# Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II
**Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II** was a middleweight championship boxing match between Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez and Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, fought on September 15, 2018 at the [T-Mobile Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-mobile-arena) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Álvarez won by majority decision, ending in dispute a rivalry whose first installment, a September 2017 draw, had already become one of the most criticized scorecard results of its era.[1](https://wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220516-CC-Resolution-Canelo-Alvarez.pdf) • [2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/canelo-ggg-2-alvarez-golovkin-rematch-results-judges-scorecards-twitter-reactions/lvizzbr9bom11rnjg2hligrlt)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | September 15, 2018, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas[1](https://wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220516-CC-Resolution-Canelo-Alvarez.pdf) |
| Result | Álvarez by majority decision, claiming Golovkin's WBC and WBA middleweight titles[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/canelo-ggg-2-alvarez-golovkin-rematch-results-judges-scorecards-twitter-reactions/lvizzbr9bom11rnjg2hligrlt) |
| Records entering | Álvarez 49-1-2 (34 KOs), Golovkin 38-0-1 (34 KOs)[3](https://as.com/masdeporte/2018/07/03/polideportivo/1530652426_209535.html) |
| Media scoring | 20 of 24 outlets tracked by MMADecisions scored the fight for Golovkin, three called a draw, one for Álvarez[4](https://www.mmamania.com/2018/9/16/17866398/canelo-vs-golovkin-2-compubox-stats-show-just-how-close-the-fight-really-was) |
| Official agreement | All three judges agreed on the winner of eight rounds on every card[5](https://www.worldboxingnews.com/official-scorecards-canelo-golovkin/) |
| Delayed origin | A rematch was announced in January 2018 for May, but Álvarez tested positive for clenbuterol about two months before the date[6](https://time.com/6214397/this-fight-is-important-for-my-legacy-boxing-preps-for-alvarez-golovkin-trilogy/) |
| Trilogy outcome | Golovkin finished the rivalry with two defeats and a draw after the 2022 third fight[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/canelo-ggg-result-scores-judges-b2169651.html) |
## Background: the 2017 draw
The two men first met on September 16, 2017, also at T-Mobile Arena, in a middleweight title fight that ended in a split draw after 12 rounds. Judge Dave Moretti scored 115-113 for Golovkin, Don Trella had 114-114, and Adalaide Byrd turned in a card of 118-110 for Álvarez, meaning she gave the unified champion only two of twelve rounds.[8](https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-canelo-alvarez-gennady-golovkin-live-updates-htmlstory.html) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/canelo-vs-golovkin-fight-scorecard-ppv-stream-highlights-steve-bunce-verdict-a7951306.html) The Byrd card drew immediate outrage on social media and from within the sport; even Álvarez's promoter Óscar de la Hoya called the margin too wide, saying he had the fight by only seven or eight rounds.[10](https://as.com/us/us/2017/09/17/masdeporte/1505628214_585894.html)
The fight itself was well received. Álvarez, moving up to full middleweight, carried the edge in power punches, out-landing Golovkin 114-110, and came on strongly in the closing rounds after spending much of the night against the ropes.[11](https://www.mmafighting.com/2017/9/17/16321068/canelo-alvarez-vs-gennady-ggg-golovkin-ends-in-controversial-draw) Golovkin, then 35, spent long stretches walking Álvarez down behind his jab, and neither fighter was staggered in a contest noted for the defensive skill of both men.[12](https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/canelo-vs-ggg-fight-result-five-things-we-learned-from-the-controversial-decision/) Nevada State Athletic Commission executive chairman [Bob Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-bennett) defended Byrd, calling her card "a bad night" and citing her experience of more than 115 title fights.[12](https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/canelo-vs-ggg-fight-result-five-things-we-learned-from-the-controversial-decision/)
## The rematch buildup
A rematch was announced in January 2018 and scheduled for May, but about two months before the fight Álvarez tested positive for clenbuterol, a banned substance, and the bout was postponed.[6](https://time.com/6214397/this-fight-is-important-for-my-legacy-boxing-preps-for-alvarez-golovkin-trilogy/) It was rescheduled for September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas.[1](https://wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220516-CC-Resolution-Canelo-Alvarez.pdf) By then Álvarez stood at 49-1-2 with 34 knockouts and Golovkin at 38-0-1 with 34 knockouts, and the [World Boxing Council](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-boxing-council) had directly requested the second meeting after the controversial first decision.[3](https://as.com/masdeporte/2018/07/03/polideportivo/1530652426_209535.html) • [13](https://as.com/us/2019/01/24/masdeporte/1548351083_474101.html)
## The fight and the decision
Álvarez won by majority decision, taking Golovkin's WBC and WBA middleweight titles.[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/canelo-ggg-2-alvarez-golovkin-rematch-results-judges-scorecards-twitter-reactions/lvizzbr9bom11rnjg2hligrlt) Two judges scored for Álvarez and one had the fight even, the combination that defines a majority decision.[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/canelo-ggg-2-alvarez-golovkin-rematch-results-judges-scorecards-twitter-reactions/lvizzbr9bom11rnjg2hligrlt) The cards were closer than the first fight's, and the decision again divided the boxing public, though commentators generally rated it less egregious than the 2017 verdict.[14](https://www.boxingnewsandviews.com/2018/09/16/ggg-vs-canelo-2-scorecards/)
