Diego Pacheco has been tipped to take the super middleweight division by storm as we look at his rise.
The 23-year-old Mexican hopes to follow in the footsteps of the greats, namely Canelo Alvarez, who dominates his weight class. Alvarez is a former Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion, as Pacheco hopes to reach that level. Pacheco has a good amateur career, with over 75 fights. He also has eight National Championships. Pacheco signed with Matchroom Boxing, slowly working his way up the ranks.
He has already fought in the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K. His pro debut came against Luis Carlos Gonzalez. Pacheco announced himself with a first-round stoppage. He also managed to fight on the undercard of Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Anthony Joshua II. He knocked out a very experienced fighter in Selemani Saidi. That rise took him to 22-0, with 18 knockouts by name. He has six knockouts in his last seven fights, stopping Maciej Sulecki in his latest bout.
He has recently been mentioned as a possible opponent for Jaime Munguia. Oscar De La Hoya suggested a 5v5 against Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, with Pacheco on the list. Munguia is a former WBO Junior Middleweight Champion, showing he is at an elite level. He has also been in the ring with Canelo. While he lost a unanimous decision, Muguia got off the canvas to make it to the final bell. Pacheco knows a win over Munguia takes him closer to a title shot. Pacheco is ranked in the top five within the WBA, IBF, and WBO rankings. He is also ranked number one for the WBO belt, making him a strong contender to face Canelo.
Canelo has shown a tendency to take fights that generate a lot of money without taking the most amount of risk. Since Pacheco is Mexican, the fight could sell on Cinco De Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. Canelo showed that when the Munguia fight sold over 500,000 PPVs on Cinco De Mayo, despite Canelo receiving backlash for it. Canelo’s recent fight against Edgar Berlanga, a Puerto Rican, sold around 650,000 PPVs, generating a live gate of $17 million on Mexican Independence Weekend. Based on Hearn’s prior comments, Pacheco will be ready to face Canelo.
“We don’t want to rush him and get it wrong, but then when you see performances like that. the call is coming in 2025 when the WBO sent me that beautiful email to say Diego Pacheco has been mandated to fight for a world title. We got to be ready. He’s ready, and he’ll give everything. But with Diego, we actually have time with that fight to close the levels.
“That’s why I call out Munguia and Mbilli, and I call out those guys because, in my opinion, those are the guys that bridge the gap from where we are now to Canelo Alvarez. When you jump to Canelo Alvarez, it’s always a jump, but you don’t want a jump to be too big. One thing that we’ve got is time, but we’ll be led by Jose [Benavidez Sr], Diego, and the team. We’ll put our ideas together about the next opponent. I think we’re all on the same page,” Hearn said
Though he lost the battle for the undisputed championship, gallantly, Dmitry Bivol stood his ground and took a KO artist the whole distance.
During one interview, when asked what it felt like to be at the receiving end of Artur Beterbiev‘s bone-breaking punches, Bivol drew attention to a rather curious facet. When it came to a single shot, he felt that former rival Canelo Álvarez hit harder than the new undisputed champion!
Now the angle seems to have struck a chord at several corners. Former three-division Shane Mosley shares a common history with Dmitry Bivol. Like the Kazakhstan-born boxer, he fought Canelo Alvarez in the past, albeit a decade earlier. However, one of Mosley’s momentous fights was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. So the comparison invariably arose between the unbeaten champion and the Mexican superstar. As for Bivol’s case, Mosley’s response seems to have drawn notable attention.
So this reporter asked, “Let me ask you this: What do you think about Floyd power?” And pat came the reply, “When I fought Floyd, his power was really good,” said ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley. So much so that in terms of sheer speed and power, he felt that Mayweather Jr. was as good as Canelo Alvarez.
‼️🚨😳SHANE MOSLEY REVEALS MAYWEATHER & CANELO PUNCH THE SAME IN TERMS OF SPEED & POWER😧🤯 SHANE MOSLEY LOST TO BOTH😭😳 pic.twitter.com/cN0ZkQf5w1
Needless to say, from approval to sarcasm and then to plain dismissal, the commentary box has been witnessing a range of views. However, Shane Mosley’s point may hold some weight. Mayweather Jr.’s overall knockout-to-win rate just manages to stay above water. But the fact remains that when he was ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’, he did pack a punch and win fights through early stoppage.
