Ahead of tonight’s trilogy, we recap the results and who won the first two fights between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin.
The entire boxing world is anxiously waiting for Saturday evening as in the iconic T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Saul Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin face off for the third time.
The anticipation for this trilogy has become palpable over recent days as pundits, experts and former professionals swing back and forth in their predictions.
The opening bell will mark the start of the 25th scheduled round between Canelo and GGG, but who won their first two fights in 2017 and 2018 respectively?
Who won the previous two Canelo vs GGG fights?
The first fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin in 2017 ended in a split draw, the second fight in 2018 was won by Alvarez via majority decision.
Straight away it’s important to note that both results were highly controversial, with criticism especially levied against the first fight’s judging.
This fight was scored 118–110 (Alvarez), 113–115 (Golovkin), 114–114 (draw), with the majority of pundits and personalities scoring the bout for the Kazakh.
In fact, DAZNwho are broadcasting tonight’s PPV trilogy, recently ran a fight replay with boxing experts Chris Walker, Matt Astbury and Steven Muehlhausen. Their final result, in accordance with the court of public opinion, was “a unanimous decision for Golovkin with cards of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112.”
The second fight was thankfully more straightforward, with the Mexican winning a majority decision; two judges scored the bout for Canelo (both 115-113), and one judge scored it a draw (114-114).
What are the two fighters’ boxing records in 2022?
As of September 17th2022, prior to the trilogy with GGG, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has a professional boxing record of 57 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, with 39 wins by knockout.
Meanwhile, Golovkin has a record of 42 wins, one draw and one loss with 37 knockouts on his professional record.
Speaking to GQ on why he took the third match with GGG, Canelo said “It’s a fight that a lot of people have wanted for a long time.”
“It’s the third one, because the previous ones were so good. I think it’s the perfect timing, and lets people know who is the best. Our styles are matched for big fights and this fight will be no exception. So I think that’s why we’re fighting for the third time.” – Canelo Alvarez, via GQ.
Eddie Hearn weighs in on boxing trilogy stakes
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn recently talked with MMA-media icon The Schmo on how high the stakes are for both fighters ahead of their trilogy showdown in Las Vegas.
“I don’t know, there’s a lot of pressure on Canelo Alvarez because he’s coming off a defeat. He wants to bounce back. For Gennady Golovkin, he’s probably thinking that this is my last roll of the dice to become undisputed. There’s pressure on both men.” – Eddie Hearn, via The Schmo.
Hearn added, “I think just looking into their eyes today [during the faceoff]there’s a sort of ‘wow we are two days away now’”.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour earlier in the week, Hearn explained that “Canelo Alvarez has trained like I have never seen him train before for this fight. In fact, I saw him on the stage at the grand arrivals and I said to him ‘You look ready,’ and he said ‘so much more than ready’.”
“Canelo Alvarez, he’s up against it, he’s coming off the back of a defeat to Dimitri Bivol and the more that this fight draws closer, the more people are giving Gennady Golovkin a great shot in this fight. And he’s going to give it everything; here’s two modern-day greats and [I’m] looking forward to it.” – Eddie Hearn, via MMAFightingonSBN.
By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]
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