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One of the most hotly anticipated fights in years goes down tonight (Sat., Sept. 16, 2017) as Mexican sensation Canelo Alvarez takes on Middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
MMAmania will deliver LIVE coverage of “Canelo vs. Golovkin” below, starting with the HBO pay-per-view (PPV) at 8 p.m. ET.
Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KO) and Golovkin (37-0, 33 KO) have been on a collision course for ages, and the cynical among you may find Alvarez’s sudden willingness to throw down strangely coincidental with Golovkin’s recent fits of mortality. No matter the cause, though, we’re finally getting “The Fight” of 2017.
The co-main event pits former Olympian Joseph Diaz Jr. (24-0, 13 KO) against late replacement Rafael Rivera (25-0-2, 16 KO) for a possible crack at WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. Rising star Diego De La Hoya (19-0, 9 KO) takes on former Bantamweight champ Randy Caballero (24-0, 14 KO) at Super Bantamweight and Lightweight prospect Ryan Martin (19-0, 11 KO) opens the show against Francisco Rojo (20-2, 13 KO).
CANELO VS. GOLOVKIN QUICK RESULTS:
Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin fight to split draw — (118-110, 113-115, 114-114)
Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Rafael Rivera — Diaz Jr. def. Rivera by unanimous decision (119-109 x2, 120-108)
Diego De La Hoya vs. Randy Caballero — De La Hoya def. Caballero by unanimous decision (100-90, 98-92 x2)
Ryan Martin vs. Francisco Rojo — Martin def. Rojo by split decision (91-98, 96-93, 95-94)
CANELO VS. GOLOVKIN PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES:
160 lbs.: Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin
Round one: Golovkin on the front foot, looking to cut off the ring and firing his jab. Canelo slips a right hand. Jab exchanges, right to the body from Canelo. One minute in. More jabs from Golovkin. Golovkin whiffs on an overhand right, eats a left downstairs. One minute to go. 1-2 from Canelo, eats a pair of jabs in return. Right hand by Canelo. Looping right by Canelo. Now he’s forcing Golovkin back. 10-9 Golovkin.
Round two: Golovkin advancing, Canelo cocked and ready to counter. Clinch. 3-2 from Canelo. One minute in. Jab exchange, Canelo jabs the body. Canelo falls short with a left hook, digs to the body. Left upstairs. Left hook from Golovkin. Canelo to the body. One minute to go. One minute to go. Canelo continues to target the body. Straight right from Golovkin. Counter uppercut to the body lands for Canelo. 10-9 Alvarez, 19-19.
Round three: Golovkin still advancing, fires hooks upstairs. Stiff jabs, Canelo responds to the body. Again Canelo goes downstairs to good effect. Golovkin right hand upstairs. One minute in. Canelo falls short with an overhand right, digs to the body. Right hand upstairs. More jabs from Golovkin, left hook upstairs. Left hook again. One minute to go. Canelo sneaks around his guard again. Uppercut from Canelo. Clinch. Canelo circling along the ropes, eats a left hook. 10-9, 29-28 Alvarez.
Round four: Golovkin coming on a little more aggressively. Jab exchange. Combo from Canelo. Body shot. Golovkin with his first quality left hook downstairs. Canelo answers. Left hook from Golovkin. One minute in. Golovkin combo on the ropes. Picking at him with his jab. Right hand nupstairs. Canelo waves him on. Golovkin staying patient, rips to the body. One minute in. Canelo with a right downstairs. Left hand lands for GGG. counter right by Golovkin, counter right by Canelo soon after. Golovkin’s getting the better of these. 10-9 Golovkin, 38-38.
Round five: Golovkin back on the attack, lands inside. Jab exchange. Canelo goes to the body. Golovkin backs him to the ropes, lands a good uppercut and body shot. Canelo with a right downstairs. Golovkin finding his mark with the jab, eats a left hook a minute in. More jabs landing. Clinch. Canelo to the body. Canelo right hands skims off Golovkin’s head. Canelo to the body. Right hands by Golovkin. BIG right hand, Canelo shakes his head. Golovkin keeping him on the ropes as Canelo looks to counter. Right cross from Golovkin. combination by Golovkin. Both land right hands. We’ve got a fight. 10-9, 48-47 Golovkin.