In 2013, squaring off against Alvarez, Mayweather Jr. delivered a boxing clinic that impresses boxing purists to this day. But again, the champion’s technical superiority stole the limelight with very few insights into his power. Many believe that during the second stage of his career, probably from the Zab Judah fight onward, Floyd Mayweather Jr. transitioned to ‘The Money’ Mayweather.
His fighting style witnessed a gross change; he preferred going the whole distance. One may argue that the transformation might have occurred because of his progressing age. Then one can barely downplay the quality of his opponents either.
When it comes to Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol could present a pronounced contrast. According to him, the unified super middleweight champion invests all his power into a single punch. So if there’s a combination, say three to five punches, the first incoming would hurt the most. But the subsequent ones gradually taper off in intensity. Hence, when it came to a single debilitating power shot, he definitely had an upper hand in comparison to Artur Beterbiev.
But there seems to be a caveat. “But if you ask them, let’s do like five punches, Beterbiev; every punch will be hard. With Canelo, maybe first hard and then not [so much]. If we ask him [Beterbiev] to do it, maybe his punch is harder, but he’s not using it,” said Dmitry Bivol.
For sure, millions of Mayweather fans would be elated. The technical prowess of the 50-0 former world champion remains unquestionable. A few may definitely find solace in that their icon never lacked in power either.
Former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol has officially fought two of the biggest names in boxing—Canelo Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev.
Now, the Russian technician has answered the question many have been asking since last Saturday night’s mega event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Who hits harder—Canelo or Beterbiev?
The 33-year-old took on ‘Cinnamon’ back in April 2022, emerging victorious via unanimous decision after 12 rounds of battle. However, surprisingly, he could not produce the same results last weekend, as he lost the fight to Beterbiev via a majority decision, which is now shrouded in controversy.
Despite looking like the slightly better fighter in the 12-round skirmish, Bivol was handed his first career loss, as he continues to ask for a rematch to avenge his loss. Regardless, while appearing in an interview with Box Nation, Bivol expressed his thoughts about Beterbiev’s power.
The Kyrgyzstan-born boxer said, “He has very strong punches. [I felt] his right hand even through my left. My thumb is swollen because I was holding it on my head and he was beating on my hand.” Bivol added that because of the repeated blows from Beterbiev, who had entered the fight with a perfect knockout record, it felt as if Bivol’s guard was pushed inside his head.
After this statement became public, former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion Andre Ward reacted by suggesting Bivol should not indulge these details if he wants a rematch. “You should never concede this openly when there is potential for a rematch. Keep that to yourself! Too much talking,” he wrote on X.
You should never concede this openly when there is potential for a rematch. Keep that to yourself ! Too much talking 🤫 #ArtOfWarhttps://t.co/4WXqeKjK9c
However, things didn’t end there, as Bivol went on to compare Beterbiev’s power with Canelo Alvarez. While appearing in another interview with Fight Hub TV, Bivol told Marcos Villegas, “I could compare [it] with Canelo. He put all his energy, all his power [into] a single punch. [So,] sometimes he’s harder than Beterbiev.”
He explained that, unlike Canelo, Beterbiev doesn’t wind up his punches, rather he likes to fight in the pocket. However, when there are combinations or just the volume of punches is increased in the comparison, Beterbiev is the more powerful puncher. “Beterbiev, every punch will be [harder than] Canelo. Both of them are strong, but Beterbiev is bigger, and he’s born strong,” Bivol said.
However, these weren’t the only times Bivol commented on Beterbiev’s power.
Despite the controversy surrounding his loss to Beterbiev, Bivol decided to keep things real. Speaking to iFL TV right after the fight came to a close, Bivol acknowledged that Beterbiev’s power was significant, highlighting the bruises he had suffered after the action-packed 12 rounds.
“It’s hard, but not as [hard] as people are describing. Yeah, it’s hard, you see my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, through my hand. You see the bruises,” Bivol said. However, the Russian boxer remained adamant about his own abilities, stating, “He [hits] hard but we can handle these hard punches.”
