Boxing won when Golovkin and Alvarez fought to a draw

Reporting from Las Vegas —  Gennady Golovkin dipped his head and didn’t want to say much.

“Terrible,” he uttered before disappearing into the night.

But in truth, Golovkin’s controversial draw against Canelo Alvarez Saturday night was a tremendous victory for boxing.

Their riveting middleweight title fight screams for a Cinco de Mayo weekend rematch next year, and continues the momentum for what’s been a renaissance year for boxing.

“Everybody won. It was a great event,” said Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions.

Before a packed group of reporters, Alvarez’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, tried to dance around the subject of exercising the rematch clause Alvarez (49-1-2) possesses. But backstage in a filmed interview with The Times, De La Hoya said the bout “begs for a rematch … it’s the most exciting fight that fans have seen in a long time.”

Gomez said, “we believe, yes,” that their rematch clause still applies in the case of a draw. “Let me just enjoy this fight right now.”

While veteran judge Adalaide Byrd likely ensured she never scores a major bout again by turning in a 118-110 card (10 rounds to two) for Alvarez, most saw it more how judge Dave Moretti (115-113 for Golovkin) and Don Trella (114-114) had it.

“I’m not going to put her right back in,” said Bob Bennett, the Nevada Athletic Commission’s executive director. “She’ll still be in the business … but she needs to catch her breath.”

The fight was close, with Alvarez out-landing Golovkin in power punches (114-110) and Golovkin landing more total punches (218-169) and jabs (108-55), according to CompuBox.

Three weeks earlier, De La Hoya tweeted a harsh expletive about the Aug. 26 Floyd Mayweather Jr. novelty boxing match against UFC champion Conor McGregor. He called it an insult to boxing and promised that Alvarez-Golovkin would showcase the best traits of the sport.

He could’ve avoided tweeting because the fury, skill and drama of Saturday’s bout eloquently communicated that separation in quality.

“Canelo was going for broke in the end,” De La Hoya said. “We didn’t get the knockout, but the fans got a great fight and that’s what matters.”

It has been a tremendous year for the sport that has included the emergence of heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua of England, strong showings by multi-belt unbeatens Andre Ward and Terence Crawford and rising stars such as Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence and Vasyl Lomachenko.

Golovkin (37-0-1) seemed to be nearing his 34^th knockout during the middle rounds, rocking Alvarez in the fifth and seventh and unquestionably operating as the pursuer.

“Gennady pressed the action on a continual basis and I thought it was pretty clear for him,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler said. “He’s still the champion.”

Yet Alvarez rallied impressively in the championship rounds and belted Golovkin in the 10^th with one of his 1power punches.

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Gennady Golovkin, right, tries to evade a punch by Canelo Alvarez during their middleweight championionship bout.

  (Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Gennady Golovkin lands a punch to the body of Canelo Alvarez during their middleweight title fight.

  (Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Gennady Golovkin lands a straight right to the chest of Canelo Alvarez.

  (Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Canelo Alvarez, right, follows through on a right to Gennady Golovkin during the middleweight fight.

  (Isaac Brekken / Associated Press)

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Canelo Alvarez works a combination against Gennady Golovkin during their middleweight title fight.

  (Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Canelo Alvarez, left, and Gennady Golovkin exchange blows during their championship fight.

  (Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Canelo Alvarez lands an overhand right to the face of Gennady Golovkin during their middleweight title bout.

  (Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Canelo Alvarez sends Gennady Golovkin reeling with an overhand right during the middleweight championship fight.

  (John Locher / Associated Press)

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Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez both react after the final round of their middleweight championionship bout.

  (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

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Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin embrace after their middleweight title fight was ruled a draw.

  (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

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Canelo Alvarez reacts after his middleweight title fight against Gennady Golovkin.

  (John Locher / Associated Press)

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Gennady Golovkin celebrates following his middleweight championship fight against Canelo Alvarez.

  (John Locher / Associated Press)

Golovkin, long considered one of the sport’s most indestructible fighters, stumbled left and backward, then also lost the 11^th and 12th.

“He’s not the monster everybody made him out to be,” Alvarez said. “I’m not afraid of anyone.”

Alvarez simply smiled when asked if he believes the performance down the stretch leaves the impression he won this fight while boding well for the next fight.

“I know how to recognize when my fighter wins or loses,” said Chepo Reynoso, Alvarez’s veteran trainer. “And today was a victory.”

Former middleweight champion and current Golden Boy Promotions executive Bernard Hopkins said: “One thing I saw tonight is that Triple-G [Golovkin] is on the decline. He didn’t get better. He fought a guy who was quicker. If he fought [Alvarez] again, it’ll be easier” for Alvarez.

Alvarez said he “definitely” can envision a rematch and revealed he’ll rest until May, depriving Miguel Cotto of a planned shot at Saturday’s winner in what the six-time world champion said would be his final fight, Dec. 2 at Madison Square Garden.

“Of course I want the rematch,” Golovkin said. “Real Mexican-style fighters do not run from best fight, from history.”

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire