Canelo Alvarez defends title in unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga

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LAS VEGAS -- Undisputed ace middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez outpointed challenger Edgar Berlanga connected Saturday nighttime successful beforehand of a sold-out assemblage astatine T-Mobile Arena.

Making his eighth ace middleweight rubric defense, the 34-year-old Alvarez (61-2-2) dominated overmuch of the fight, utilizing his acquisition and tenacious pursuit to deterioration down the 27-year-old challenger, often sending 20,312 fans into a frenzy, often chanting "Mexico! Mexico!" oregon "CA-NEL-O! CA-NEL-O!"

Berlanga mislaid for the archetypal clip successful his career, dropping to 22-1-0.

"I did good. Now what are they going to say? They said I don't combat young fighters," said Alvarez, who was making his eighth ace middleweight rubric defense. "They ever talk, but I'm the champion combatant successful the world."

Canelo Alvarez knocks down Edgar Berlanga successful a ace middleweight rubric bout Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, successful Las Vegas.

AP Photo/John Locher

Judges Max DeLuca and Steve Weisfeld scored the combat 118-109, and justice David Sutherland had it 117-110.

Berlanga astir matched Alvarez's punch output, but the champion was overmuch much accurate. Alvarez landed 43.3% (201 of 464) of the punches helium threw, portion Berlanga connected connected conscionable 119 of 446 (26.7%). Alvarez besides landed 49.1% (133 of 271) of his powerfulness punches.

Alvarez, a four-division champion, inactive hasn't ended a combat aboriginal since scoring a method knockout of Caleb Plant astir 3 years ago, erstwhile helium became the undisputed champion.

It appeared that drought mightiness extremity erstwhile a crisp near hook to the chin dropped Berlanga successful the 3rd round, and further punishment from Alvarez seemed to beryllium taking a toll. Alvarez landed a crisp close uppercut successful the 5th and a vicious hook successful the sixth.

But Berlanga wouldn't spell away, arsenic helium stood toe-to-toe and matched Alvarez's machismo, refusing to beryllium bullied by the antheral he'd telephone "my idol" aft the fight. He besides got chaotic successful the seventh, missing a chaotic overhand close that caused him to autumn connected the canvas, and was warned for a headbutt to Alvarez's look successful the eighth round.

"I got a small aggravated with his tactics, but I'm Mexican man," Alvarez said. "It means a batch to combat connected this day. It's an grant to correspond my state connected this day."

It marked 1 of the biggest nights successful combat sports connected Mexican Independence Day for Las Vegas, arsenic the UFC made its debut astatine the Sphere, conscionable 3 miles down Las Vegas Boulevard, with 7 Mexican fighters successful the lineup.

Alvarez closed arsenic a -1600 favourite astatine BetMGM Sportsbook, which means a bettor would person had to wager $1,600 to triumph $100.

The IBF removed Alvarez's rubric aft helium chose to combat Berlanga alternatively than combat its No. 1 challenger, William Scull.

Undercard

In a precise uneventful WBA middleweight title bout, 41-year-old Erislandy Lara (31-3-3) successfully defended his rubric against Danny Garcia (37-4-0) with a TKO astatine 3 minutes of of the ninth circular acknowledgment to a consecutive near jab to the face. Garcia's begetter and trainer, Angel, requested the stoppage aft the round.

"The punches I was landing were hurting him," said Lara, the oldest progressive satellite champion successful boxing. "That punch that ended the combat was a large shot."

After falling down connected the scorecards aboriginal during a conflict for the interim WBA ace middleweight belt, Caleb Plant overcame being knocked down successful the fourth, dominated the past 4 rounds, and earned a ninth-round TKO of Trevor McCumby (28-1-0). With clip winding down, Plant unleashed a flurry of punches to McCumby's caput that prompted referee Allen Huggins to halt the bout astatine the 2:59 mark.

"I knew I had him wounded and had to spell to work," Plant said. "It was clip to get my belt. Now I'm acceptable to spell location and play with my daughter."

In the archetypal combat of the main paper connected the pay-per-view event, Rolando Romero improved to 16-2-0 with a unanimous determination implicit Manual Jaimes (16-2-1), with each 3 judges scoring the combat with identical scores, 99-91.