That said, the next best thing for Dmitry Bivol would be to pursue a rematch with Artur Beterbiev to avenge his loss. However, the final word on the matter will only be revealed in the coming days, as Beterbiev contemplates other options.
Terence Crawford is the reigning WBO Interim Jr. Middleweight Champion.
Fundora, on the other hand, is the WBO Jr. Middleweight Champion.
The fight was to terminate the interim status and determine who would emerge as the king of the middleweight scene.
But now it seems that the wait will go on a little while longer.
The WBO have shared a press release today that explains what is going on.
On August 28, the WBO ordered the fight and gave both sides 30 days to strike a deal.
It’s notoriously difficult at times to get boxers to negotiate what the split will be on the revenue for each fighter.
That date would have run out on September 28.
However, according to the communications from the WBO, an email communication by Attorney Mr. Harrison Whitman, on behalf of Terrence Crawford, requested a 10 day extension of the negotiation period to continue discussion on the matter.
On the same day, Fundora’s promoter Mr. Sampson Lewkowicz agreed to the extension.
Therefore, there is now an additional 10 days for the two sides to come to an agreement.
The release is signed by the chairman of the WBO, Luis Batista Salas.
So it seems that both fighters need a little more time to work out the details for the fight.
With the 10 day extension now in place, the date for the fight will likely be available in just over a week’s time.
Sebastian Fundora is putting all his effort into securing a fight with fellow title holder Terence Crawford, despite reports he was in talks to face Errol Spence Jr, the unified super-welterweight champion’s promoter said.
When Crawford (41-0-0 31 KO) became a four-weight world champion by beating WBA title holder Israil Madrimov in August, he also claimed the WBO’s interim belt, placing him in a mandatory position to challenge full champion Fundora (21-1-1 13 KO).
Later that month, the WBO ordered the fight between Fundora and Crawford, giving their respective teams 30 days’ notice to agree a deal before it was sent to purse bids. With Fundora also holding the WBC title, there is plenty of logic as to why Crawford would be interested in the bout; a win would put him one win and one belt away from becoming the first male fighter in history to become undisputed in three divisions.
However, the Nebraskan’s priority is reportedly on securing a bout with unified super-middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez – a fight that makes little sense beyond the enormous payday the pound-for-pound star would earn.
Despite the situation, Sampson Lewkowicz, who promotes Fundora, insists their priority is still on securing a bout with Crawford, even if it takes place after any potential bout with Canelo.
“It looks like Crawford only wants to fight Canelo,” Lewkowicz told BoxingScene. “If Canelo gets $100 million for the Crawford fight, he will take it and knock the shit out of Crawford. He’s not stupid. It’s an easy fight, and that’s it. It’s the end of Crawford’s career.
“If Canelo doesn’t take the Crawford fight, we’re ready to fight Crawford. All of our efforts are on Crawford. We have nothing else in mind. We want to fight Crawford. Sebastian believes that he will beat Crawford, and when he does, he will become a superstar. Sebastian has the balls and is a dangerous fight for anybody.”
Fundora became the 154-pound division’s unified champion in March when he defeated WBO title holder Tim Tszyu by split decision in a bout that also had the vacant WBC strap on the line. The 26-year-old Californian benefitted from an accidental elbow early in the fight that opened up a nasty cut on Tszyu’s forehead, and while the Australian fought on valiantly, he was severely debilitated.
Fundora had been expected to make his first title defense against former unified welterweight champion Spence, with their bout initially aimed for October. However, the fight was pushed, with Fundora saying in July that it was still on but “they just changing the date”. Since then, though, there have been no updates or announcements, suggesting that it’s no longer going ahead while Fundora waits on Crawford.
Spence has not fought since getting dominated by Crawford in their 147-pound undisputed title fight in July last year when he was stopped after seven rounds of one-way punishment.
Meanwhile, the other super-welterweight world title will be fought over on October 19 when IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev makes his first defense against Tszyu in Orlando.
In so many ways, in so many interviews, in so many fights, Claressa Shields has been trying to get her point across.
Whether the listener wanted to hear it, whether the principled message was being delivered correctly, or whether Shields was saying things that made the status quo uncomfortable, there has remained a divide keeping the masses from comprehending the greatest women’s boxer in history.
