In what will surely go down as one of the closest and most hard-fought middleweight title fights in boxing history, Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) went toe-to-toe in 12 rounds of non-stop action to defeat the reigning WBC, WBA and IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) by majority decision in their middleweight championship rematch at T-Mobile Arena.
(Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions)
“I showed my victory with facts,” said the newly crowned WBC, WBA, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez. “He was the one who was backing up. I feel satisfied because I gave a great fight. It was a clear victory.”
“I’m not going to say who won tonight, because the victory belongs to Canelo according to the judges,” said Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. “I thought it was a very good fight for the fans and very exciting. I thought I fought better than he did.”
In the evening’s co-main event, Jaime Munguia (31-0, 26KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico defended his WBO Junior Middleweight Title with a dominant third-round technical knockout victory against Brandon Cook (20-2, 12KOs) of Ontario, Canada in tonight’s co-main event, which was scheduled for 12 rounds. The fight was stopped at 1:03 of the third round.
“This was part of my development,” said Jaime Munguia. “I was not as focused in my last fight. But this time I came more relaxed. I was looking for the knockout too much. But now you’ve seen the results of my work. With each fight you will see me getting better. I just want to show that I can get better and that I want to face the best, so I can show that I am the best.”
“He kept hitting me in the hip and gave me a lot of low blows,” said Brandon Cook. This surprised me because the referee is experienced and didn’t give Munguia a warning. He’s tough, and it is what it is, and I hope to come back soon. I appreciate the support my Canadian fans have given me.”
David Lemieux (40-4, 34KOs) of Montreal, Canada defeated Gary O’Sullivan (28-3, 22KOs) of Cork, Ireland via knockout in the first round of a middleweight bout scheduled for 12 rounds. Lemieux earned a chance at the WBA Middleweight Title by stopping O’Sullivan at 2:44 seconds of the aforementioned round.
“I was very happy to win. I’m a happy middleweight,” said David Lemieux. “I felt great, and I’m in superb shape. I always give you guys a great knockout and a great fight. I’m looking forward to doing it again. Don’t mess with me – when O’Sullivan talked, I kept it in me. I bring it to the ring, I don’t disrespect my opponents. I don’t trash talk. Canelo and Golovkin are two excellent fighters. I’m looking forward to fighting them both.”
“Unfortunately, this is boxing,” said Gary O’Sullivan. “I got caught, and it just so happens it was against a 179-pound light heavyweight who caught me. That was a big weight discrepancy at fight time.”
Vergil Ortiz Jr. (11-0, 11KOs) of Dallas, Texas defeated Roberto Ortiz (35-3-2, 26KOs) of Torreon, Mexico via technical knockout in the second round of a super lightweight fight originally slated for eight rounds.
“This win is bittersweet because I won against a great name and record,” said Vergil Ortiz. “But Massa [Roberto Ortiz) was my first sparring partner when I first turned pro, and now he’s a win in the next step of my career. During my first sparring session, he gave me a swollen lip, and today I knocked him out which is a great benchmark as I’m showing how I’m progressing as a fighter. I’m excited for the future.”
Alexis Rocha (12-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, California was victorious against Carlos Ortiz (10-3, 10 KOs) of Torreon, Mexico in an eight-round super welterweight fight. Rocha won with scores of 80-72, 80-72 ,79-73.
“I am satisfied with my performance, but I feel I could’ve done a lot more to secure the win,” said Alexis Rocha. “I wish I would’ve thrown more punches and more combinations. He was really good at catching the shots and countering them. I wish I would’ve had a lot more movement. We stuck to the plan, which was to break the body down, and I felt I was able to do that.”
Jaba Khositashvili (4-0, 2KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania beat Lawrence King (4-1, 3KOs) of San Bernardino, California via unanimous decision in a six-round light heavyweight fight. Kohsitashvili won with all scores of 58-56.
“Even though I won tonight, I’m very disappointed because I wasn’t allowed the opportunity to demonstrate my fighting,” said Jaba Khositashvili. “My opponent kept holding me and wouldn’t let me fight him. All I want to do is fight. I have over 20 years of experience fighting and half of that has been spent in the amateurs.”
Brian Ceballo (5-0, 3KOs) of New York, New York won via TKO against David Thomas (6-3-2, 2KOs) of Orange, Texas in the second round of a welterweight fight originally scheduled for six rounds.
“I figured out beforehand that he always fights the exact same way,” said Brian Ceballo. “So, I knew to keep my distance and keep a fast pace. I saw he couldn’t counter, so I kept the pressure and now I’m 5-0. I’m 24 years old, and now I’m ready for a tougher opponent.”
