Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) put on a tremendous show on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two biggest stars of the middleweight division and arguably all of boxing gave the fans almost everything they wanted in their title fight as they traded big punches for 12 rounds.
While the 36 minutes of boxing action was thrilling, the ending left a sour taste in the mouths of many as the judges scored the fight a draw, with Adelaide Byrd’s 118-110 card in favor of Alvarez sticking out as an egregious mistake. While the talk after the fight was almost entirely about the result and boxing’s seemingly constant problem with bad scoring, we should remember that the bout itself was one of the best and most entertaining of the year.
Golovkin and Alvarez didn’t deliver the knockout shot many assumed was coming from the two powerful punchers, but they each landed some hellacious shots that staggered the other and on multiple occasions brought the crowd to a fever pitch with back-and-forth action. With the activity of both fighters being fairly high — especially with Golovkin — and each standing in the pocket to trade shots on occasion it was a dream fight for photographers ringside.
The images from the fight tell an incredible story and also show that, while neither competitor went down in the fight, there was significant damage being done by some of their shots. Below you will find some of the best photos from Saturday night’s bout, courtesy Getty Images.
First, we’ll start with the power punches, and some incredible shots that show how brutal some of the big shots from both fighters were, mostly via right hands. This shot of Golovkin’s face eating a Canelo overhand right captures the moment right at the peak of impact and you can see the strain on Golovkin’s face.
This shot shows the impact of one of those Canelo rights after impact as it spins Golovkin’s head around, straining his neck as sweat flies off the champion’s face.
The toughness of both Golovkin and Alvarez was on display on Saturday night, as Canelo likewise took some major shots — punches that have sent prior GGG opponents to the ground — and hung in with the heavy-hitting champion. This shot, like the above of Golovkin, shows Canelo spun around, looking behind him, after eating a Golovkin right hand.
The power in Golovkin’s punches is something we’ve seen dominated opponents for years and, while he never got Alvarez to the canvas or could quite crack the code of Canelo’s defense, Golovkin tested Alvarez’s chin like no opponent the star had ever faced had. This check left hook from Golovkin shows how much power he can create in tight spaces and with either hand.
The story of the fight for many was how Golovkin’s activity ought to have won him the fight. Most fans believed GGG won based off of simply outworking Canelo, throwing significantly more punches. Of the nearly 200 extra punches Golovkin threw compared to Alvarez (703 to 505), 128 of those were jabs. Golovkin was far more active than Canelo with the jab, throwing 361 to 233, and that activity caused many to give him swing rounds. While not as sexy as the above images of power shots, these images of Golovkin’s jab on impact with Alvarez’s chin tell as much if not more of the story of the fight than anything else.
For Canelo, it was the efficiency of his power punches (landing four more than Golovkin despite throwing 70 fewer) and impressive and consistent work inside and to the body that stood out. His most dangerous weapon of the night against the champ and the one that most consistently pushed Golovkin back when he’d corralled Alvarez on the ropes was Canelo’s very dangerous right uppercut, as shown here.
In the end, both fighters felt they’d done enough to win the fight. Alvarez thought his late activity won the final rounds and his power and efficiency were more damaging than what Golovkin was doing with jabs. Golovkin was far more active from start to finish, throwing and landing more punches in all but two rounds, and mixed in with the consistent jab were some massive power shots. So, it’s fitting that in a fight that ended with a draw there are plenty of images of the two fighters celebrating simultaneously in the ring as both jumped into the arms of their trainers.
Saturday night’s fight was an instant classic and one no one in the arena will forget. Once the frustration with scoring subsides, this will be remembered as one of 2017’s best fights, and the rematch figures to be a must-see event.
