Canelo Alvarez cruised to victory over Gennady Golovkin to settle their bitter rivalry and retain his status as the undisputed super-middleweight world champion.
The rivals were meeting - belatedly - for the third time in five years with Canelo holding the advantage having edged the pair's rematch following a controversial draw in their first clash. But after two razor-thin decisions, Alvarez dominated this third instalment from start to finish, even if the judges contrived to make it seem otherwise, scoring the bout 116-112 and 115-113 twice.
Golovkin landed the first jab of the night during his ring walk video with a "champions don't cheat" pot-shot at his adversary. Little did he know it was the most effective blow he would land all evening. Alvarez, meanwhile, was serenaded by famous Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez and accompanied by an entire Mariachi band.
Neither man was willing to give up any ground in the opening three minutes with Alvarez doing enough to edge the session. He missed wildly with a hook in the opening exchanges of the second round before landing a stiff jab to immediately redden Golovkin's face.
The Kazakh challenger was struggling, even at this early stage, to impose himself on the fight. And he was forced to hold on in the third round as Alvarez landed a thudding left hook to surely inch further ahead on the judges' scorecards.
Golovkin's face was marked up by the fourth round as he struggled to find an answer to what was becoming a one-sided affair. The 40-year-old long-reigning middleweight champion was showing his age and was shaken by a overhand right at the end of the fifth session.
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Golovkin's corner implored him to start thudding home his normally laser-focused jab, but he was struggling to let his hands go as the fight slipped away from him. The only question at the start of the second half of the fight was whether Alvarez would coast home or look for a statement stoppage.
Neither Golovkin nor his corner appeared to believe they could turn this fight around - but he finally roused himself in the ninth round as he briefly backed up Alvarez. Even the pro-Mexican crowd rallied at the prospect of getting their money's worth.
Golovkin finally remembered he had a jab at his disposal in the 10th round but his onslaught was proving to be too little, too late. Alvarez, cut over his right eye after an accidental clash of heads, cruised through the final six minutes to ensure the judges' decision was - just - a formality.