Now, as her life story, captured in the film “The Fire Inside,” heads to movie theaters in late December, Shields is hopeful her journey from Flint, Michigan, to two gold medals and world titles from junior middleweight to heavyweight will provide the needed perspective to illustrate where she’s coming from.
“I want people to understand when they watch my film that they understand what they haven’t before: that my boxing is a passion for me,” Shields said. “I’m not being forced to box, and I don’t have to box to heal. It has helped me grow into the person I was supposed to be.”
Shields, 29, sat down with BoxingScene during the recent Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight week in Las Vegas, playing the trailer from her film written by Barry Jenkins and fighting tears knowing that her full story will be out there around Christmas, along with her return to the ring following her July second-round TKO of Vanessa Lepage-Joannise to capture the WBC heavyweight and WBO light heavyweight belts.
“By December-January, I’d like to have another fight. I’m all about history. I want the biggest and best challenges,” she said. “Right now, the heavyweight girls are calling me out. They want to fight me. I know them all, and undisputed at heavyweight will put me at the tops with Muhammad Ali and [Oleksandr] Usyk, Evander Holyfield. I’ll be able to talk to those guys.”
Before heading to training camp, Shields is savoring this experience of knowing her life story is heading to the silver screen, where so many amazing real-life and fictional works – “Raging Bull,” “Rocky,” “Ali,” “When We Were Kings” and “Million Dollar Baby” – have moved the world.
After learning a movie studio was picking up the rights to the documentary, “T-Rex,” that depicted three years of her life before and after the 2016 Olympics, Shields was contacted by Jenkins.
They met in person for four hours, with Shields maintaining her typically unfiltered, candid demeanor.
“I wanted to meet him to know I could actually trust him to do the storytelling,” she said.
She asked Jenkins, “What do you think my life story is? How do you see me? What is your perception?”
She listened to his response and replied, “OK, we’re somewhere near the same thing. This is my perception of it, and this is what I want to be included that I know you wouldn’t include in regular movies.”
About two months later, Jenkins sent Shields the script before any actors had been retained.
“Anything you want taken out, anything you want moved, anything you don’t want mentioned, let me know,” Jenkins told Shields.
She made one cut, declining to divulge what it was.
“He did a great job writing the story. Some of the stuff he included was great … because a lot of times, my story has been misconstrued,” Shields said.
It’s been known that Shields was sexually assaulted as a 5-year-old, that her mother battled alcohol abuse in Shields’ youth, and that she didn’t connect with her formerly incarcerated father until the age of 9 before taking up boxing at 11.
“People have written things that are not true or made it worse than what it was, or what I was focused on,” Shields said. “I had a very hard upbringing. But I also had boxing, and boxing saved my life.
“The story before was that I was some kind of angry black woman who got raped when I was a kid and I hate all men, so I learned how to box to fight men … that’s not my story. But that’s how it was depicted for a long time.
“So I wanted to make sure we didn’t go down that road, that we actually got it right and make it clear how I’m passionate about boxing. I love boxing. It’s what I chose to do. God chose me to box. And I’m the person who’s supposed to change the whole sport – not just with women’s boxing. But boxing, period. I’ve been able to do that.”
Shields is portrayed by actress Ryan Destiny, the boxer comparing the integrity of Destiny’s work to that of Will Smith’s in “Ali.” Rachel Morrison directed “The Fire Inside.”
“Everybody will understand that it’s always been about my passion for boxing. They think when you have trauma and then you box that it’s all about trauma, anger and boxing. That you’re angry,” Shields explained.
“I’m not angry to box. It’s something I’ve taken the most joy in my life from doing. I’m passionate about boxing.”
It’s why she’s had no problem calling out fighters like Gervonta Davis for his domestic violence, Ryan Garcia over his erratic behavior and Jake Paul over comments that he’s helped grow women’s boxing by putting multi-division champion Amanda Serrano on his cards.
“When you see a guy come talking trash to me and hear me say, ‘I’ll kick his ass,’ I really mean that – in the most humble way,” Shields said. “I’ve done that. I do that. I train very hard.”
She even took Alvarez to task, responding to his comment that he accepted the Sept. 14 date against big underdog Edgar Berlanga because Canelo had “fought everyone else.”
