There are weight classes for a reason, so the saying goes. Super-middleweight king Canelo Álvarez started aggressively and controlled the action throughout, scoring a seventh-round knockdown en route to a comfy UD12 victory vs. light-middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo in their Las Vegas main event overnight. David Benavidez or a Dmitry Bivol rematch next? He doesn’t care.
Canelo makes history after Charlo survives the fire
119-108, 118-109, 118-109: Canelo Álvarez (c) bt. Jermell Charlo via UD12
- Canelo records his 60th professional win, becomes first to successfully defend undisputed titles three times in the sport’s four-belt era
- 33-year-old’s post-fight interview: “I’m happy, thank you all for coming. I love you all! I’m a strong fighter, all the time, this Canelo – nobody can beat him. We work for that, he knows how to move around the ring, three months in the mountains. Boxing is my life, it’s made me the person I am today. I feel great, that’s why we fight twelve rounds, to show who is better.”
- Charlo confirms he’ll return to 154lbs and is open to facing Tim Tszyu vs. Brian Mendoza winner or undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford next: “I wasn’t me in there, don’t make excuses so it is what it is, win some and lose some. I’m proud of myself, he hit me with some hard shots. I’m waiting and back in the gym on Monday, don’t worry about it.”
“Cinco de Mayo, whoever I don’t care,” was the bullish response in an expressive post-fight interview as Canelo celebrated yet another world title defence.
This time, moreso than old rival Gennadiy Golovkin last September, the undisputed super-middleweight world champion was noticeably sharper against a fellow titlist who quickly found himself unstuck on his big career night.
Maybe entering this bout after such a long layoff wasn’t a good thing, after all. It’s easy to say with the benefit of hindsight that a 14lb weight jump was too much too soon, yet Charlo looked resigned to defeat long before the second-half of this contest had even begun. Big-fight experience cannot be bought, nor understated.
When both boxers are deemed slow starters, something’s got to give.
Armed with a fast start, Alvarez was on top
Canelo asserted himself as the aggressor here, being cautioned by referee Harvey Dock for leading with his elbow whenever they clinched, but you could sense the Mexican’s urgency as he winged power shots and narrowly missed against the ropes.
Systematically breaking Charlo down, to the head and particularly body, the Las Vegas crowd made themselves heard as Alvarez chained together combos and landed vicious right hands in the fourth.
Don’t get overconfident was the call from Canelo’s head trainer Eddy Reynoso with the first third of their contest complete, and it would’ve been easy for him to do so.
Looking sharp, walking Charlo down with left hooks and liver shots, Charlo’s brief successful moments where he landed flush were rapidly overshadowed by some ominous connected punches and slick footwork to boot.
Into the sixth they went and Charlo spent most of it boxing off the back foot – not a favourable tactic – but Canelo’s pressure made it so he was virtually hugging the ropes at times, and eating good punches for it too.
Round seven saw Charlo in big danger
Canelo caught Charlo with a beautiful overhand right through the guard and it wobbled the 154lb champion, who took a knee as an uppercut followed shortly afterwards – suffering the second knockdown of his career.
Not expecting to be hit so clean, nor having time to brace himself after being parked up against the ropes, Charlo still recovered well to regain composure in a 10-8 round.
Round eight followed the same pattern, a better round for Charlo without much in the way of frequent punch output while Canelo’s chin was being checked upon occasion as time wore on. He seemed comfortable walking through it, mind.
After being outworked in the ninth and tenth, something needed to be done and rather quickly as this had petered out into underwhelming territory.
Head trainer Derrick James read his charge the riot act before R11, telling Charlo to go after it as he was clearly losing but Canelo was tiring – easier said than done when your opponent has been stalking you intently, throwing clubbing blows and hooks.
From round three onwards Canelo’s single jab was popping nicely enough for him to just flick out whenever he threw, landing a few right hands that would’ve done even more damage had he been positioned more favourably at a better angle.
Admittedly, he looked increasingly frustrated in the final few rounds by Charlo’s unwillingness to engage or really offer much in the way of opportunities – such was the perceived margin on the scorecards – and after a so-so final round, it was all over.
What’s next?
Insistent he’s 100% after last year’s surgical procedure on his left wrist, Canelo will reaffirm he will fight whoever is offered up but it feels inevitable that a Dmitry Bivol rematch tops the list from an ego standpoint for a champion whose Hall of Fame resume continues to stack up into his 30s and isn’t slowing down quite yet.
It might not be what fans want, but it’s a good sign he would look to avenge defeat where he was so handily beaten – grim scorecards aside – but Bivol’s inactivity in 2023 was largely based on waiting for a rematch to be sanctioned at super-middle.
That can’t happen again, for a world champion in a division without much movement at the top, nor a long-anticipated unification against Artur Beterbiev.
After a career-best showing against Caleb Plant, David Benavidez must now produce a statement win in his November 25 headliner against former middleweight world titlist Demetrius Andrade, for a long-awaited shot at the division’s king.
As for Charlo, the less said the better. He spoke so much in the build-up about what he was going to do, if offered this prized opportunity, and didn’t just underwhelm but completely froze on the biggest stage – many suggesting with a career-high payday in the bank, it was purely survival mode after he felt the brunt of Canelo’s aggression.
At 33 and inactive even by world champion standards, the manner of this dominant defeat will not only confine him back to a weight class many have long described as undesirable, but also a situation where many – Terence Crawford included – deem damaged goods, having lost twice and had his motivation questioned.
Brian Castano will argue that number should be three career defeats and he’s been stripped of undisputed status, only to go back to said division empty-handed.
Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora’s conqueror Brian Mendoza for the full title takes place in two weeks (Oct. 15), but Charlo won’t get paid a king’s ransom for either opponent and should Tszyu win, probably need to travel abroad for the first time as a pro to exhaust his earning potential in that matchup. How things can quickly change…
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via Showtime’s broadcast
Mo and Sports 