Saul Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin: Canelo’s narrow points win overshadowed by outrage in Las Vagas

Canelo handed Golovkin a first defeat winning on a narrow split-decision 12 months after their controversial draw

There was no heist in Las Vegas on Saturday night when Saul Canelo Alvarez had his hand raised at the end of 12 rounds and Gennady Golovkin scampered off in silence to his dressing room.

Last September they fought a wildly debated draw and in front of a capacity crowd of 22,000 this time at the T-Mobile Arena, and against a shifting backdrop of foul play, denials and redemption, they continued their epic struggle.

One judge delivered a drawn score of 114-114 and two voted for Canelo with an identical tally of 115-113, which means the flawed Mexican idol won seven and lost five rounds; it was an honest score rendered in good faith by seasoned judges, but once again the howls of “fix” filled the air. I scored it six rounds each, there were some wafer-thin rounds and not one of the judges sat at ringside wearing a Tricky Dicky Nixon rubber mask.

Both prizefighters finished cut, bruised, tired and swinging during another last round that will sit forever in the heads of every witness. The judges even split the vote in the final round - a round Golovkin needed to win to retain his titles - and a point either way at that stage, in a rematch that took a year to make and in a series that has been taking inevitable shape for several years, can significantly alter history and leave a permanent disputed mark.

It is a mark that is hard to erase and sadly there are some in my business desperate to believe that the darkest of forces somehow interfered with the genius of the two men fighting to conjure a crooked score. It is, trust me, simply not possible to fix fights at this level and that is why in the dirty old business nobody has been prosecuted successfully since Alcatraz closed its heavy doors nearly sixty years ago. There are no envelopes, just men and women making decisions at the very core of a crazy storm. The fight was quite brilliant, the scores tight and when that happens hearts can get broken.

There were times when Canelo, who is 28 but turned professional when he was just 15, was too fresh, slick and confident for Golovkin, who entered the ring bearing his three middleweight title belts and looking for a record-breaking 21st defence. The glittering rings of Las Vegas have often been cruel to men with powerful reputations and kind to the perceived golden boys.

Alvarez is now the WBA and WBC middleweight world champion. (AP)

On Saturday night there were truly harsh moments when Golovkin, unbeaten in 39 fights, was exposed by Canelo’s fists and lunged clumsily to counter. Golovkin is now 36, a survivor of the last savage remnants of the Soviet boxing machine in his beloved Kazakstan and a veteran of 350 amateur fights. In the ring he looked a lot older, his smile vanished, his face swelling from punches and blood smeared from a nick near his right eye. His trainer, Abel Sanchez, had a lot of work to do in the corner early in the fight when Canelo was sizzling. Sanchez and Golovkin looked worried, broken men staring at a first loss and unable to find what they needed. The second round was arguably the cleanest and clearest round of the 24 they have so far completed and Canelo was a massive winner.

Canelo was sharper than last time, never once retreated to the ropes, which is why he let the first fight slip away, and he delighted the partisan horde packed inside the venue and baying for his continued redemption from two failed drug tests. It’s not Canelo’s fault he slipped away with a tight win, but he still remains a subject of interest for his Clenbuterol abuse, and that is a factor that could help deliver a third fight, which would be set against the emotional themes of justice, cheating, goodness and an old-fashioned willingness to brawl like demented hyenas fighting over a carcass.

Golovkin finished the fight stronger, chasing Canelo over the last few rounds to close the gap and make the fight closer in what was a reversal of last year’s finale. In defeat the mighty Kazak rediscovered his smile and class, attending the post-fight ritual, his dark glasses concealing both the inner and outer pain. He wants a third fight, Canelo agrees and as their teams slice away at the money haul, there is every chance they will discuss a trilogy decider; Canelo is expected to make over sixty million dollars and Golovkin just under fifty million. It is the type of hefty lucre that works as a miracle balm to heal any reluctant thoughts.

“We can’t complain about every damned fight we lose,” said Sanchez. “They voted in Canelo’s favour and maybe next time they will see it in our favour. Canelo fought a great fight.” It was a dignified end from Sanchez and Golovkin to what has been an event deep in outrages: moral, righteous, fake, howling and a few others.

Outrage is a Las Vegas commodity, not something that can be lost at a card table, but something extremely valuable at the negotiating table. Canelo and Golovkin, their professional flocks, their haters and their disciples can be as outraged as they want about the decision on Saturday; outrage can sell the glorious trilogy.