Canelo-GGG 2: Round by round scores, results, highlights

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin are ready to throw down for the second time, potentially putting one man decidedly in the lead in their rivalry. Follow along with all the action from Las Vegas.

Canelo-GGG 2 doesn’t have a tagline, but if it did, “This Time It’s Personal” would be fitting despite its cliche nature.

The first time Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin met a year ago, the buildup to their battle for middleweight supremacy was largely cordial. Both men seemed to respect each other as fighters and champions, and even after they battled to a closely fought draw that featured one outrageous scorecard, there didn’t seem to be a lot of bad blood.

What a difference a year makes. Canelo and GGG were supposed to have their rematch in May, but Alvarez testing positive for a banned substance put those plans on hold. While the Mexican hero served a suspension, GGG had a stay busy fight, but the war of words between the two sides is really what turned ugly.

That’s turned Canelo-GGG 2 into an entirely different beast. Alvarez took offense to being called a drug cheat, while Golovkin has been irritated (as much as the unflappable GGG can be, anyway) that his foe might not be on the up and up and wasted six months of what is likely to be the latter part of his prime.

How much each boxer is affected by their emotions could make the difference in what the first fight proved is obviously a very close matchup. They’ll also have plenty of time to come to terms with how they’re feeling, because the three undercard fights on the Canelo-GGG 2 undercard all ended in knockouts and didn’t even total 10 full rounds of boxing.

Among the celebs on hand for the fight at T-Mobile Arena are Will Smith, Dave Chappelle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The tale of the tape shows that Golovkin has very small height and reach advantages, but of course, he’s eight years Canelo’s senior. Both men weighed in under the middleweight limit and appear to be in great shape.

Billed as the longest-reigning world champion in boxing, GGG comes to the ring first to the tune of his usual walk song, “Seven Nation Army” by White Stripes. As he still gets top billing for the rematch, Canelo comes out second to a more mellow Mexican tune.

No Michael Buffer for this one, which is kind of strange. But regardless, the fighter introductions are made and we’re ready for 12 scheduled rounds of boxing for a whole bunch of middleweight titles.

Round 1

GGG moves forward behind jabs, blocks a hook and then both men jab into each other’s gloves. Body shot by Canelo. Golovkin standing in front but also moving away when necessary. A battle of jabs so far. GGG blocks a right hand with his left glove. He moves back out of range again. Double jab by Golovkin is answered by a harder one. Short left hook by Alvarez, and he tries his own and a right hand. With 10 seconds left, Golovkin tries to close the distance but is quickly tied up.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG

Round 2

Harold Lederman gave the first round to Canelo. GGG’s lack of aggression could be hurting him, and he took three rounds to get started last time. He lands an uppercut but is caught by a stiff left hook upstairs. Two-punch combo by Canelo, and Golovkin tries to answer with a right. Counter jab by Canelo lands as well. Golovkin might be cut over his right eye, and he pops some jabs to back Alvarez up, though Canelo lands some sweet body shots. Two left hooks in a row score for GGG.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 Canelo, 19-19 after 2 rounds

Round 3

Golovkin looks like he wants to start a little faster in Round 3. He digs to the body as Canelo ties him up. Alvarez scores to the body and head even as he steps back. Canelo counters only to see Golovkin slip it. Golovkin tries to measure a right hand, and Canelo’s two lefts miss in response. Big misses both ways. There’s a nice left hook in the middle of an exchange by GGG. Alvarez lands two more jabs in the closing seconds.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 Canelo, 29-28 after 2 rounds

Round 4

GGG opens up with some left hands, to the body and head. Golovkin backs away from a flurry, and they return to the center of the ring. Two jabs and a left hook by GGG, and he finally gets Alvarez to take a step back. He also lands an uppercut but takes a body shot. GGG finally tries a few body shots. Alvarez covers up to avoid incoming left hands. Both men have their moments in a scramble, and Canelo comes out of it to the body as well. Alvarez lands right after the bell but touches gloves as if to say it was not malicious.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG, 38-38 after 4 rounds

Round 5

Harold Lederman has it even through four as well. GGG lands a jab, and then uses a left hook to dissuade Alvarez from staying in close. Quick combination by Golovkin, but Alvarez is doing the pressuring right now. GGG decides to circle a bit to change things up. Nice left hook by Canelo, but GGG answers with a right. Alvarez lands two straight jabs before taking one back. Combination to the body lands for Alvarez, but he misses a wild left hook upstairs.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 Canelo, 48-47 Canelo after 5 rounds

