Golovkin vs. Jacobs updates: Round-by-round results

Gennady Golovkin defeated Daniel Jacobs in a highly entertaining and very close bout as the headliners in a pay-per-view card on Sunday. Golovkin earned a unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 114-113) but was pushed to the absolute limit in the fight.

Many felt the decision was controversial as Jacobs, who was expected to keep it competitive but was ultimately a serious underdog, performed exceedingly well. Jacobs seemed to frustrate Golovkin early in the fight, a defensive style that didn’t give way to Golovkin’s power.

A knockdown in the fourth round for Golovkin served him well, as did a nice showing in the final two rounds of the fight. Several rounds were close enough to be in question for either fighter, and in the end it’s Golovkin who took the win and remains undefeated for his career. It seems unlikely it’s the final time well see these two fight.

Below is a recap of the round-by-round action as well as full results from Sunday’s card.

Gennady Golovkin defeats Daniel Jacobs via unanimous decision (115-112. 115-112, 114-113)

Round 1: Golovkin is the one pushing the pressure early in the fight, throwing from range while pushing Jacobs back. Golovkin is throwing very measured strikes, but each one looks deadly. Jacobs defends well but can’t really throw anything of his own at this stage. Golovkin doesn’t land much and the round comes to end with nobody holding a big edge.

Round 2: Golovkin continues trying to push Jacobs into a corner. Jacobs responds by circling out and trying to land a jab on the way out. Jacobs lands a solid left hand to the face and the two tie up. Golovkin is very patient, but maybe to his own detriment. We expected Jacobs to respect Golovkin’s power, but Golovkin isn’t throwing anything big, at least early in the fight.

Round 3: Golovkin lands a nice right to Jacobs’ face after about a minute of the round. Both fighters are mostly inactive for this round, though they’re just getting started. It’s hard to call this round either way, but Golovkin continues to push the pace. Jacobs landed a nice right hand, perhaps the best shot of the fight in the round.

Round 4: Golovkin ate a strong right from Jacobs in the previous round but Golovkin scores big when he knocks Jcaobs down with a heavy, heavy shot. The referee quickly steps in and Jacobs takes a second to catch his breath and recover. Golovkin swarms at that point, throwing several shots right at Jacobs’ head. Jacobs has recovered and is back in it, but Golovkin clearly has the momentum as the round comes to a close.

Round 5: It seems that Golovkin has found his range as he managed to land a nice right hand just as the round starts. It staggers Jacobs but he doesn’t go down. Golovkin slows it down a bit and starts to take more measured shots. They tie up just as he starts to push Jacobs back into the corner. Jacobs tries to throw and he lands a niec body shot combo with 30 seconds to go, but he’s still backing up.

Round 6: Jacobs lands a nice left hand but Golovkin is still throwing power shots, trying to score another knockdown. Jacobs avoids well and keeps himself out of the corner, which will be key going forward. Jacobs throws more throughout the round than he has in the rest of the fight. He gets Golovkin moving backwards, which in itself is a large victory. The round comes to a close with nothing damaging thrown, but enough to put Golovkin on the defensive.

Round 7: Golovkin puts together a nice left hook to the body followed by a big straight right to the head. He’s got Jacobs going backwards again, and every time he gets him into the corner or up against the ropes, Jacobs clinches up and gets the referee to come in and separate them. Golovkin lands a very nice left jab that snaps Jacobs’ head back in the final 10 seconds. Jacobs lands two big hooks right as the round ends.

Round 8: Golovkin snaps Jacobs’ head back with a left jab and Jacobs lands some nice body shots when they get in clinch range once again. The round doesn’t feature much action as both fighters threw plenty that didn’t really land.

Round 9: Golovkin is throwing jab after jab to start and a few of them sneak through. They’re not particularly damaging, but he’s landing. Jacobs lands the middle jab of a three-jab combo with two minutes to go. Golovkin is starting to move backward again, which is what Jacobs wants more than anything. Golovkin, sensing this, moves forward. Golovkin keeps landing with his jab and also sneaks in a right uppercut that definitely did some damage. He gets another one 30 seconds in, then he lands a big right hook. Jacobs tries to do some fancy dodging and in doing so eats two or three big shots that he could have blocked if he weren’t trying to get fancy.

