Gennady Golovkin suffered the first loss of his professional career when Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvares won an epic middleweight world title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.

A year after their first fight ended in a controversial draw, Alvares clinched a points decision that again divided experts in what many thought could have gone the other way.

Two judges gave it 115-113 for Alvares, while the other had it a 114-114 draw.

The fight, in front of a sellout, celebrity-studded crowd that included Mike Tyson, actor Will Smith and basketballer LeBron James at T-Mobile Arena, lived up to its billing as the best two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Golovkin landed some big blows to the head in the closing rounds, opening a cut above Alvares’ left eye, but the Mexican prevailed to improve his career record to 50-1-2, including 34 knockouts.

Golovkin fell to 38-1-1, with 34 knockouts.

It was his first defeat since the 2005 World Amateur Championships.