“Canelo” Alvarez retained his unified super middleweight world title after his fight against Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision.
Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez retained his unified super middleweight world title on Saturday by unanimous decision against American Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas, United States. Berlanga, undefeated before this fight (22 wins including 17 by KO), went to the canvas in the third round and was in difficulty throughout the twelve rounds.
After the gong of the last round, the two men hugged for a long time. “I told him he was my idol.”confessed Berlanga, 27 and seven years younger than Alvarez. “I have admired him since I was a child.”
“I did a good job”Alvarez first commented soberly, given the winner by 118-109 by two judges and by 117-110 by the third, before letting loose in a tirade against his detractors: “And now what will they say? That I fight younger opponents? Before they said I only beat old people. Now what will they say? They are still talking.”said the 34-year-old Mexican, bravado.
“I am the best fighter in the world”he proclaimed again, after having brought his record to 62 victories (39 KO), two defeats and two draws, to retain his WBA (World Boxing Association), WBC (World Boxing Council) and WBO (World Boxing Organization) belts.
The Mexican remains the undisputed champion in the category, even though he was stripped in July of his fourth belt, that of the IBF (International Boxing Federation) for having chosen to face Berlanga rather than his official IBF challenger, William Scull.
First defeat for Berlanga
In the final seconds of the ninth round, Alvarez seriously rocked his challenger with a big right and, at the break, the American’s corner man could be heard shouting to his boxer, seated on the stool: “Are you awake?”
Although battered, Berlanga remained defiant, taunting Alvarez as they entered the 12th round. But the American, born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents and a boxing phenomenon who launched his professional career with 16 consecutive first-round knockout victories, was unable this time to inflict the KO on his elder brother that he had so unwisely predicted.
The vastly experienced Alvarez put him under pressure from the start, with Berlanga looking tentative in the first two rounds as he was repeatedly pushed into the corner. He bravely tried to respond in the third round after taking a right to the face, but a devastating left hook from Alvarez sent him to the ground.
Berlanga quickly got back up, slamming his gloves together. But in the following rounds, Alvarez hammered him with body shots that he could not find a way to counter. By boxing this Saturday, in front of more than 20,000 wild people, Alvarez wanted to respect his own tradition of fighting on the weekend closest to Mexico’s Independence Day, celebrated on September 16.
“It means a lot”Alvarez said.. “It’s an honour for me to represent my country on this day. I’m proud of it.” The win is the fifth in a row on points for the world champion, whose last win before the limit came in an 11th-round knockout over Caleb Plant in November 2021. After the fight, he explained that he was going to take some time to think about the rest of his career. “I will rest with my family now and then I will decide”he said.
