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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
LAS VEGAS – Boxing’s top star Canelo Alvarez defended his unified super middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena.
Alvarez knocked Berlanga down with a monstrous left hook in the third round – his decisive blow – and won by scores of 117-110, 118-109 and 118-109. ESPN rated the result as a 120-107 shutout.
This was the fifth consecutive point victory for Alvarez, who had not won a knockout since beating Caleb Plant in November 2021. It is also the fourth consecutive fight in which Alvarez scored a knockdown.
“What are they going to say now?” the 34-year-old Alvarez said in his post-fight interview. “I fight younger fighters. They say I fight older fighters. They always talk. … My experience, my talent, my hard work, my intelligence, everything together (makes me the best). If you have talent but no discipline, you have nothing.”
Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 5 in pound-for-pound boxing, is an all-time great. Berlanga, meanwhile, was fighting at a world-class level for the first time. Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) was a -1600 favorite and a -250 favorite to win inside the distance, according to ESPN BET.
However, Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) rarely threw powerful punches, clearly intent on providing an opportunity to counter-punch for one of the sport’s best boxers who takes advantage of such opportunities. After the knockdown, Berlanga sat on the mat and slapped his gloves together, going into survival mode.
Alvarez pushed forward, trying to close the distance, while Berlanga fired his jab from distance. And although Berlanga was sturdy inside and showed some toughness, he was clearly not willing to sell out and risk becoming a knockout victim.
“I’m upset,” Berlanga said. “I fought a legend tonight. Hopefully today is the start of my future legend. … I think I blocked his best punch in the third round.”
The Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican fighter began his career with 16 first-round knockouts, but as he became more demanding, his power waned. Berlanga, 27, entered his first title fight in February fresh off his sixth-round knockout of Padraig McCrory.
Alvarez is obviously a lot better than such an opponent and his vast experience showed. He was the far more confident fighter, although Berlanga’s crude tactics occasionally frustrated him, with referee Harvey Dock issuing multiple warnings to both.
“Fighters like to throw each other off track,” said Berlanga.
Alvarez headlined again on Mexican Independence Day weekend, one of two boxing holidays reserved for the sport’s main attraction, and he was unwilling to say who he plans to face when he returns on Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Ahead of the fight, Alvarez told ESPN on Wednesday that he is interested in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him at middleweight in May 2022. That’s provided Bivol defeats Artur Beterbiev on Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to capture the undisputed light heavyweight championship title.
Another option was at ringside: Terence Crawford, the future Hall of Famer who is still undefeated. He made his debut in the 154-pound division last month with a win over Israil Madrimov and told ESPN on Thursday he would like to fight Alvarez at the full 168-pound limit without a rehydration clause.
“I think it would show the best boxer of the post-Mayweather era who the king of kings is,” Crawford said.
Whoever Alvarez fights next, he will still be looking for his first knockout win since November 2021, despite not losing many rounds in the process.
Alvarez said: “I am the best fighter in the world.”