Round 6

Overhand right by Golovkin turns Canelo’s head, but Alvarez goes to the body again as a response. Max Kellerman thinks GGG needs to come forward more, but Canelo isn’t letting him do that. Each fighter slips a power shot as they close in. Alvarez isn’t quite as active in this round, but his punches seem to sting more when they connect flush. Right hands both ways. GGG waves Canelo in, and now we have some sustained action through the final 20 or so seconds.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 Canelo, 58-56 Canelo after 6 rounds

Round 7

This frame starts out with more close range fighting, with Canelo seeming to get the better of it. Alvarez is committed to body work with both hands, and he also forces GGG to fight off the back foot again. Left hook and a jab by Golovkin. So many near misses, one wonders if one fighter can change things if just one of those shots lands. Short left hook by Alvarez, and he resumes body punching. Golovkin opens up with both hands and lands an uppercut as well.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 Canelo, 68-65 Canelo after 7 rounds

Round 8

GGG’s trainer told him between rounds he was losing the fight, and that appears to make Golovkin step on the gas to start things out again. Canelo weathers that storm and returns fire upstairs and to the body. Good left hand by GGG as they pivot around. Golovkin finally backs Alvarez into a corner for the first time all night, and his jab output has picked up. GGG lands a nice right hand right before the bell.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG, 77-75 Canelo after 8 rounds

Round 9

Harold Lederman has GGG up by a point, which surprises Kellerman. Alvarez tries to get some uppercuts and hooks going, and he digs to the body with the right as well. Combination by GGG, and a left hook by Canelo. Golovkin opens up with both hands again, he just doesn’t seem to be hitting hard enough to dissuade Alvarez, who scores with a right hand. Big left hook by GGG, and now a cut over Canelo’s left eye might be a factor. Straight right by Golovkin and he might have stolen that round late.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG, 86-85 Canelo after 9 rounds

Round 10

Nice left hook by GGG, with Canelo using a body shot and hook to respond. Stiff jab by GGG. Golovkin lands two straight power shots and those might have been the most powerful shots landed tonight. Alvarez gets his wits about him and scores with two left hooks, though GGG shakes his head. Nice left hook by Golovkin snaps Canelo’s head back, and another hard combination lands, making probably GGG’s best round of the fight.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG, 95-95 after 10 rounds

Round 11

Golovkin seems to have regained some confidence, but Alvarez is not backing down. GGG comes forward, putting Alvarez against the ropes, albeit briefly. The action picks up again as Golovkin smashes home a scorching right hand. These guys have ridiculous chins. Jab by GGG and a hard right by Alvarez flies back at him. A left hook knocks Alvarez off balance. Canelo lands some punches right before the bell.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG, 105-104 GGG after 11 rounds

Round 12

They shake hands before the final rounds, and GGG comes out landing a left and a right. This might be the final round he needs. Canelo goes down, but it was an obvious slip. They shake hands again, but it was hard to see why. Both guys throwing bombs with both hands, and the crowd is into it. They tie up for the first time in about six rounds. They trade shots again, leaning in close. Rare right hand counter by GGG. Can one of them win strictly on activity? Left hooks are exchanged, with Canelo getting the better of it. GGG gets the final two shots in, both uppercuts, and they embrace after finishing their 24th ridiculous round against each other.

FanSided scores it: 10-9 GGG, 115-113 GGG after 12 rounds

Both Max Kellerman and Roy Jones say the fight was even better than the first one. Lederman has it eight rounds to four for GGG.

The judges score it 114-114, and 115-113 twice for the winner … and new lineal middleweight champion of the world … Canelo Alvarez.

Kellerman asks Canelo if he felt it was close going into the final round, and that one judge scoring it for him prevented another draw. He says his trainer told him it was a close fight and he needed to win the 12th. Asked about playing the stalker instead of relying on counter-punching, Alvarez talks about training for the knockout but that it was difficult because Golovkin is a great fighter. How about a trilogy? Canelo says if the people want to see it again, he’s willing to do it, but for now he’s going to relax with his family.

Golovkin walked to his locker room without talking to Kellerman, and some of the fans give him a hard time for that. Max discusses how the sequel was better than the original, and that though GGG didn’t correct any of his mistakes from the first fight, Golovkin seemed to change his fate. He’s disappointed that GGG won’t talk, because he’s interested to find out what he has to say.