“Canelo hasn’t fought everyone. We still haven’t seen (David) Benavidez. Benavidez and (Dmitrii) Bivol. There’s people for him to fight, and there’s people for me to fight, too,” Shields said.
“When you can go as low as 154 and go all the way to heavyweight, there’s always going to be someone very good who can challenge you. There’s girls at 154 who I think can challenge me. They’re just scared. I think they’re good!”
By sparring against men for most of her boxing career, Shields said she has developed a toughness and grit that has contributed greatly to her 15-0 pro record.
“Me boxing – having to rise to these occasions, having to be on TV, having desires outside the ring – has helped me grow into the woman I am today,” she said. “It was all from my passion of fighting. It’s why I did MMA. I didn’t do MMA because I’m angry. I did it because I’m a great ass kicker. I can kick ass in MMA and boxing.”
Shields made it clear in her conversation with BoxingScene that she relishes being a woman.
“I can go to 147 (pounds), but I told (promoters and networks), ‘I need a couple million for that. Because my butt’s going to get little. And I don’t want that,’” Shields said, adding in her present-day weight of 178 pounds. “I like how I look. That means a lot. I’m a woman. These other girls out there looking all strong … I look strong, but I look feminine. That’s very important to me. I’m a woman boxer – woman first. I need to keep my curves and my looks. You want me to go to 147, I will. Just pay me my money.”
And while Alvarez, at 34, has expressed some fatigue with the business of boxing, Shields says she’s continually enthused by the sport.
“I’m always excited to fight. That’s the difference between me and other people. I’m in the back room dancing before a fight, they’re telling me, ‘Claressa, sit down, save your energy,’” she said.
“I’ve already put myself through the hard work, the brutal stress and the roadwork. Now, I get to eat, drink my water and juice and now I get to fight with no restraints.
“In sparring, you don’t want to knock your partners out. When you’ve got a fight, hey, it’s all or nothing. I love when I get to be as mean as I want to be, punch as hard as I want to punch, with nobody saying, ‘Hey, taper it down some.’ No, it’s, ‘Keep turning it up.’ I’m excited about that every time. And the buildup, too. These girls saying I don’t have power, that I haven’t fought nobody. It’s just, ‘Back it up when we get in there.’ When they can’t do that, I beat ‘em up real bad.”
Watching those scenes of her life play out on the big screen at the film’s screening in Toronto recently was powerful, leaving the strong-minded champion fighter reduced to a puddle of tears at times.
“God has done some miraculous things with my life that I can’t put into words. I’m grateful and thankful to see what God has done with this little Black girl from Flint,” Shields said.
She said she’s always been touched by a Biblical passage urging the faithful to maintain hope for the future, where prosperity awaits. Shields did so and was rewarded.
Asked what scenes made her weep, she said, “You have to come and see it, and you will know why I cry. Reliving it on film … you usually don’t get to do that with your life. You may get to watch a couple family videos. For me, to have a movie of my life is tear-worthy by itself.
“Happy tears, sad tears, all over the place. But you will leave feeling like you can conquer the world.”
Highlights of the Canelo vs Berlanga fight for the WBO, WBA, WBC super middleweight titles. Live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Saul won after 12 rounds.
Saul Canelo Alvarez has always starred in one of the most important fights for Mexicans in the national month. This time it will not be the exception for the man from Guadalajara. From the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the cheers will be heard from the top when Saul faces Puerto Rican Edgar Berlanga. He will not be an easy opponent as many believe, some think that Canelo’s reign may come to an end on the most important day for him. But I think it will be one of the best performances of the Mexican, since he has not been pushed, according to boxing fans. The titles at stake will be the super middleweights of the WBA, WBC and WBO.
Saul arrives with a record of 60-2-2, with 39 KO’s. His last fight date was on 5-04-2024 against Jaime Munguía, winning and retaining his championships. Against Jermell Charlo he also retained. Against Jhon Ryder he also retained again. With Golovkin, he won again. His most recent defeat was to Dmitri Bivol for the WBA light heavyweight title, losing the fight on 5-07-2022.
