Undisputed tremendous middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated challenger Edgar Berlanga.
Mexican celebrity Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Edgar Berlanga through unanimous resolution in Las Vegas to retain his unified tremendous middleweight world titles.
Alvarez defeated beforehand unbeaten Berlanga of their third struggle and held on via the 12 rounds on Saturday evening. The champ surprised Berlanga with a proper jab within the remaining seconds of the ninth spherical, and Berlanga’s cornerback may very well be heard asking his fighter on a stool earlier than spherical 10: “You get up?” ?
Berlanga was warned for an intentional headbutt however remained defiant, taunting Alvarez in Recreation 12. However the Puerto Rican-American, who began his profession with 16 straight first-round knockouts, did not endure the suspension he so recklessly predicted.
The skilled Alvarez put strain on him early on, and Berlanga appeared hesitant within the first two rounds and was backed into the nook a number of occasions. He tried to reply bravely within the third spherical after Alvarez landed a proper hook to the pinnacle, however Alvarez’s devastating left hook knocked him down. Berlanga sat on the canvas and sprang to his toes, knocking his gloves collectively.
Berlanga had no answer as Alvarez went after him with debilitating body blows round after round. “I did good,” said Alvarez, who was awarded the fight by a score of 118-109 by two judges and by 117-110 from the third. “Now what are they going to say? I fight younger fighters? Before they say I fought older fighters. Now what are they going to say? They always talk.
“I’m the best fighter in the world,” added Alvarez, who improved to 62-2-2 (39 KOs) and retained his World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization belts.
Alvarez bounces back
Alvarez was stripped of his International Boxing Federation belt in July when he opted to take on Berlanga rather than IBF mandatory challenger William Scull. That was immaterial to the partisan crowd of more than 20,000 at T-Mobile Arena, where Alvarez claimed another victory on Mexican Independence Day weekend – a holiday he made his own along with Cinco de Mayo.
“It means a lot,” Alvarez said. “It’s an honor for me to represent my country on this day. I feel proud about it.”
Berlanga, 27, fell to 22-1. As the final bell sounded, the fighters embraced in an extended hug. “I was telling him that he’s my idol,” Berlanga said. “Since I was a kid, I looked up to him.”
This was Alvarez’s fifth consecutive factors victory, his final win at distance being an Eleventh-round knockout of Caleb Plant in November 2021. Reis scored his fourth consecutive knockout within the struggle.
The four-division champion, who has been accused of hiding from rising star David Benavidez, stated he’ll take a while to consider his subsequent transfer. “I’ll relaxation with my household at times I am going to decide,” he stated.
On the undercard, Erislandy Lara defended her WBA middleweight world title with a ninth-round knockout of Danny Garcia. The sluggish tempo of the struggle drew boos from the gang, however 41-year-old Cuban-born southpaw Eric Landi knocked Garcia to the bottom late within the ninth with a straight left.
When the sport ended, Angel, Garcia’s father and coach, known as for a timeout. “I took him to highschool,” stated Laura, who improved her report to 31-3-3 with 19 knockouts. Garcia, competing for the primary time since July 2022, dropped to 37-4 with 21 wins at distance.
