By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Even Canelo Alvarez’s scorecard differed greatly from the one Adalaide Byrd submitted last September 16.
Alvarez told a group of reporters Tuesday that he feels he won seven of 12 rounds against Gennady Golovkin, which would’ve given the Mexican icon a 115-113 victory in their middleweight title fight. Byrd infamously scored what was a very competitive fight 118-110 for Alvarez, whom she credited for winning 10 of 12 rounds.
Their fight resulted in a controversial draw because one judge, Dave Moretti, scored Golovkin a 115-113 winner and a third judge, Don Trella, scored the action even, 114-114. Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) are set to fight again Saturday night in the main event of HBO Pay-Per-View’s four-fight broadcast from T-Mobile Arena (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT; $84.99 in HD).
“I personally felt that I won seven rounds of the fight, clean,” Alvarez said, according to a translator, following his “grand arrival” at MGM Grand. “Boxing is about appreciation. One person may see it one way; another person may see it the other way. But I respect the judges’ decision. I feel I won the fight [seven rounds to five].”
Alvarez, 28, thinks he nullified Golovkin’s aggression by boxing his hard-hitting opponent and moving out of harm’s way when necessary. Abel Sanchez, Golovkin’s trainer, and Golovkin have criticized Alvarez for “running,” a charge Alvarez continues to dispute.
“I worked off the ropes,” Alvarez said. “I worked in the center of the ring and I did my boxing. But I neutralized him. Supposedly, when he’s at the ropes, that’s when he finishes his [opponent]. But he didn’t do that with me.”
The former middleweight and junior middleweight champion claims the Kazakh knockout artist didn’t him hurt once in their 12-round battle at T-Mobile Arena.
“In the first fight, he didn’t really land hard shots on me,” Alvarez said. “Maybe two or three punches, but most of the shots that landed were jabs. And I feel that when I won the rounds, it was by me landing hard shots. Now when I lost the rounds, it was more because I was defending and moving. That’s why I lost those rounds.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.