Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, successfully defended his unified super middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Alvarez knocked Berlanga down in Round 3 with a powerful left hook – his signature punch – and cruised to victory with scores of 117-110, 118-109, and 118-109. ESPN’s unofficial scorecard had it as a 120-107 shutout.
This marked Alvarez’s fifth consecutive decision win, with his last knockout coming against Caleb Plant in November 2021. It was also the fourth straight fight where Alvarez registered a knockdown.
Now what are they going to say? Alvarez, 34, said in his post-fight interview. I fight younger fighters, I fight older fighters. They always talk... My experience, my talent, my hard work, my intelligence – everything together makes me the best. If you have talent but no discipline, you have nothing.
Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer, cemented his status as an all-time great. Berlanga, fighting on the world-class stage for the first time, was a heavy underdog, with Alvarez a -1600 favorite to win, according to ESPN BET.
Berlanga, who entered the fight with a record of 22-1 (17 KOs), was cautious throughout, wary of exposing himself to Alvarez’s renowned counterpunching. After being floored in Round 3, Berlanga switched to survival mode, throwing fewer power punches and trying to avoid further damage.
Alvarez applied pressure, closing the distance as Berlanga jabbed from a safe range. Despite showing toughness, Berlanga wasn’t willing to take the risks needed to score a comeback, opting instead to play it safe.
I'm upset, Berlanga admitted. I fought a legend tonight. Hopefully, this is the beginning of my journey to becoming a future legend... I believe I took his best shot in the third round.
Berlanga, who made a name for himself with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts early in his career, has struggled to maintain that power as he faced tougher opponents. The 27-year-old entered his first title shot after a sixth-round KO win over Padraig McCrory in February, but Alvarez’s experience proved too much.
The fight’s physicality tested Alvarez, who was occasionally frustrated by Berlanga’s rough tactics, prompting several warnings from referee Harvey Dock.
As always, Alvarez headlined the Mexican Independence Day Weekend card, one of boxing’s biggest dates, and was already looking toward his next fight. Leading up to the bout, Alvarez expressed interest in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who handed him a loss in May 2022 at 175 pounds. However, Bivol would first need to defeat Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight championship in October.
Another potential opponent, Terence Crawford, was ringside. The undefeated future Hall of Famer, who debuted at 154 pounds with a win over Israil Madrimov, has publicly stated he’d like to face Alvarez at the 168-pound limit with no rehydration clause.
Crawford noted, I think it would determine who is truly the No. 1 fighter in the post-Mayweather era, the king of kings.
Regardless of whom Alvarez faces next, he will continue searching for his first knockout since 2021, though he remains dominant and hasn’t lost many rounds during this stretch.
I'm the best fighter in the world, Alvarez declared.
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