Boxing Fans Fighting Mad After Draw in Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin Bout

Judge criticized by ESPN, others over wildly differing marks in middleweight title fight

Gennady Golovkin
Gennady Golovkin, right, connects with a right to Canelo Alvarez during a middleweight title fight Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Pounding for pounding, it was a better fight than Mayweather/McGregor.

But despite the boxing battle that played out between middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin and challenger Canelo Alvarez, the real drama came in the judging that led to an official draw.

One of the judges, Judge Adalaide Byrd, gave the fight to Alvarez, 119-110, differing from her two counterparts and drawing anger from a sold-out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena and all across social media.

“Unfortunately, Adalaide was a little wide,” Bob Bennett, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, told ESPN.

“I’m not making any excuses. I think she’s an outstanding judge, and in any business, sometimes you have a bad day. She saw the fight differently (than the other judge). It happens.”

Golovkin still retained his unified middleweight title – his 19th consecutive defense. Both fighters believed they deserved to win and are calling for a rematch.

The real TKO, though, goes to promoters: ESPN estimates that there were more than 2 million pay-per-view buys to go along with the third-best gate in history at more than $30 million.

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