Round 10: Golovkin finsihed the previous round with the clear advantage, but he’s not throwing to start the 10th round. Instead, it’s Jacobs who lands a nice uppercut on Golovkin. Golovkin pushes the pace in the round though, pushing Jacobs back. With a minute to go, Jacobs is landing some nice straights, and snaps Golovkin’s head back with one of them.

Round 11: It hasn’t been a dominant performance for either fighter, but one has to wonder if Golovkin needs a finish to win the fight at this point. He’s looking a little desperate, and he’s throwing some big shots on Jacobs. Jacobs, though, lands a nice left hand while Golovkin drops his guard. Every time Golovkin puts together a good combo, he doesn’t follow it up, or the two disengage. Jacobs puts together a big combo of his own, landing a nice right hook before pushing Golovkin back as the round came to an end.

Round 12: Jacobs might be in line for a win here if he can hang on. Golovkin comes out hard but Jacobs ties up with him multiple times early in the round, forcing the referee to step in. Golovkin tries to turn it into a dog fight in the final minutes. He lands a nice left jab and avoids a huge, huge right hook from Jacobs. They tie up again, and are separated again. Jacobs hits Golovkin in the back of the head with a wide hook. Jacobs lands a nice right hand hook and then a nice uppercut before once again clinching up. Jacobs is throwing nice combos followed by grabbing onto Golovkin every time the champion tries to respond. Jacobs is doing a wonderful job of eating up the clock.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defeats Roman Gonzalez by majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112)

Round 1: Rungvisai is more active early in the first of 12 rounds. He lands some hard shots and Gonzalez is primarily in defensive mode early on. Nothing big is landing until 35 seconds to go when he sneaks in a heavy shot to the body that sends Gonzalez down to the mat. It’s a shocking turn, and when Gonzalez gets back to his feet, he’s just trying to avoid getting hit again until the round comes to a close.

Round 2: Gonzalez, the heavily favored fighter, comes out looking to land some shots but Rungvisai is pushing him back immediately with a flurry of bod shots. He pushes Gonzalez into the ropes with 90 seconds to go and Rungvisai is really teeing off hard shots. Gonzalez is trying to get in his own offense but Rungvisai is standing right in the pocket, swinging big. Gonazlez disengages and finally lands a really nice one-two with under a minute to go. The round comes to a close, and it’s likely another Rungvisai round.

Round 3: The third round comes to a stop around a minute in due to a big cut over Gonzalez’s right eye. It seemed to be a clash of heads that opened the cut. The two got fighting again, but blood is pouring out of the cut. Gonzalez is is throwing heavy combinations which is certainly a good defense against that cut being exploited. Rungvisai is standing in the pocket and swinging as well. Gonzalez lands two huge straights directly on the button and Rungvisai backs up. It’s not all Gonzalez, but he’s clearly found his stride as the round comes to a close.

Round 4: Gonzalez lands a hard right but Rungvisai shakes it off and starts coming forward himself. Rungvisai gets Gonzalez into the ropes and the two get some very good dirty boxing going. There’s plenty of inside hooks and Rungvisai is getting the better of it through the first couple minutes of the round. Gonzalez lands a big right hand and a left uppercut combo, but again Rungvisai isn’t staggered. Still though, Gonzalez is landing plenty and the more effective shots. In the final 10 seconds, Gonzalez lands a straight combo.

Round 5: Rungvisai lands some nice shots early in the round but just like the previous round, Gonzalez picks up speed as the round goes on. Gonzalez throws several big combos in the final minute or so, the same thing in the fourth round. Rungvisai starts strong, but Gonzalez just overwhelms later in the round.