The gap between the official result and the media's reading was wide. Of the 24 media outlets followed by MMADecisions, 20 scored the fight for Golovkin, three called it a draw, and only one sided with Álvarez.[4](https://www.mmamania.com/2018/9/16/17866398/canelo-vs-golovkin-2-compubox-stats-show-just-how-close-the-fight-really-was) The official cards were nonetheless tightly aligned with one another: all three judges agreed on the winner of eight rounds on every card, and World Boxing News' own card, matching the judges on those eight rounds, totaled 115-113 for Golovkin.[5](https://www.worldboxingnews.com/official-scorecards-canelo-golovkin/) The majority decision again prompted accusations of robbery and corruption on social media.[15](https://www.theringer.com/2018/09/16/mma/canelo-golovkin-ii)
## Aftermath and the trilogy
Golovkin's promoter Tom Loeffler argued that the controversial ending of the second fight obliged the WBC to order a third bout. In December 2018 he pressed the Council for the trilogy, but the WBC instead directed Álvarez toward a May 2019 unification against Daniel Jacobs, and Golovkin was matched with [Jermall Charlo](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermall-charlo).[13](https://as.com/us/2019/01/24/masdeporte/1548351083_474101.html)
The third fight eventually came in September 2022, four years later and at super-middleweight rather than middleweight, with Álvarez defending his IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO titles. The 32-year-old Álvarez beat the 40-year-old Golovkin by unanimous decision on cards of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, leaving Golovkin with two defeats and a draw from the trilogy.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/canelo-ggg-result-scores-judges-b2169651.html)
## Scoring controversy in context
Both Álvarez-Golovkin decisions rested on cards that ran against the weight of independent scoring. In the first fight, the 118-110 card gave Álvarez ten rounds on a fight most observers had for Golovkin; in the second, roughly twenty of two dozen tracked media scorecards favored Golovkin while the officials favored Álvarez.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/canelo-vs-golovkin-fight-scorecard-ppv-stream-highlights-steve-bunce-verdict-a7951306.html) • [4](https://www.mmamania.com/2018/9/16/17866398/canelo-vs-golovkin-2-compubox-stats-show-just-how-close-the-fight-really-was) Byrd's 2017 card in particular became a reference point for wayward judging, and her record includes at least seven earlier fights in which she was the only judge to score for the losing fighter, among them [Bernard Hopkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernard-hopkins) vs. [Joe Calzaghe](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-calzaghe) in 2008 and Brandon Rios vs. Richar Abril in 2014.[10](https://as.com/us/us/2017/09/17/masdeporte/1505628214_585894.html)
The second fight's result is better described as a close call decided against the media consensus than as a wide official margin. The judges' near-unanimity on eight individual rounds shows the disagreement was concentrated in a small number of rounds, the same rounds on which independent scorers split.[5](https://www.worldboxingnews.com/official-scorecards-canelo-golovkin/)
## References
1. [WBO Championship Committee Resolution, Canelo Alvarez (May 2022)](https://wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220516-CC-Resolution-Canelo-Alvarez.pdf)
2. [Canelo-GGG 2: Boxing world reacts to 'robbery' as Alvarez earns majority decision, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/canelo-ggg-2-alvarez-golovkin-rematch-results-judges-scorecards-twitter-reactions/lvizzbr9bom11rnjg2hligrlt)
3. [El Canelo vs Golovkin II se calienta, AS (July 2018)](https://as.com/masdeporte/2018/07/03/polideportivo/1530652426_209535.html)
4. [Canelo Alvarez vs. Golovkin 2 CompuBox stats show how close fight was, MMA Mania](https://www.mmamania.com/2018/9/16/17866398/canelo-vs-golovkin-2-compubox-stats-show-just-how-close-the-fight-really-was)
5. [Official scorecards show Canelo, Golovkin split eight rounds, World Boxing News](https://www.worldboxingnews.com/official-scorecards-canelo-golovkin/)
6. [Boxing Preps For Álvarez-Golovkin Trilogy, TIME (2022)](https://time.com/6214397/this-fight-is-important-for-my-legacy-boxing-preps-for-alvarez-golovkin-trilogy/)
7. [Canelo Alvarez cruises to points win over Gennady Golovkin to wrap up rivalry, The Independent (2022)](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/canelo-ggg-result-scores-judges-b2169651.html)
8. [Canelo-GGG Rematch: Alvarez beats Golovkin by majority decision, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-canelo-alvarez-gennady-golovkin-live-updates-htmlstory.html)
9. [Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin was a thriller but yet another garbage verdict, The Independent (2017)](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/canelo-vs-golovkin-fight-scorecard-ppv-stream-highlights-steve-bunce-verdict-a7951306.html)
10. [Adalaide Byrd, la jueza que dio el polémico '118-110' para Canelo, AS (2017)](https://as.com/us/us/2017/09/17/masdeporte/1505628214_585894.html)
11. [Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin ends in controversial draw, MMA Fighting (2017)](https://www.mmafighting.com/2017/9/17/16321068/canelo-alvarez-vs-gennady-ggg-golovkin-ends-in-controversial-draw)
12. [Canelo vs. GGG fight result: Five things we learned, CBS Sports (2017)](https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/canelo-vs-ggg-fight-result-five-things-we-learned-from-the-controversial-decision/)
13. [Promotor de GGG frustrado por no cerrar pelea con Canelo, AS (2019)](https://as.com/us/2019/01/24/masdeporte/1548351083_474101.html)
14. [The 3 Official GGG Vs Canelo 2 Scorecards, Boxing News And Views (2018)](https://www.boxingnewsandviews.com/2018/09/16/ggg-vs-canelo-2-scorecards/)
15. [Canelo-Golovkin II Was the Perfect Setup for a Third Fight, The Ringer (2018)](https://www.theringer.com/2018/09/16/mma/canelo-golovkin-ii)
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