Canelo Alvarez v Gennady Golovkin was bad for boxing in the exact same way that Conor McGregor v Floyd Mayweather was.
The main complaint regarding the historic middleweight world title fight between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez wasn't about the fight itself. No fight fan felt cheated about what both warriors brought to the ring.
What transpired inside the T-Mobile Arena on Sunday morning was one of the
finest displays of the fistic arts ever seen. The two men put on a dazzling show that is sure to go down as an all-time classic.
It's just a shame the same cannot be said of the scoring of the fight. None of the three judges sitting ringside scored the closely-fought contest the same. Dave Moretti scored the fight 115-113 to Golovkin, Don Trella had it as a 114-114 draw while Adalaide Byrd had it 118-110 for Canelo.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/909289474584203264
The only part of the fight that left a lingering nasty taste swirling around everyone's mouths was the scoring of the fight. Everyone seemed to take issue with Byrd giving so many rounds to Canelo, despite being constantly on the back foot and landing fewer punches according to the Compubox stats.
Teddy Atlas gave out about it,
Michael Conlan gave out about it, even Manny Pacquiao had a chuckle over Byrd's scoring of the fight. In many people's eyes, it turned what should have been a wonderful night in the sport of boxing into exactly the opposite by highlighting its perceived problems.
Some argued that it was worse for boxing than the much-maligned Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather crossover spectacle in August, but what these folks are forgetting is that 'The Money Fight' had a similar controversy that didn't gain as much traction.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/909304989226557440
Conor McGregor v Floyd Mayweather was laughed off as a circus sideshow, an unwanted distraction in a year where boxing had enjoyed overwhelming success. However, once all those insane press conferences, celebrity cameos and social media-fuelled drama had finished, we were blessed with a sporting contest.
Two men entered the ring, one man, the one with all the experience and skill advantages, claimed victory. It was a competitive fight. There is a legitimate argument to make that it was all part of Mayweather's gameplan to allow McGregor to be competitive, but 'The Notorious' undeniably seized his opportunity to take rounds off arguably the greatest defensive boxer ever.
Once the judges' scorecards were released after the fact, though, they told a different story to what everyone had seen unfold before their eyes.
https://twitter.com/pancadante/status/901946708233474048
Only one of the three judges gave more than one round to McGregor which, no matter what way you slice it up, is absurd.
Mayweather's 10th round knockout meant that this travesty was overshadowed, but the warning signs for Canelo v GGG were already there. Too often there is something rotten with the judging in professional boxing. If you need a reference for that, look no further than the scorecards of the two most high-profile bouts of the year.
