TOP DRAWER GGG AND CANELO TIE IN LAS VEGAS

Gennady Golovkin retained his World Boxing Council middleweight title by tying with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, in a trying thriller, which met and exceeded expectations.

Judge Dave Moretti scored it 115-113 for Gennady,  Don Trella saw it as a 114-114 draw. Puzzlingly Adalaide Byrd scored it 118-110 for Saul, which means she saw him winning ten of the twelve rounds. 

Gennady who was constantly the aggressor throughout, trying to hunt down Canelo,  often backing him into the ropes, until the flame haired Mexican,  who was sporting a King George V beard,    cunningly adapted,  slipping away using acute and often cute subtle angles, also hammering the older man with some eye watering counter punches to head and body.

Gennady who`s  a full nine years older,  landed 217 of 703 punches compared to Canelo`s 169 impacts from 505 thrown.  GGG built up an impressive momentum, but tired, losing the last three rounds on all three Judges` score cards, which proved significant.

In round one, Gennady tried to establish a long left jab to keep Canelo at range, but got caught with a hard right hook to the side of the face, smiling and nonchalantly shaking his head.  In round two both simultaneously landed stiff left jabs and a Canelo left hook grazed Gennady, who then had to absorb a crunching right hook, dug into the body.  Gennady became significantly more aggressive in round three following up left jabs with left hooks to the head.  A huge left hook to the body shook Canelo backing him up.

Round four saw Gennady opening up with left right combinations driving Canelo on to the ropes, who retaliated with a body shots and a right to the head, which was spitefully answered in kind by Gennady. In the fifth a big left hook to the head made Canelo wince and he deftly answered with a returning right.  Just after he soaked up a  big right hook, Canelo shook his head, which elicited a rare and rueful smile from Gennady. 

During a clinch in the sixth Canelo gave a little behind the back smack to the interlocked head of Gennady, which didn`t go down very well.   By the eighth Canelo appeared a little wild, missing with wide swings, but then came the roundabout, as he caught and hurt Gennady with an huge left uppercut.  Yet again backed on to the ropes in the ninth, Canelo slid away, becoming elusive and then hammered Gennady with a very hard single straight right.  Both ended round ten by fighting flat out to thrill the crowd. 

A clean and fast flowing contest,  during  which Referee Kenny Bayless hardly had to intervene,  in round eleven Gennady threw an unintentional low blow, immediately apologizing and the two sportingly touched gloves.  Canelo was effectively countering and both landed hard to the head.

The final round definitely belonged to Canelo who punished Gennady to body and head.  Trying not to be outdone or undone,  Gennady came straight back head hunting,  but not quite so accurately.  Both embraced as the bell clanged.  It was a magnificent fight, and in six months or so, we`re more than likely to enjoy chapter two