Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin 2: Betting Odds Favor GGG In Rematch

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin faced off in one of the best fights of 2017, trading blows for 12 rounds with boxing’s middleweight titles on the line. It also caused one of the biggest controversies when the judges’ scorecards resulted in a draw.

The general consensus among fans and media members was that Golovkin should’ve been named the winner. That’s why he’s the favorite ahead of their rematch on May 5 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

With the bout now official, Golovkin has -170 bettings odds, via Bovada.lv. Alvarez is a +140 with nearly the same odds that he had in the first fight on Sept. 16.

“First, I’m a very calm and real guy and I’m always for fairness, but this fight did not have any fairness,” Golovkin said at a press conference Tuesday. “This type of judging is what is hurting boxing. I watched the replay twice: The first time was in the ring [live] and then I saw the replay. I was disappointed in the commentary of the fight. What I watched did not match what I heard.

“What scares me is when stats and commentary don’t match. The commentators are entitled to their opinions, and it doesn’t affect me, but it’s bad for the sport. I think I won. The stats prove it. The HBO expert [Harold Lederman] thought I won and the fans thought I won. As a human being, I have no sadness or anger about this, but as a boxer, this makes me feel sad.”

The numbers say that Golovkin should’ve been named the winner. He landed 218 total punches to Alvarez’s 169, and appeared to have the edge in at least seven of the 12 rounds. An argument can be made that the fight was a draw, though judge Adalaide Byrd’s 118-110 scorecard in favor of Alvarez isn’t justifiable.

Alvarez did manage to land some of the bout’s biggest shots, and he believes he should’ve won by decision.

"I've seen the first fight. I know the changes I have to make," Alvarez said. "That's going to be the key to victory. It's about adding more things to the preparation. We're going to add to the arsenal and add more conditioning, punches and aggression. More than changing anything, I need to add more punches and aggression for the victory to be clear. The best way to win this fight is by knockout. It's not easy, but I can do it.

"Some thought he won, and others think I won. Boxing is about perspective. During the fight, I invited him to the ropes. I controlled the pace. But that's why we're having the rematch -- to see who is the best."

Golovkin remains undefeated, though Alvarez handed him the first draw of his career. Alvarez’s only career loss came at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in 2013.