Canelo v Golovkin - We’ll be arguing over this one for the next thirty years. SMH
We say we are acting for safety when we set up all of these rules to make sure that boxers are evenly matched. But tonight I’m forced to acknowledge that the most brutal bouts are the perfectly matched ones. The bout could have been called for Golovkin just as easily as Canelo, and really was essentially a second tie. These two men are equals. The announcer was suggesting another re-match before they had caught their breath and only Canelo’s youth will result in a final decisive bout between them.
I give Canelo credit for incredible stamina and sheer pain tolerance. By the end I watched his interview from between my fingers - the gash above his eye was too big and too raw for me.
Many times I was surprised that he didn’t go down; a couple of times Golovkin looked surprised by that too.
There were also a few times when we all agreed with Mark Chang that Golovkin was looking old. He was wily though, and stayed focused on finding his opening. In the last round he practically ignored some really dazzling blows and just kept maneuvering for his knockout. And while he’s a far more intellectual fighter, he reminded me of Tyson in that he seemed lost when the knockout didn’t come. If he’d been focused on points throughout the fight I’m sure he’d have won, it’s just not his way.
People talk a lot about chins made of iron or granite, boxers who you just can not knock down. But I’ve always said it’s in the neck. When a boxer has a neck as thick as Canelo Alvarez, you are not going to knock him down with a head shot. Was it Sugar Ray who went down in his final bout to a body blow? I predict that’s how Canelo will go out. Golovkin got a first look at his mortality today. I’ll be interested to find out how he handles it.
Anyway, if you’re interested in boxing and you didn’t see the fight last night you’d better watch it today. I’ll say again: we’re going to be arguing about this for a long, long time.