Round six: Hard 1-2s bye Golovkin. These are big right hands. Uppercut just misses. 1-2 from Canelo, good right hand upstairs. Now Canelo advancing. Left hooks. 1-2-3 from Canelo slips around the guard. They trade left hooks and jabs. 1-2 from Golovkin. Cheeky behind-the-back punch from Canelo in the clinch. Golovkin backs him to the ropes, continues to pile up the jabs. Left hook lands, right to the body. One minute to go. Body shot by Golovkin. 1-2 connects. Hard right hand. Canelo backs him off. Right cross by Canelo. 10-9, 58-56 Golovkin.
Round seven: Golovkin still storming forward. Canelo with a good combo, eats a hard right hand. Straight right from Golovkin. Left hook by Golovkin. One minute in. 1-2 from Golovkin. Golovkin keeping Canelo’s back to the ropes. Canelo with a right hand off the back foot, left hook to the body. Golovkin with a four-piece combo. Uppercut splits the guard. Hard right as Canelo circles off. Canelo rips a counter right uppercut. Another right downstairs. 10-9, 68-65 Golovkin.
Round eight: Golovkin continues to advance, rattles Canelo with a head shot. Canelo to the body. 1-2 from Golovkin. Canelo left hook, hard right hand inside. Golovkin sniping with the jab, eats body shots. Canelo advancing now a minute in. Body shot. 1-1-2 fro mGolovkin. Canelo lands a body shot, eats an uppercut. Check hook by Canelo lands clean. Golovkin still gets him to the ropes. Left hook-uppercut. One minute to go. Hard uppercut by Canelo. Golovkin unfazed. Body shot by Canelo, Golovkin just marching after him. 10-9, 78-74 Golovkin.
Round nine: Canelo to the body, uppercut inside. Canelo on the front foot, trading with Golovkin in the center. Jab from Golovkin, big uppercut. Canelo blasts him with a left hook and uppercut. Golovkin is eating everything without flinching. Right hands from Golovkin, going forehead-to-forehead. Another big right hand. One minute in. Golovkin is hunting the finish. Straight right. Again. MASSIVE overhand right from Canelo and Golovkin eats it like it’s nothing. Golovkin cannot be stopped right now. Left hook by Canelo. Right hands by Golovkin. Canelo standing still, eats a heavy body shot. Canelo with a good combination. Golovkin undeterred. 10-9, 88-83 Golovkin.
Round ten: Counter uppercut from Canelo as they trade in the center. The combinations are flowing. 3-2 and now Golovkin seems buzzed. Big shots landing over and over. Golovkin walking through it, landing heavy blows of his own. Big right cross by Golovkin, clinch a minute in. Left hook from Golovkin and now he’s on the attack again. Canelo in the corner, circling. Lead right hand by Golovkin. Again. Clinch with a minute to go. Canelo bangs to the body, clinch. Golovkin backs him to the ropes. Clinch. Combination from Gplovkin, Canelo answers and they’re slugging it out. This is just violence. 10-9 Alvarez, 97-93 Golovkin.
Round eleven: Golovkin continues to advance. Right to the body from Golovkin lands to the back, Golovkin acknowledges it. Body shot from Canelo, 1-1-2 from Golovkin. Overhand right. Clinch a minute in. Jabs from Golovkin. Overhand right. Jab exchange. Canelo with a quality right cross and a three-piece combo. Golovkin is walking through it. One minute to go. 1-2 lands clean for Golovkin. Overhand right cracks Canelo again. Counter uppercut comes back at him. Uppercut, left hook stings Canelo. They trade in the center. 10-9, 107-102 Golovkin.
Round twelve: Right uppercut by Canelo and now he’s attacking, landing a good right hand that prompts a clinch. Counter right by Alvarez, good uppercut. Canelo unloading as Golovkin bulls his way forward. Big right hand by Canelo. Golovkin 1-2-3, 1-2, landing heavy blows on the ropes. One minute in. Golovkin back in control of the round and they trade right hands. Clinch with a minute to go. Right hand from GOlovkin, left hook from Canelo. Big shots by both men. Uppercut lands for Canelo. Goovkin slugs until the bell. 10-9 Alvarez, 116-112 Golovkin.
