GGG vs. Alvarez Rematch Scheduled for May 5, Oddsmakers Hope for Different Ending

Posted on: January 30, 2018, 01:00h. 

Last updated on: January 30, 2018, 10:09h.

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Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez are coming to blows once again, as the two middleweight superstars are ready to jump back in the ring eight months after their controversial draw.

GGG vs Alvarez boxing odds
Gennady GGG Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez are taking care of unsettled business in May. (Image: John Locher/Associated Press)

Promoters for the two boxers announced the rematch will go down on May 5, Cinco de Mayo, at a site to be determined. HBO will telecast the contest via pay per view at 8 pm ET.

“I am ready to battle Canelo again and am happy he took this fight again,” GGG said. “This is the fight the world wants. This is the fight boxing deserves. I didn’t agree with some of the judges’ decisions in the first fight.”

Never short on confidence, Golovkin added his fight prediction, “This time there will be no doubt. I am leaving the ring as the middleweight champion of the world.”

Oddsmakers in Las Vegas agree GGG will prevail. The Westgate SuperBook opened the fight with Golovkin the favorite at -180, and Alvarez the underdog at +150. The line implies odds of a GGG victory at 64.3 percent, and Alvarez 40 percent.

Picking a Winner

Last September, GGG and Alvarez squared off inside the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight came just three weeks after the Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather spectacle took place at the very same venue.

Boxing purists labeled the Golovkin-Alvarez fight a more respectable event. But the judges’ decisions left the entire boxing community upset. The marquee fight entertained the 22,358 in attendance for 12 rounds, but then the three-judge panel took center stage. 

While one judge had GGG winning 115-133, and another had it tied 114-114, judge Adalaide Byrd scored the fight 118-110 in Alvarez’s favor. Her controversial scorecard resulted in the fight being declared a draw.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett said following the event, “In any business sometimes you have a bad day. She saw the fight differently. It happens.” ESPN boxing journalist Dan Rafael opined, “I can deal with 114-114 even though I strongly felt Golovkin won. But Bryn’s card? Indefensible.”

Byrd was subsequently sidelined for the rest of 2017. The draw resulted in Las Vegas oddsmakers returning millions of dollars in betting slips. The fight generated over $27 million in gate, the third-biggest in the sport’s history.

As for a rematch, Alvarez didn’t downplay the significance. “I’m delighted to once again participate in one of the most important boxing events in history,” the underdog declared.

Tale of the Tape

GGG, 35, is the unified middleweight world champion. In his 38-fight career, he’s won 37 times, with 33 by knockout. He’s never lost, and his lone draw came last fall.

Alvarez, 27, is a three-time world champ in two weight classes including middleweight. He’s completed 52 professional fights, and won 49 (34 by knockout). His lone loss came in 2013 against Mayweather in a 12-round duel that resulted in a majority decision in Floyd’s favor.