‘Canelo’ Alvarez, GGG will meet again at T-Mobile Arena

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will return to the ring they left as equals six months ago.

Alvarez and Golovkin will meet again at T-Mobile Arena on May 5 to settle their controversial first bout that ended in a split draw in September. The promoters announced the site of the middleweight rematch Thursday.

“I am happy to return for the fourth time at T-Mobile Arena for this historic rematch against Golovkin,” Alvarez, 27, said in a statement. “I opened the doors of this place to the world of boxing, and it has become my favorite venue.

“This is where the fight started, and this is where I’ll end it by doing what I and my fans most desire: Knocking (Golovkin) out.”

Tickets for the HBO pay-per-view fight will go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. and available at Axs.com. Tickets start at $300.

The second match between Alvarez and Golovkin was announced last month, but the venue was still undecided. Golden Boy Promotions officials said New York’s Madison Square Garden made a strong offer to land the bout.

But it was no surprise that Golden Boy Promotions chose to accept MGM Resorts International’s offer and return to T-Mobile Arena where Alvarez opened the doors for the first boxing event at the venue in May 2016, a knockout victory over Amir Khan.

Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 knockouts) and Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) have predicted a knockout victory for the rematch. The fighters’ thrilling first fight was an afterthought to the judges’ controversial scorecards.

Judge Dave Moretti scored it 115-113 for Golovkin and Don Trella had it a 114-114 draw. Adalaide Byrd’s lopsided 118-110 scorecard in favor of Alvarez stole the headlines.

“It feels right that the rematch returns to the scene of the crime,” Golovkin, 35, said. “This time there will be no drama with a decision. I won the first fight and left the ring as world champion wearing all the belts.

“I am going to win the second fight. It is going to be a record fight, and a golden night for me and boxing at T-Mobile Arena.”

Golovkin, of Kazakhstan, will defend his WBA/WBC/IBF belts against the Mexican superstar, Alvarez, who will put his middleweight lineal belt on the line. With a win, Golovkin will tie Bernard Hopkins’ record for most consecutive middleweight world title defenses at 20.

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Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.