Round 6: Gonzalez starts this round out with a flurry, picking up where he left off in the previous round. The referee has to stop the fight due to another headbutt. He doesn’t take action on Rungvisai but he does warn him again. When they get started again we get a nice flurry exchange from both fighters. Gonzalez throws several shots to the head while Rungvisai eats them and throws to the body. Gonzalez starts landing his own body shots though and Rungvisai finally starts to show signs of wear. Again the round is stopped and the referee takes a point from Rungvisai for head contact. The round comes to an end.

Round 7: Gonzalez continues his highly active fighting from the previous round. But Rungvisai finds his range again and starts pushing Gonzalez back. A nice right hand from Rungvisai stumbles Gonzalez near the end of the round. It’s a big round for Rungvisai.

Round 8: Momentum carried over for Rungvisai and he begins the round swarming Gonzalez. He doesn’t land anything huge, and Gonzalez lands a nice right hand to the head with under a minute to go. But Rungvisai controlled most of the action in that round.

Round 9: Through this fight, Gonzalez has continued to bleed from the cut on the right side of his face. Rungvisai is targeting that side with his punches as well, exacerbating the issue. Rungvisai controls the round to the final 30 seconds when Gonzalez begins throwing big shots. Again it’s Gonzalez coming on strong at the end of the round to rally. Was it enough to take the round?

Round 10: Rungvisai looks fresh, like he did at the start of the fight, but Gonzalez is starting to slow down with three rounds to go. Rungvisai controls the first minute or so of the round but Gonzalez does land some good flurries near the end ... once again. It’s the same story as it’s been for much of the fight.

Round 11: Gonzalez tries to walk through Rungvisai’s shots in this round, but he’s not landing anything of his own. Rungvisai is staying out of range and landing his own hard shots to the head and body of Gonzalez. It’s looking a little like Gonzalez is desperate at this point in the fight.

Round 12: Gonzalez does look desperate, but that doesn’t mean he’s not landing. He starts landing some big, big combos early in the round and Rungvisai literally runs away from him at one point. Gonzalez lands some huge right hands. Rungvisai ties up and the referee has to separate them. Rungvisai is stalling with under a minute to go. Gonzalez lands some hug right hands again and Rungvisai is pushed into the corner. Gonzalez swarms him and stays on him, but Rungvisai ties up again. Gonzalez really goes all out and the round comes to an end.

Carlos Cuadras defeats Daniel Carmona by unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 96-94)

Round 1: Carmona is very active in the opening round. He’s circling around Cuadras and landing from different angles, seeming to frustrate his favored opponent early. Carmona lands two very nice wide hooks with 20 seconds to go. The round comes to an end with Cuadras swinging a wild hook that lands nice. It was probably a Carmona round.

Round 2: Carmona starts the round out with more of his wild striking, but Cuadras starts bouncing back and landing his own counters. Cuadras stemmed Carmona’s striking early and started landing his own shots. His footwork is clearly on another level and the round comes to an end.

Round 3: Neither fighter made up much ground in this round. They settled into a feeling out process. Cuadras landed some nice shots but Carmona stayed active, and landed the higher volume of shots.

Round 4: Cuadras shoots from range, throwing some heavy straights that land throughout the round. Carmona keeps his hands up and is now taking a more measured approach. He’s looking for an opening, but every time he throws, Cuadras jumps out, then back in with a combo of his own. The round was definitely a Cuadras round.

Round 5: Carmona lands some nice counters as Cuadras picks up more and more pace, but ultimately, Cuadras lands the same rangey shots he was landing in earlier rounds. He continues to land the more accurate and hard shots, and likely takes another round.

Round 6: Cuadras gets caught by a big right hands while he was already off balance and stumbled a bit, but he got himself back on track. At this point, nobody is really running away with any rounds. Carmona could argue he won any of the last three or four rounds, but nobody is landing anything significant. The round comes to an end and was probably a Cuadras round thanks to a pair of heavy combos.