Final result: Split draw
126 lbs.: Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Rafael Rivera
Round one: Diaz southpaw, Rivera orthodox. Diaz with a left downstairs. Big left hand but Rivera comes back with one of his own. One minute in. Right hook by Diaz. Both tag the body with lefts. Rivera to the body. Good exchange in the center. One minute to go. Right hook by Diaz. Rivera digs a left downstairs. Big hooks by both men, Rivera runs into an overhand. Close round. 10-9 Diaz.
Round two: Diaz getting his foot on the outside as they paw at each other’s lead hands. Both go to the body, clinch. Low-high combo by Diaz. One minute in. Left from Rivera up top. Good straight right. Nasty combo by Diaz on the ropes. They trade left hands inside. Rivera digs a right downstairs. Diaz to the body, eats body shots in return. Diaz right hook, combination. Fun fight so far. 10-9, 20-18 Diaz.
Round three: Rivera digs some body shots, right hand upstairs. Straight left by Diaz. Good low-high combo lands for him. They trade in the center. One minute in. Diaz digs a left to the body. Rivera to the body. Clinch. Counter from Rivera in the corner. One minute to go. Diaz to the body, Rivera comes back upstairs. Rivera finding his mark a little more. Good left hook. Clinch. Diaz with a combination in the waning seconds. Both go to the body. 10-9, 30-27 Diaz.
Round four: Both men pawing with their lead hands. Not much in the first minute. Right hook from Diaz, body shots. Rivera charges after him with punches. They separate. Diaz backs Rivera near the corner, lands a combination. 1-2 from RIvera. Diaz left hand sneaks around the guard, clinch, left on the exit. Right hand by Rivera. Diaz muscles into the clinch, eats a body shot. Left hands by Diaz. Both land their power hands to the body, then Diaz opens up to the head. 10-9, 40-36 Diaz.
Round five: Diaz backing Rivera to the corner once again. Diaz with a left to the body inside. One minute in. Had counter uppercut by Diaz. Straight right by Rivera, who eats a low-high two piece. They trade to the head. Rivera connects with some solid rights. Diaz to the body. Left hands by Diaz. One minute to go. Straight left downstairs. Rivera finds the mark with his lead right. Body shot. Three-piece by Diaz. He changes levels quite well. Counter 1-2 lands for Diaz. Suddenly, Rivera lands a left hand that snaps Diaz’s head back before the bell. 10-9, 50-45 Diaz.
Round six: Diaz continues to pressure. Diaz left upstairs, Rivera right to the body. Another right downstairs. Left to the body. One minute in. Nice combo from Diaz begun by straight left. Rivera right hand as he gives ground. 1-2 from Diaz, then another two-piece. Hard overhand left. One minute to go. They exchange in the center. Rivera to the body. Right hand exchange, straight left from Diaz. Both land heavy right hands in the center. 2-1 from Rivera, counter lefts by Diaz slow him. 10-9, 60-54 Diaz.
Round seven: It’s honestly hard to stay too engrossed. Diaz is landing some good shots and Rivera lands a good right every time it looks like he’s about to start losing ground, but a finish doesn’t seem likely and we’ve got the big drama show after this. One minute in. Right hand by Rivera. Left from Diaz. They roughhouse inside. Straight left by Diaz kicks off a combo. 2-3. Counter left. One minute to go. They trade body shots inside. One minute to go. Good check hook by Diaz thirty seconds later. Left to the body. They trade shoulder-to-shoulder. Sharp right by Rivera inside. 10-9, 70-63 Diaz.
Round eight: It’s really not fair to Diaz, but it’s hard not to be frustrated that this isn’t over yet because of what comes after. He’s winning comfortably. Rivera coming out aggressively, lands some hard punches but eats an uppercut. One minute in. Diaz with body shots and a counter left. Lead left by Diaz snaps Rivera’s head back. Rivera with a right as they separate. They trade in the center, Rivera with a left downstairs. One minute to go. Diaz to the body as well, uppercut-right hook. Diaz outlanding him in the last minute. They trade body shots. Rivera finds the mark with a straight right. 10-9, 80-72 Diaz.
