By Ryan Burton

Recently crowned WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez, like some others, felt Gennady Golovkin had done enough to beat Canelo Alvarez in the September mega-fight. The fight was very competitive and ended in a split draw that marred by the head scratching 118-110 scorecard turned in by Adelaide Byrd in favor of Canelo.

BoxingScene.com recently caught up with Benavidez, who has sparred with GGG, to get his take on the fight.

"I scored it for Golovkin because he used the jab a little bit more and he was applying the pressure and with the pressure I could see that Golovkin was controlling the fight. That is my opinion," said Benavidez.

Prior to the draw, Golovkin won a narrow decision over Danny Jacobs in March. It was Golovkin's first twelve round decision in his career - after stopping 23 opponents in a row. Now he's gone the full twelve round distance in consecutive fights.

Even prior to those fights, Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) had some issues in his fifth round stoppage of Kell Brook last November. Brook was the IBF's welterweight champion and moved up by two full weight divisions to take the challenge.

After the outcomes of Golovkin's most recent fights, some observers feel that the WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO middleweight champion is slowing down at age 35.

Benavidez doesn't believe that is true at all.

"I don't feel like he is slowing down. He had a great fighter in front of him so he couldn't make that many mistakes. I think he has a lot of years left in him," Benavidez explained.

Benavidez is expected to return to the ring in January in a rematch against Ronald Gavril. Golovkin on the other hand is in talks for a rematch with Canelo, which is being targeted for next May during Cinco De Mayo weekend.

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