"A Sport that Just Can't Get Out of Its' Own Way" : Canelo vs. GGG
I heard that quote that night. I do not know who said it but I thought it would make a great title.
I was not going to post about this because I had a post a few years ago explaining why boxing is not a sport. Well, it was not just boxing. Ice skating, gymnastics and diving were not sports to me either (bowling is also not a sport but for other reasons). I believe that any sport that depends on judges or subjective determination cannot be considered a sport. Just too much is up to interpretation. This weekend just convinced me that my post from a few years ago still applies today.
My girlfriend, Josie, hates boxing. She would rather be run through by a charging bull than watch a boxing match. But her libido will overrule and hate for the sport that there may be when in comes to Canelo Alvarez. He is handsome, muscular and Mexican; all the things that she appreciates. I believe she would kill baby seals to get a chance to shake the man's hand. I do not blame her. If I were into that I might take a shot at him (would not work though. My Spanish is terrible).
Well, Canelo (that is what he is called, I had to look up his last name) was fighting a fighter from Kazakhstan (yes, it took me four times to spell that right) by the name of Gennady Golovkin (yes, cannot spell that either). Golovkin goes by the nickname of GGG, probably because I am not the only one who cannot pronounce the name (I just saved this because I do not want to have to look this up again). GGG was suppose to be a tough fighter. He was 37-0 with 33 knockouts compared to Conelo's 49-1 with 34 knockouts (his loss to Floyd Mayweather). This was suppose to be the biggest fight since Marvin Hagler and Tommy Herns (it was big). So I decided that watching Josie slobber over another guy might be worth watching this fight.
The fight started and Canelo looked good. He hit GGG hard and often. But there was something that I knew would be a problem: GGG kept moving forward and pushing Canelo to the ropes. GGG kept hitting Canelo with his left jabs. He was building up points. Canelo took swings that, when connecting, seemed powerful. But GGG just walked through them and kept moving forward. I had Canelo winning the first two rounds but the commentator said that Canelo won the second round but lost the first round.
I decided to watch the fight in a more objective way. I decided to see who was more aggressive, who landed more punches and who controlled the fight. I was going to watch with my brain and not my heart. That being said, I saw GGG win the next eight rounds. Josie was annoyed that I said Canelo was losing but he kept getting hit and GGG was far more aggressive. The .few times Canelo did hit him, GGG just shook it off and kept walking forward.
When the last two rounds came, I could see Canelo was getting desperate. He was not retreating to the ropes but was fighting toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring. And he looked like he won those two rounds (though round 12 could have gone to GGG). The bell rang to end the fight and I knew Canelo had lost and lost big. My friend pointed out that one can never know when it comes to a decision in boxing. Boy, did he call it!
It was 118-110, Canelo. Next was 115-113, GGG, Finally, 114-114, draw. Embarrassing. Twitter when wild, Vegas had a ton of money to return, fans were booing in the stadium and the promoters were going to have another opportunity to fleece the fan for another $100 in the rematch. I was a Canelo fan and I had no doubt he lost.
This is the problem with boxing. This is why it will never be considered a real sport. How do three separate, professional judges come up with scores that are so disparate. There are so many title belts, so many divisions, a lot of competition from the UFC and so many boxers that money can get a little thin. When that big pay day comes, I bet it is tempting to try for another one, even if it means fixing a fight. I know that is a little cynical, but who can prove me wrong?
I will not get suckered again. I will just watch the Twitter feed during the next fight and get the information there.
Visit my site at http://reallysorefeet.com
Follow me on Twitter @RunninFewl
Photos courtesy of:
ringside24.com
forbes.com
mirror.com
TheIndependant.com
skysports.com
bloodyelbow.com
boxingnews.com
dailymirror.com