Round nine: Diaz continues to press forward, landing solid shots. Clinch. Clinch. Counter 1-2 by Diaz. He backs him to the corner, lands a body shot, clinch. One minute in. They trade body shots, Rivera lands a left hook upstairs. Body shots, left upstairs, uppercut. Rivera’s throwing back with heat but getting outlanded. Diaz banging to the body. Right hook upstairs. One minute to go. Right hooks from Diaz. Hard left behind them. Nasty uppercut inside. Diaz walking him down, continues to land heavy left hands. Big left inside. Again on the counter. 10-9, 90-81 Diaz.
Round ten: Diaz in total control. Rivera doesn’t look like he’s going to sleep anytime soon, but he’s eating a lot of very good punches. Hard left downstairs from Diaz. Counter left. One minute in. Body shot. Right hook. Clinch. Hard uppercuts by Diaz. Again on the counter. He’s chewing Rivera up. One minute to go. Low-low-high goes Diaz. Body shot. Lead left. Counter left. 10-9, 100-90 Diaz.
Round eleven: Eleventh verse, same as the first ten. Diaz moseying forward. High-low combo, counter left, right hook. One minute in. Rivera’s not finding the mark with enough punches. More combos by Diaz. Left hand from Diaz, they trade near the corner. One minute to go. Big counter left knocks Rivera back. More lefts, body shots. Left hands from Diaz, Rivera with a right to the body. Counter hook by Diaz. 10-9, 110-99 Diaz.
Round twelve: No quit in Rivera, but Diaz is giving him a right good thumping. One minute in. Body shots from Diaz. Rivera answers to the midsection, eats a left upstairs. Diaz combinations continue to pile up. One minute to go. They trade hooks in the corner. Rivera to the body. He keeps advancing and trading until the final bell. 10-9, 120-108 Diaz.
Final result: Diaz def. Rivera by unanimous decision
122 lbs.: Diego De La Hoya vs. Randy Caballero
Round one: Both men looking for the body early. Right hands up top by De La Hoya. Good hook downstairs. Caballero jabs upstairs, eats a hard right as they trade. One minute in. 1-2 from De La Hoya and Caballero stumbles a bit, apparently just off-balance. De La Hoya doing very well in these early exchanges. Caballero right hand, clinch. Caballero to the body, eats a hook upstairs. Caballero with left hooks of his own. Caballero with a stiff jab. Close round. 10-9 De La Hoya.
Round two: Nice left hook by De La Hoya upstairs. Caballero slips when their lead feet get tied up. De La Hoya with an overhand right, left hook as they trade. De La Hoya with the early edge this round. Hard hook downstairs answered in kind by Caballero. One minute in. De La Hoya left hook. Plenty of give-and-take exchanges. Good lead right by De La Hoya. Check hook lands. One minute to go. Overhand right. Body shots. Nasty clash of heads initiated by Caballero. Caballero rips to the body, clinch. Both fighters warned for failing to break. They trade and De La Hoya lands a heavy right on the ropes. 10-9, 20-18 De La Hoya.
Round three: De La Hoya landing the more eye-catching punches so far. Straight right lands for Caballero. Left hook downstairs and they chip away at close range. One minute in. Left hook by De La Hoya, eats one soon after. They go at it at point-blank. Nice uppercut by De La Hoya, then a good combination. Caballero bangs downstairs, lovely combination comes back at him. Caballero digs a right to the body. Four-piece combo from De La Hoya, all land with a minute to go. Hard counter right from De La Hoya. Caballero’s left eye starting to look ugly as another right cross finds its mark. Counter right from De La Hoya. 10-9, 30-27 De La Hoya.
Round four: Good 1-2 from De La Hoya. More high-speed exchanges. One minute in. Good body shots from De La Hoya, who eats uppercuts in return. Nice trades inside. Hard right from De La Hoya. Caballero finds his mark with a 2-1 inside and a straight right with a minute to go. 1-2 from De La Hoya in return. They trade in the center, good 1-2 and lead right by De La Hoya before the clinch. 10-9, 40-36 De La Hoya.
