If there was plenty of controversy surrounding the first two fights, there was no disputing the third.
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez retained his undisputed super-middleweight champion status with a points victory over Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin in Las Vegas on Sunday morning, and in the process, settled one of the most defining rivalries in modern-day boxing.
Roared on by the vast majority of the crowd inside the T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez controlled much of the fight from start to finish, landing freely and beating a slow and sluggish-looking Golovkin to the punch at almost every opportunity. The 40-year-old Golovkin had his moments, particularly in the ninth round and came on stronger towards the end of the fight, but Alvarez aways looked in control.
Despite finding his target with several crushing blows, Alvarez was unable to close out the bout inside the distance against an opponent famed for his granite chin, but this time there would be no debating the judges' scorecards, even if two of the scores were debatably close: Alvarez claimed the victory 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.
It was the perfect response from the 32-year-old Alvarez, who lost for just the second time in his distinguished career last time out when he made an audacious step up to light-heavyweight to face WBA champion Dimitri Bivol. The undefeated Russian is next in action against Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez in Abu Dhabi in November.
"You have to continue to move forward," said Alvarez, whose rivalry with Golovkin had turned personal. "I have shown that defeats can show you can be great and you can regain your humility.
"He is a good fighter, a real fighter. I am glad to share the ring with him."
The Mexican and his Kazakh rival first fought in September 2017, at middleweight, in one of the greatest fights in living memory, which ended in a disputed split draw. The second bout, 12 months later, was equalling thrilling and went the way of Alvarez by the narrowest of majority points decisions.
Four years later, this grudge match was settled in emphatic fashion as Alvarez took a deserved points victory to inflict only the second defeat of Golovkin's professional career.
The return to 168 pounds clearly suited Alvarez, but Golovkin was left to rue a slow start in which he only sparked into life when it was too late.
Alvarez improved to 58-2-2 with 39 knockouts, but he said he knew in the first round he wouldn't get the KO he said he wanted.
"First round, I knew he's tough. He's a tough fighter," the Mexican said. "I need surgery, my left hand is not good. But I'm good, I'm a warrior, that's why I'm here. I can't hold a glass. It's really bad. But I'm a warrior."
The first couple of rounds were cagey with Alvarez throwing a lot but not finding the target as much as his output would suggest, although Golovkin's face started to redden thanks to Alvarez's jab.
The Mexican was firmly on the front foot throughout the first eight rounds, and a big right hook in the fifth smashed against Golovkin's chin, but the Kazakh was able to absorb the force and push his cause on against his far more aggressive opponent.
Golovkin started to show his age as Alvarez continued with a barrage of shots which attempted to break down his opponent's defence.
In the ninth round, Alvarez found himself against the ropes but Golovkin just couldn't make any inroads even though he had begun to throw more shots.
The last few rounds were frenetic, Golovkin throwing everything at his Mexican opponent but it was too little, too late as Alvarez held firm.
"It didn't surprise me," Alvarez said. "I know him, he's a strong fighter", adding that he is interested in a rematch with Bivol but first needs to get healthy.
"I need to rest my body," Alvarez said. "I need to rest my hand, my body, but I will come back stronger. It's very important. I will beat him."
Golovkin (42-2), meanwhile, dismissed the idea the defeat could send him into retirement.
"Remember, I'm still champion at 160," said the IBF and WBA middleweight world champion. "I come back guys, I'm still champion."
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
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Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
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FIXTURES
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
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