Alvarez, Golovkin draw controversial

LAS VEGAS — One great fight, one lousy scorecard.

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin did their part Saturday night to make their middleweight showdown a memorable one, putting on the kind of big drama show both had promised. They traded big shots and battled for 12 rounds, and when it was over they leaped into the arms of their corner men, both certain they had won.

That the judges ruled it a draw wasn’t out of line. It was that kind of fight, a close, tense bout that could have gone either way, but only slightly.

Unfortunately, one judge somehow had Alvarez winning all but two rounds. The 118-110 margin in favor of Alvarez by Adalaide Byrd was so stunningly off that it dominated the talk at a postfight press conference that otherwise would have focused on one of the better fights of the year.

Once again, boxing can’t seem to get out of its own way.

“People can argue either way, but it was such a great fight,” promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. “But a lot of people can’t understand 118-110, just like myself.”

The other two judges saw the fight that most at ringside thought they were watching, a bruising affair that appeared to be going Golovkin’s way until Alvarez rallied to take the last three rounds on all three scorecards.

One favored Golovkin 115-113, while the other had it 114-114. The Associated Press also scored it 114-114.