Round five: Caballero digs body shots in the clinch, eats a heavy combo by De La Hoya. Clinch. Double left hooks. 2-1. One minute in. He’s landing more and harder than Caballero. Sweeping right hand caps a combo. Caballero not finding his earlier success at point-blank range as De La Hoya backs him to the ropes. One minute to go. Caballero reels for unknown reasons and De La Hoya presses the advantage. Both go to the body, clinch. Apparently a headbutt caused that. 10-9, 50-45 De La Hoya.
Round six: There doesn’t seem to be any avenue Caballero can exploit. De La Hoya in cruise control. Caballero tries to dig uppercuts inside, trips. They trade in the center. 1-2 from De La Hoya. De La Hoya to the body, uppercut upstairs. Good shots high and low. Nice inside work. Clinch. Caballero with right hands in the clinch, eats a hard straight right. Nice uppercut by Caballero. One minute to go. 1-2 connects. Caballero pressures, walks through counters. De La Hoya to the body. 10-9, 60-54 De La Hoya.
Round seven: More engagement while they’re leaning on each other. As before, it’s De La Hoya landing more, landing harder. Heavy combo upstairs after Caballero lands to the body. Again. Just not enough from Caballero. One minute in. Both go to the body. Forehead-to-forehead. Caballero with a good right downstairs but stung by a borderline low blow. They trade good shots and clinch. One minute to go. They lock arms and thump each other. Right cross by De La Hoya. 10-9, 70-63 De La Hoya.
Round eight: Yep, that punch was definitely to the ghoulies. 1-2 by De La Hoya. Slower start to the round. Clinch a minute in. Uppercut by De La Hoya. Caballero with some good right hands inside, eats a left hook. Left hook from De La Hoya. One minute to go. More clinching. De La Hoya continuing to find the mark with heavy blows to the body and head. 10-9, 80-72 De La Hoya.
Round nine: De La Hoya looking to campaign for the Evander Holyfield Third Fist Award, looks like. Caballero with a left downstairs, eats one in return. Both dig rights downstairs. Three head shots form Caballero inside. One minute in. Caballero digs to the body. De La Hoya with a right downstairs, clinch. Things slow down and Caballero lands to the body inside. One minute to go. De La Hoya finds the mark with a pair of right hands upstairs. Chopping right buzzes Caballero and De La Hoya attacks. Hard head shots by De La Hoya. Right hands land clean. 10-9, 90-81 De La Hoya.
Round ten: They continue to trade inside. Caballero seems to have his wits about him. Clinch. More clinching. One minute in. Right hand by De La Hoya. Caballero chasing, lands to the body. One minute to go. Left hook by De La Hoya, body shots from Caballero. More roughhousing inside. Caballero with a hard overhand right and left hook. Same combo again, his best punches of the fight. They wrestle in the corner and De La Hoya taunts him. 10-9 Caballero, 99-91 De La Hoya.
Final result: De La Hoya def. Caballero by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Ryan Martin vs. Francisco Rojo
Round one: The taller Martin firing his jab. Rojo looking for the body. More jabs from Martin. One minute in. Another right to the body from Rojo. Martin really hasn’t thrown much but the jab, but it’s working. One minute to go. Hard right hand by Rojo upstairs. Rojo aggressive, lands another right. Short counters from Martin. Uppercut from Rojo. 10-9 Rojo.
Round two: Rojo plugs the body once again. Martin still pumping the jab, eats a body shot. Good counter hook. Again. One minute in, Rojo to the body. Double right by Rojo met by a 1-1-2. Rojo right downstairs. Uppercut splits the guard. Rojo’s pressure and volume working so far. They trade hard body shots. One minute to go. Right hand lands for Martin. Again the right downstairs comes back at him. 1-2 from Martin before the bell. 10-9, 20-18 Rojo.
