I suppose I'm glad I didn't watch the fight. Not only because the predictable conclusion was something I didn't want to see, but now because I probably would've been included in the group of people that "shouldn't be allowed to watch boxing."


Regardless, here is a viewpoint from a third party regarding the fight. It was written before the fight itself, which is something to consider.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story...nnady-golovkin

"Column: Has Canelo Alvarez overestimated the interest fans have in a Sergey Kovalev fight?"


It bears mentioning that the writer seems of Hispanic descent, and the column was written for the Los Angeles Times.


Nothing remarkable here. The only aspect that stands out to me is the comparable lack of interest as noted by Hernandez.

Maybe boxing fans are more intelligent than we sometimes give them credit for. Why get all worked up for a fight whose predictable outcome is a foregone conclusion?

Why watch a poker game, when one of the contestants has a stacked deck of cards at his disposal, and all his poker hands will have 5 or 6 aces?


"At 36, Kovalev is physically diminished. He also could be psychologically damaged, as the menacing aura that made him special was seemingly extinguished by a couple of losses to Andre Ward.

Ward revealed that Kovalev was particularly vulnerable to body punches, which are a specialty of Alvarez.

Alvarez has explained that he chose to fight Kovalev because of the opportunity to win a world title in a fourth weight class. But Kovalev wasn’t the only fighter who offered him that chance. There are two other fighters who hold versions of the light-heavyweight championship, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

So why did Alvarez pick Kovalev? Kovalev has the most recognizable name, but another factor could be that Beterbiev and Bivol are undefeated."


Not written by a Canelo hater. Not written by someone who "shouldn't be allowed to watch boxing". But written by a sportswriter for the LA Times.

But it resonates with a lot of people. He makes no mention of the rehydration clause. I'm assuming he didn't know either, otherwise the article would've been more critical.



I certainly hope people don't get scared or bullied into giving Canelo more credit than he's due. Yes.... he was the one in there with Kovalev, trading punches, albeit a diminished Kovalev.


I think the writer nails a very important point. Canelo's true excellence is that of a matchmaker, ala Floyd Mayweather.

Maybe this is the future direction of the sport. Stage predictable fights designed only to bolster a megastar's image. Only that, according to Hernandez, the public isn't always easily fooled.