Round 7: Carmona lands a low blow on Cuadras 90 seconds into the round that causes the action to stop briefly. Carmona lands a huge right hand with 15 seconds to go and it staggers Cuadras, who ties up with Carmona for a brief break. It’s definitely a Carmona round.

Round 8: Carmona lands some big body shots early. Those body shots are really preventing Cuadras from getting anything done. He’s frustrating Cuadras with a varied attack and while Cuadras has bursts of heavy throws, he’s not really landing.

Round 9: The penultimate round gets underway with both fighters taking the center of the ring. Cuadras pushes the pace and Carmona starts to look like he’s fighting to try and get to a decision and maintain what might be a sizable lead. Many rounds were tossups but Carmona’s body shots have been a big equalizer.

Round 10: Cuadras pushes the action in the 10th and final round. It’s likely he thinks he’s behind on the cards. He throws some big combos to the body but Carmona shakes it off. The two tie up with a minute to go and the referee separates them. Carmona, not wanting to drop a round, starts to push and throw combos of his own. Cuadras is landing though while Carmona is throwing at air. It’s probably a Cuadras round, but is it too little, too late?

Round 1: Martin is active early with his jabs, trying to land the left and test his range. Martin is consistently stepping forward and pushing Cruz back. Cruz is throwing a few shots here and there but Martin is controlling the pace and the positioning, which is big early on. With 40 seconds to go Martin gets Cruz against the ropes and starts teeing off. He lands a big left hand and throws a few body shots. Cruz has nowhere to go but Martin isn’t throwing heavy just yet. Cruz circles away and Martin lands a big left to the body, clearly taking the first of 10 rounds.

Round 2: Cruz comes out a little more aggressive in the second, trying to land and disrupt the momentum of Martin. But Martin continues throwing hard and seems unbothered by Cruz’s offense. Cruz does land a nice left hook followed by a straight but Martin continues a steady stream of offense. Martin is warned a second time to keep his punches up as some of his body shots strayed low. Martin closed the round with a few more strong shots and clearly took another one.

Round 3: Martin continues his high volume offense and 90 seconds into the round he gets Cruz up against the ropes again and begins teeing off. He’s unloading several hard shots to the head and body, really peppering Cruz up. Cruz, to his credit, lands some accurate shots in retaliation, but nothing to keep up with Martin’s volume. The round comes to an end, and it was clearly another Martin round.

Round 4: Cruz is much more active to start the fourth round, but Martin responds to his offense with harder body shots that push Cruz back. Cruz is doing a better job of getting in the pocket and throwing hard against the more range-y striker. But Martin continues to push him back and land the same shots he’s been landing all fight. Neither fighter looks tired or too damaged, but Cruz has taken more than Martin.

Round 5: Again, Cruz continues to throw more compared to previous rounds, but Martin is still throwing big. Martin stuns Cruz with two huge right hands and we have the first rocked fighter of the match. Martin wobbles him and follows up, but can’t get him knocked down. Cruz recovers by the time the round comes to an end.

Round 6: Martin continues to find Cruz’s head with open jabs and hooks. He’s throwing a bit more measured in the sixth, looking to stun his opponent as he did in the round previous. With 30 seconds to go Martin lands big again, sending Cruz’s head rocking backward, but he stays standing and gets out of the flurry.

Round 7: Cruz is examined by the doctor between rounds. He’s taken a lot of shots unanswered, but the seventh round gets underway. Cruz goes into turtle mode one minute into the round. Martin wants to get in and finish this fight, but Cruz gets out of it again. The round comes to an end with no real damage inflicted, but another Martin round.

Round 8: The referee steps in to the stop the fight not long into the eighth round as Martin gets Cruz pressed against the ropes again. Martin is teeing off big time, landing big and Cruz isn’t really making it competitive.

Gennady Golovkin defeats Daniel Jacobs via unanimous decision (115-112. 115-112, 114-113)
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defeats Roman Gonzalez by majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112)
Carlos Cuadras defeats Daniel Carmona by unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 96-94)
Ryan Martin defeats Bryant Cruz via TKO in Round 8