Round three: Martin left hook, Rojo backs him to the corner and goes low-high. Left hook and right to the body. Martin’s trying to counter that. 1-2 from Martin, eats a body shot. Martin’s just not doing enough right now. Good combo though a minute in. Martin’s looking for the counter hook and they trade body shots. Good exchange of hooks. 2-1 from Rojo. One minute to go. Quick flurry by Martin. Rojo bangs to the body. Martin backs him off with a right hand, eats a body shot. Overhand right by Rojo, Martin spears him with a cross. 10-9, 30-27 Rojo.
Round four: Counter left from Martin when Rojo targets the body doesn’t dissuade him from landing more. Good trades in the center. Martin again working behind his jab. One minute in. Rojo right to the body, hard left hooks. Martin retreating and Rojo opens up in the corner. Martin circles out. Good 1-2 by Martin after eating a body shot. They exchange in the center. One minute to go. Martin throwing more, lands a good left hook downstairs. Rojo’s trying for a home run overhand right. Body shot exchange. They trade rights. 10-9 Martin, 39-37 Rojo.
Round five: Rojo to the body, eats a right upstairs. More pressure by Rojo, Martin looking to pick him off at range. Body shots from Rojo, eats counters. One minute in. Rojo to the body in the corner, eats a swatting right upstairs and a cracking counter left. Both fire right hands, Rojo sneaks in a body shot. Rojo not having as much success. They trade hard blows on the ropes. Big combo by Rojo on the ropes. 1-2 by MArtin, combo by Rojo. 10-9 Martin, 48-47 Rojo.
Round six: Martin finds him with counter hooks early. Body shot from Rojo off an overhand right. Nice double hook by Martin high-low. Martin’s doing a better job of backing Rojo off, still eats a body blow. One minute in. Sweeping right by Martin. Nasty combo from Rojo again on the ropes and again the left hooks come back at him. Martin right upstairs. Rojo lead right. One minute to go. Rojo opens up on the ropes, countered. Martin with a right cross as Rojo tries to bob and weave. Martin getting the better of these. Rojo with a lead right before the bell. 10-9 Martin, 57-57.
Round seven: Martin really in control at this point. Rojo’s not going away, but Martin’s paying back most of the punches he takes. Rojo complains of a rabbit punch. One minute in. Right cross from Rojo, eats a double hook, lands a liver shot. Martin chips away with his back on the ropes. Rojo lands a good right hand, eats a cross in return. They trade in the center. Rojo with some of his best shots in a while. One minute to go. Martin to the body as he slips an overhand. Rojo rips the body, eats a shot upstairs. Martin finding his mark more and more. Right hands, body shot. Rojo to the body but the volume’s not there anymore. Ref warns Martin for a low blow. Rojo with a flurry before the bell, then one from Martin. 10-9, 67-66 Martin.
Round eight: Martin comfortably potshotting at range. Rojo bullies his way in, can’t land anything telling besides some body shots. Now Rojo’s doing better. One minute in. Martin goes way low and they pause. Just a warning, then another warning when Martin goes right back to the donger. Martin looking busier. now after a slow opening minute, picking Rojo off coming in. One minute to go. Rojo struggling to find the mark, eats a hard pair of right hands. Borderline shot by Rojo. Martin with a series of hard right hands. 3-2. Rojo with rights downstairs, waves Martin on. 10-9, 77-75 Martin.
Round nine: Martin’s trainer tells him to forget the body to avoid losing a point. Rojo has no such risk and goes right back to the midsection as Martin plinks him in the body. Combination from Martin upstairs. One minute in. Martin goes low and there’s the point deduction. 3-2 from Martin lands clean. Rojo with some good body shots. Good shots. Martin goes low-high. Point-blank rights from Martin with a minute to go. Four-piece combo, Rojo answers with body shots. This is Rojo’s best round in a while. Moroe lefts to the body. Good right by Martin, then a clean 3-2. 10-8 Rojo, 85-85.
Round ten: They’re both going at it in the early going. Martin’s landing the cleaner shots. Rojo plugs the body. One minute in. Rojo with a left downstairs. More body shots. 3-2 from Martin. Hard left hook by Martin with a minute to go. Rojo opens up in the corner. Martin backs him off and lands right hands. Rojo left hook. 10-9, 95-94 Rojo.
Final result: Martin def. Rojo by split decision
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