This past Saturday night, Saul "Canelo" Álvarez and Gennady "GGG" Golovkin gave fans the fight they had been clamoring to see. The in-ring action did not disappoint, and they more than met the expectations that had been created by the hype over the past several years. Although a bit more tactical than many had anticipated, the bout had its share of toe to toe exchanges. Golovkin, making his Las Vegas debut, seemed to come out a bit stiff, exhibiting some big night jitters, and missing his trademark smile on the way to the ring. Canelo, no stranger to the big stage, kept Golovkin honest by throwing well-timed, powerful counter shots. Both men had their moments, but after all was said and done, Golovkin seemed to have done enough to pull out the victory and escape with his perfect record intact. Or so he thought.
Like most viewers, I have a pretty good indication as to who I believe is winning the fight while watching. However, after having seen my share of decisions ranging from questionable to downright WTF moments, I always get that feeling in the pit of my stomach when the bell rings at the conclusion of the 12th round. While many celebrate or mope depending on their fighter's performance, I sit with guarded optimism that somehow justice will be served. As we awaited the decision to be announced, I told my friends 'Remember: This is still boxing, and this is still Vegas.'
As the legendary Michael Buffer turned on his microphone to announce the official particulars, boxing fans around the world held their collective breaths. As soon as the first score was announced, and it was Adalaide Byrd's laughable 118-110, I thought to myself 'Well that's a bit wide.' When Buffer followed up with '...for CANELO!', I then rolled my eyes and said 'Here we go again.' After Dave Moretti's 115-113 Golovkin score (which matched mine), and Don Trella's 114-114 were announced, all I could say was a whispered 'Wow...' as boxing suffered yet another proverbial black eye with the announcement that the middleweight megafight had ended in a split draw.
While I don't agree with the overall decision of the draw, I could have accepted it better had Byrd's score been somewhat in the ballpark. While I felt Golovkin won, it was still a close fight, and a draw in this bout was by no means a robbery in the class of some other fights we've seen in the past (see: Whitaker-Chavez, Sr., Lewis-Holyfield I, De La Hoya-Sturm, Pacquiao-Bradley I)
While Golovkin was not his normal aggressive self, he was taking on the best fighter he had seen in his career thus far. No other previous opponent had the power or the pedigree that Canelo possesses, and naturally, Golovkin would have to adjust. Behind a strong jab, Golovkin stayed busy attacking Canelo upstairs. Canelo came in exuding confidence, landed some solid counter shots, and had a sustained attack to the body. His ring generalship in the early part of the fight could have won him some of the swing rounds, but large periods of inactivity also cost him a few rounds in the middle of the fight.
It was announced today that Adalaide Byrd, the judge in question and wife of Hall of Fame referee Robert Byrd, had been stood down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, so she could have a chance to 'catch her breath' after a bad night, according to NSAC executive director Bob Bennett. She may need to catch her breath, but after her latest 'bad night' to add to her history of questionable decisions, the boxing public won't be holding theirs awaiting her return.
You can follow Dino Marcelino on Twitter @DiNDiN4THEWiN
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