Canelo Alvarez defeats Gennady Golovkin, retains belt

Canelo Alvarez defeated Gennady Golovkin by unanimous decision Saturday night in Las Vegas to retain his undisputed super middleweight title.

Alvarez took the cards 115-113, 115-113, 116-112 to take the fighters' trilogy bout.

"Thank you so much, my friend," Alvarez said to Golovkin. "Thank you for everything. We give the fans three good fights."

Golovkin, who started slow, threw more punches (521) than Alvarez (487), but it was Alvarez who landed more, 130-120.

Alvarez and Golovkin fought to a draw in 2017 and Alvarez won by majority decision in 2018, setting up the third and final bout.

"He's strong, he's a great fighter and that's why we're here, right?" Alvarez said of his longtime friend and rival. "I'm glad to share that ring with him."

Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) last fought in May, losing to Dmitry Bivol at 175 pounds.

Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs), last defeated Ryota Murata by TKO in April. He still holds two 160-pound titles.