Boxing Report: Canelo vs GGG III

 

Here I am again doing my required yearly boxing report.  The things I do to maintain my press pass.  (I’m just kidding.)  Say it all together, “You’re not a real sports writer unless you cover boxing.”

 

This is the third match between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin.  I covered their first match, which controversially ended in a draw.  I did agree with that decision at the time, but even more controversially, I called Canelo, “fat.”  I briefly covered another GGG fight without Canelo.  I covered the second fight in a cursory manner.  I had Canelo losing that one (and so did the Mexican commentators), but he was given the win.  I covered a Canelo fight last year on Cinco de Mayo, but didn’t cover his last fight (Cinco de Mayo this year), where he had gone vegan and gotten beat.  He’d tested positive for steroids and blamed something in the meat for it, prompting the dietary change.  Canelo is now back to eating meat.

 

(See, I do cover some boxing.)

 

Tonight’s fight was at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  My co-worker, Mike, had taken Friday off and his Canelo-loving girlfriend had told him to pack a bag.  I thought I saw her at the fight as one of the hot ring girls.  So that’s how she got a free ticket.  Other celebrity-sightings at ringside included Michael B. Jordan and Joe Rogan.

There were three Anthems.  The Kazakhstan Anthem was lip-synched by an Asia-looking pop star from there wearing an ornate robe.  But was he actually singing those falsetto notes at the end?  The Mexican Anthem was by a very pretty young woman.  Right before singing, she had this look of genuine trepidation.  Mike says that anthem has defeated many singers, who were subsequently flayed for butchering it.  She did fine.  The American Anthem was performed magnificently by a baritone.  I thought it was one of those hockey Anthem singers, but it was a large black guy that I hadn’t seen before.  (There’s Mike’s GF in the background.  Doesn’t she look sweet?)

 

The video that played for GGG’s walkout seemed to be accusing Canelo of cheating.  The TV Azteca feed I was watching didn’t show some stuff very well.  He did not seem to be getting booed coming out.  He had fans there.  Canelo’s video had him saying the F word, but I couldn’t read all of the sentence.  He came out as the easy crowd favorite (duh).  Alejandro Fernandez sang him out with a mariachi band. 

 

A dude with weird braided hair bound up did the announcing.  GGG again got a mixed response.  Canelo got a roar.  From the intro, I learned that GGG has never been knocked down, much less out, in a fight.  So much for hoping for a knockout.  The betting line on the match favored Canelo.  The numbers would be updated, along with the prop bets (don’t take the knockout one), during the fight.

 

This is not any sort of official scoring (unlike my flawless baseball scorecards).  This is just what I saw as the fight was happening along with my non-professional opinion on who won the round.  Also keep in mind, the commentary was in Spanish, so I wasn’t getting any expert commentary to help me.

 

Round 1: Canelo took a wild swing right off the bat.  He was making power punches, while GGG was probing.  I gave the round to G for having a couple more connecting shots.  The TV call gave it to Canelo.

 

Round 2: There was a Rings of Power commercial featuring Canelo during the break.  That was a poor choice of partnership, man.  Tentative probing exchanges continued.  Canelo took another big swing.  The crowd was murmuring or low chanting.  Canelo landed a good combo.  G looked a little messed up.  G had some anger and Canelo backed up from a pair of big swings.  I had Canelo winning the round.  The Mexican TV crew had G.  Another expert’s scoring had Canelo.      

 

Round 3: There was some more hard swinging.  The pair had their first wrap up.  G went into the ropes briefly.  Canelo landed another combo.  G reeled backward.  G took a big, empty swing.  Canelo definitely. 

 

Round 4: G seemed to be cringing a bit from Canelo’s hits.  The crowd was chanting.  Canelo was landing more combos.  He landed a couple of hard ones.  Canelo.

 

Round 5: G was only making jabs.  Canelo was driving G around the ring.  They had their second wrap up.  G staggered momentarily.  Was this it?  Was this the moment?  No!  G was still standing.  Canelo connected with right and the crowd roared.  Canelo.

 

Round 6: Canelo was swinging with a big left at G’s head.  He was also getting in a lot of ab shots.  G was connecting more.  He was more aggressive, but not doing much damage.  It seemed like the crowd was booing.  Canelo.

 

Round 7: G came out fighting with more desperation.  They had their third wrap up.  They were mixing it up, but the crowd was sounding a bit unruly.  Canelo got in a shot to G’s head and grazed him with a big uppercut.  G got in close with an attack, but Canelo unloaded and forced a retreat.  Canelo.

 

Round 8: They started with a wrap.  Canelo was brawling more.  He grazed G with another big uppercut.  G was still firing punches and moving well.  Canelo was getting in headshots with his left.  G momentarily put Canelo into the ropes and into a defensive shell.  But Canelo roared back, hammering.  The crowd got back into it.  Canelo.

 

Round 9: G came out much more aggressive.  They wrapped again and leaned into each other.  Canelo got in another uppercut.  After another exchange, the ref stepped in and gave G a warning.  I think it was a hit to the back of the head.  If there was a turning point in this match, this was probably it. 

 

Canelo staggered a bit from G’s next assault.  The crowd’s will seemed to be propping Canelo up at this point.  G put him into the ropes with the crowd roaring.  Canelo started fighting back, but G got in another shot to the face.  GGG took that round.

 

Round 10: Canelo was more aggressive.  They wrap again.  Canelo was now looking a bit rough.  G took a wild swing.  There was a flurry of blows and then a series of wrap ups.  They were clearly exhausted.  I had Canelo, maybe.  The TV had GGG.

 

Round 11: Both fighters were unloading at the start.  Canelo got in a couple of shots to G’s face.  Wrap.  The crowd was chanting for Canelo.  Wrap.  Canelo became more defensive.  G made some quick strikes to his head.  Canelo’s right eye looked like it was swelling a bit.  Wrap.  G shouldered Canelo hard in an embrace.  Canelo got in a few more shots before the bell.  Canelo.

 

Round 12: The crowd was standing and roaring.  The fighters wrapped up, but were still trying to fight.  They took big swings and then collapsed on one another, entangled and still struggling.  They might have gone to the mat and wrestled if allowed. 

 

They were both exhausted and leaning on each other, as the crowd urged them on.  They were only good for a couple of punches before faltering.  They gave everything they had, but neither would fall.  Canelo and G hugged after the final bell.  I sensed they had some new respect for one another.

 

GGG was smiling afterward.  He had a big payday coming and all he had to do was go 12 with Canelo.  How hard could that be?  (Obviously, you didn’t really read anything written above this paragraph.)  For his part, Canelo was looking very serious in his corner.  It was an unsurprising unanimous decision for Canelo.  Given his performance for 2/3 of the fight, Canelo was going to win as long as he was still on his feet at the end.  GGG made that a close proposition in the final rounds.  Canelo put on a crown to go with two belts, along with a powder blue and white letterman’s jacket with some weird patches.

 

Canelo eventually made his way to the TV Azteca commentators.  Without catching most of the words, they were asking about his injured left hand.  I called Mike at this point.  Yeah, Canelo had hurt his hand a couple of fights ago, and he was going to have surgery on it right away.  Wow, how well would he have fought with two good hands?  Mike was happy he wouldn’t have to go to any more fights this year.  Apparently, him and his girlfriend didn’t go to the fight.  She’s gotten little sick before they could leave.  Oh, I was so enjoying the idea of her being a ring girl.