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Saul “Canelo” Àlvarez scored a unanimous decision win over Jermell Charlo to successfully defend his WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF super middleweight titles in a matchup of undisputed champions at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Kevin Iole @KevinI
118-109 twice and 119-108 for Canelo Alvarez
Canelo looked sharp early on. He spent a lot of the opening rounds getting his reads and processing information but he also landed some hard body shots that got Charlo thinking.
Audley Harrison MBE @audleyharrison
I think Canelo got into Charlo’s head, so he needs to find his feet & get some confidence early on, and not get hurt. If he can do that, he can make a good go of it … #CaneloCharlo
As Canelo got settled in, his gameplan became more clear. He stalked Charlo down, put pressure on and waited to counter whatever the challenger threw his way.
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
4-0, Canelo (though if you want to go 10-10 on that first, I’d understand). Charlo has been on the defensive all night. Canelo’s commitment to the body has been a difference maker early.
All of Canelo’s early work started to really pay off in the sixth round. He cracked Charlo with a few punches that clearly impacted Charlo. The late success in the midpoint round worked to set up a big moment for him in Round 7.
A tight right hand sent Charlo down for just the second time in his entire career.
SHOWTIME Boxing @ShowtimeBoxing
.@Canelo DROPS Charlo in round 7 😱#CaneloCharlo pic.twitter.com/Uycn3U4fDU
Even when Charlo did land, there wasn’t as much stopping power as we are used to seeing from him. Moving up to 168 pounds from 154 turned out to be a struggle.
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
7-1, Canelo. Charlo starting to open up a little more but Canelo just landing the far heavier shots. Doesn’t seem at all bothered by Charlo’s power.
Even so, Charlo’s output was not impressive to many. Àlvarez was at the top of his game, but Charlo did not have much to offer in the way of resistance.
SHOWTIME Boxing @ShowtimeBoxing
Big blows by @Canelo 👊#CaneloCharlo pic.twitter.com/Zrgv6fjFgD
This win will go down as yet another impressive victory in Àlvarez’s already accomplished career. He was a fairly big favorite, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Charlo came into this bout as the undisputed light middleweight champion.
It also does a lot to quell some of the talk that Canelo has lost a step. The 33-year-old has put on some lackluster performances of late. A win over John Ryder was pretty much one-sided traffic in his last fight but the decision win over Gennady Golovkin and a loss to Dmitry Bivol.
Those performances might not have been impressive, but Canelo is confident that he still has at least a few more years of putting on shows.
“Since I was young, I always said (age) 35 or 36 and that’s it,” he said. “But I think four more years is good for me, my career and boxing. That’s enough. I have gone up and down to find the best fights, and I will continue to do that. Because that’s my legacy. To beat all the good fighters and show that I am the best,” Àlvarez said, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
The comment about going up and down in weight to find the best fights is significant. While the WBC has declared David Benavidez the next mandatory challenger, he didn’t rule out a potential fight with welterweight champion and pound-for-pound contender Terence “Bud Crawford”.
Regardless of who is up next, Canelo once again proved to be one of boxing’s biggest stars.
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