LAS VEGAS – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the reigning super middleweight champion, showcased his dominance by outpointing Edgar Berlanga in an electrifying match held at T-Mobile Arena. With a sold-out crowd of 20,312 fans, Alvarez solidified his status as one of the best fighters in the world.
In his eighth defense of the super middleweight title, the 34-year-old Alvarez displayed his experience and relentless pursuit, wearing down his 27-year-old challenger. The crowd erupted with chants of “Mexico! Mexico!” and “CA-NEL-O! CA-NEL-O!” as Alvarez delivered an impressive performance.
This defeat marked Berlanga’s first loss in his professional career, lowering his record to 22 wins and 10 losses. Meanwhile, Alvarez further solidified his position as the top fighter in the world, confidently stating, “They always talk, but I’m the best fighter in the world.”
The judges scored the fight 118-109 by Max DeLuca and Steve Weisfeld, with David Sutherland scoring it 117-110 in favor of Alvarez.
Although Berlanga matched Alvarez in punch output, the champion displayed greater accuracy. Alvarez landed 43.3 percent (201 of 464) of his punches, while Berlanga only connected with 26.7 percent (119 of 446) of his attempts. Additionally, Alvarez demonstrated his power by landing 49.1 percent (133 of 271) of his power punches.
Despite his victory, Alvarez has not ended a fight early since triumphing over Caleb Plant almost three years ago to become the undisputed champion. In this bout, it seemed the drought might end with a sharp left hook to Berlanga’s chin in the third round, followed by relentless punishment from Alvarez.
However, Berlanga proved resilient, standing toe to toe with Alvarez and matching his intensity. To the surprise of many, Berlanga even managed to knock Alvarez to the canvas and exhibited some wild tactics. Yet Alvarez maintained his composure, expressing his Mexican pride by stating, “Im Mexican man… It means a lot to fight on this day. Its an honor to represent my country on this day.”
The fight between Alvarez and Berlanga took place on Mexican Independence Day in Las Vegas, contributing to one of the most significant nights in combat sports. The UFC also made its inaugural appearance at the Sphere, featuring seven Mexican fighters on the lineup.
Prior to the fight, Alvarez was considered a heavy favorite with a -1600 betting line at BetMGM Sportsbook, implying that a bettor would need to wager $1,600 to win $100.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) removed Alvarez’s title as he opted to face Berlanga instead of the organization’s number one challenger, William Scull.
In an uneventful WBA middleweight championship bout, the 41-year-old Erislandy Lara successfully defended his title against Danny Garcia with a ninth-round TKO. The impressive knockout came from a powerful straight left jab to the face, leaving Garcia’s father and trainer, Angel, to request the stoppage.
Lara, currently the oldest active world champion in boxing, stated, “The punches I was landing were hurting him. That punch that ended the fight was a big shot.”
Caleb Plant, fighting for the interim WBA super middleweight belt, faced a challenging start, falling behind on the scorecards. However, he recuperated from being knocked down in the fourth round, dominating the remaining rounds and securing a ninth-round TKO against Trevor McCumby. Plant unleashed a flurry of punches in the final seconds of the fight, prompting the referee to stop the bout.
Plant, speaking after his victory, declared, “I knew I had him hurt and had to go to work. It was time to get my belt. Now I’m ready to go home and play with my daughter.”
The main card of this pay-per-view event kicked off with Rolando Romero’s unanimous decision victory over Manual Jaimes. The judges scored the fight with identical scores of 99-91, improving Romero’s record to 16 wins and 2 losses.
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