LAS VEGAS (AP) – The Latest on the Genady Golovkin- Canelo Alvarez fight (all times local):
8:20 p.m.
Round 1) Both fighters are tentative early but Genady Golovkin uses his jab well to land to the head. Canelo Alvarez seems to be testing Golovkin’s power before committing himself. Golovkin 10-9
Canelo Alvarez, right, throws a right at Gennady Golovkin during a middleweight boxing bout Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Round 2) Alvarez is much more active and is using his jab well. Golovkin isn’t coming forward as much as he was in the first round and toward the end of the round they trade punches in the corner. Alvarez 10-9 (19-19)
Round 3) Alvarez clearly has the faster hands and is using them to score and then get out of the way. Late in the round he takes the offensive, lands a good left uppercut and a flurry to the head. Alvarez 10-9 (Alvarez 29-28)
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7:50 p.m.
A fight boxing fans have been waiting a long time for is close to the opening bell. Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin have had their hands wrapped and gloves laced, and soon will make their walks to the ring.
But first come the national anthems – all three of them.
First up is the national anthem of Kazakhstan, the country Golovkin grew up in. Following that is the national anthem of Mexico for Alvarez and then the national anthem of the United States.
The T-Mobile arena, which holds 20,000 for boxing, appears to be full for the highly anticipated middleweight showdown between Alvarez and Golovkin.
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7:10 p.m.
Before his fighter faced Gennady Golovkin in the main event, promoter Oscar De La Hoya got to watch his cousin score a big win on the undercard.
Diego De La Hoya remained unbeaten in 20 fights by winning a lopsided decision over Randy Caballero in a 10-round super batamweight fight.
De La Hoya dominated from the opening bell to hand Caballero his first loss in 25 fights, using a strong hook to the body and head shots to pile up points. The fight was one of three on the undercard televised on the HBO pay-per-view.
Oscar De La Hoya, of course, was quite a fighter himself before retiring and getting into the promotion business. His biggest fighter is Canelo Alvarez.
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6 p.m.
It’s not easy to pick a winner in the middleweight showdown between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez. Both fighters bring different skill sets to the ring, and they have only one loss between them.
It is easy to figure out who the crowd favorite is at the T-Mobile arena on the Las Vegas Strip.
The fighters arrived a short time ago, and were shown on big video screens above the ring. While Alvarez was cheered, Golovkin drew mostly boos.
Outside the arena there is a festive scene as people walk around waving Mexican flags and calling out the name of arguably the biggest sports star in Mexico.
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Gennady Golovkin has so many middleweight title belts that it’s hard to keep track of them.
This being boxing, though, there is always one more to chase.
Golovkin, who meets Canelo Alvarez in a 160-pound showdown Saturday night, will be defending titles he has won from most of the major boxing organizations. And boxing fans will consider the winner the true middleweight champion of the world.
Billy Joe Saunders, though, owns another piece of the title and defended it Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Willie Monroe Jr. in England. The promoter for Saunders said earlier there’s a good chance his fighter could meet Triple G in his next fight, should Golovkin beat Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez fans cheer during a weigh-in Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Las Vegas. Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin are scheduled to fight in a middleweight title fight Saturday in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Diego De La Hoya, right, celebrates after defeating Randy Caballero during a junior featherweight boxing match Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Canelo Alvarez, left, and Gennady Golovkin pose during a weigh-in Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Las Vegas. The two are scheduled to fight in a middleweight title fight Saturday in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Diego De La Hoya, right, fights Randy Caballero during a junior featherweight boxing match Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Joseph Diaz Jr., left, connects with a left to Rafael Rivera during a featherweight boxing match Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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