovkin hit Saul on the left, after which Canelo had a deep cut above the eye. Despite this, all three referees saw the victory of the Mexican in the fifth segment.

The next three minutes passed under the dictation of Saul. He shocked the opponent with several powerful blows, and the initiative was on his side. In the seventh round, the fight became closer, but the judges again awarded the round to Saul. After the end of this segment in Golovkin’s corner, they were already worried about the outcome of the fight. Coach Abel Sanchez told Gennady that he was losing the fight.

Photo: © Al Bello / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The eighth and ninth rounds were also held in an equal fight. This time there was no agreement in the camp of the judges, but the majority in both cases took the side of the Mexican boxer. Before the decisive rounds of all the judges, Alvarez led 87-84. In three stretches, Golovkin could only save a draw, and he did everything possible for this.

The Kazakh boxer unconditionally won the tenth and eleventh rounds. In the 12th, Gennady did not sit back on the defensive, but delivered three powerful blows to the head in the first seconds in a row. Alvarez tried to answer, occasionally hitting, but more often missed. After one such miss, he even lost his balance and almost fell, dropping to his knee. At the end of the round, Golovkin got a little hooked, but Canelo did not have a big advantage.

As a result, this spectacular fight between the two best middleweight boxers deservedly received the title of the best fight of 2018 according to the authoritative magazine The Ring, but only one opponent brought joy.

“I’m a great boxer”

The announcement of the results was a complete disappointment for the boxer from Kazakhstan. One referee saw a draw 114:114, but two referees gave preference to Alvarez with a small difference of 115:113. As a result, Golovkin suffered the first defeat in his career, having lost all the championship titles.

Alvarez rejoiced at the victory like a child, throwing out loud statements that he did not win on the judges’ cards with a slight advantage, but knocked out his opponent in the first round.

“It was a great fight. But in the end, it was a victory for all of Mexico. I am a great boxer and I proved it tonight. If people want another fight, I’m ready to enter the ring again. But now I will enjoy time with my family,” said the Mexican after the fight.

Photo: © Omar Vega / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The decision of the judges caused Gennady only disappointment. He did not even begin to take part in the press conference, leaving for the room under the stands. Indeed, there was something to be upset about. According to the authoritative CompuBox scoring system, Golovkin landed exactly twice as many jabs as his opponent (118:59). Triple G was also ahead in total strikes (234:202). There were powerful blows on Saul’s side (143:116).

Four years later, Golovkin finally had the opportunity to regain the championship title, as well as take revenge after two scandalous robberies in fights with Alvarez.