The challenger Edgar Berlanga comes to this fight with a record of 22-0-0. With 17 KO’s. The Puerto Rican current WBO NABO super middleweight champion since 2021, remains undefeated. His most successful defense was against Steve Rolls, winning on the judges’ cards.
Saúl Canelo Álvarez’s last defeat was on 5-07-2022 against Dimitri Bivol. It was a very tough fight for the Mexican. He lost the WBA light heavyweight belt.
Saúl el Canelo Álvarez will earn more than 35 million dollars in the case of winning or losing, it does not matter. The Mexican is established on the list of athletes who earn the most money.
First Round
Canelo starts to throw the first right-handers. Berlanga protects his guard. The Mexican doesn’t take any risks in this first round.
Second Round
The second fight started, Berlanga started attacking hard. Canelo resisted and looked for the first contacts on the right. The Puerto Rican waited a long time for the Mexican. But both seemed to be wearing themselves out.
Third round
The Mexican knocked the Puerto Rican to the ground. Canelo threw several left blows and tried to finish him off, but Berlanga remained strong and resisted in the campaign that saved him.
Round 4
Berlanga has become more motivated and he went after Canelo. He was calm for the Mexican. Saul did not risk much to go for the fight. Few blows up and down.
Fifth round
The round got heated. Berlanga finished and hit Canelo. Saul held on at short distance. The Mexican showed long and short right hands. The Puerto Rican is saved again.
Sixth round
Canelo finds a better way to victory. He doesn’t take risks and keeps moving forward. He looks for short right hands to the center. He also goes to the corner.
Seventh round
Berlanga fell. He couldn’t hold on for long and the referee lifted him up and the fight went on. He said the fight was on for round 8. Canelo continues to dominate.
Eighth round
The Mexican continues to improve and looks for Berlanga at close range. With a right hook above the face. The man from Guadalajara has everything to win and the Puerto Rican continues to resist Saúl’s blows.
Ninth round
Canelo held his own against Berlanga. He did not despair in looking for the blows that would send the Puerto Rican to the ground. Canelo looked for the right hands in the lower part. We entered the last rounds.
Tenth round
Canelo hugged Berlanga. Waiting for the rounds to end. Saul Alvarez looked for the lower part and the fight was in the center of the ring. Both are already looking tired. Edgar closed better with a final blow.
11 round
Penultimate round. Canelo held out against Berlanaga for a long time. The Puerto Rican refuses to fall into Saul’s game. He takes breaks from the big blows he had in the first encounters. The last round comes and Canelo lands the final blow in the corner.
12 round
Canelo appears to be tiring just like Berlanga. But the last goals were quite key. They could not finalize the fight and Saul Alvarez will be the one in charge of winning the title.
Canelo won the fight
Saul Canelo Alvarez won against Edgar Berlanga. The Mexican was better in the ring, giving straight right-handed blows and knocking down the Puerto Rican, who had many problems. The man from Guadalajara came out strong in the last rounds. He retains his legacy and championships.
Canelo Alvarez has revealed who he wants to fight next after he defeated Edgar Berlanga to retain his WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight titles.
The two men were fighting at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Alvarez dropping Berlanga on his way to a wide unanimous decision win.
Canelo was in control throughout the bout, and dropped Berlanga in round three after a left hook. The Puerto Rican showed great heart throughout the contest though, displaying that he would not give up.
Despite his bravery, Alvarez remained dominant, with the fight going the distance and the judges scoring it 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110 in the Mexican’s favour, who was pleased with his victory.
“I did good. Now what are they gonna say? They said I don’t fight young fighters. They always talk, but I’m the best fighter in the world.
“I got a little angry with his tactics, but I’m Mexican man. It means a lot to fight on this day. It’s an honor to represent my country on this day.
“My experience and my talent was the difference. It’s about hard work and intelligence. It’s everything together. If you have talent, you need discipline as well.
“A lot of people say we can’t, but we can. Las Vegas is like a second home for Mexicans. We are warriors and we never give up. I’m going to rest and then I’m going to decide what’s next.”
Bivol defeated Canelo back in May 2022, claiming a close unanimous decision win to deny the Mexican the chance to win the WBA light-heavyweight title.
As for Berlanga, the loss to Alvarez was the first defeat of his professional career, and he acknowledged how difficult it was going against the pound-for-pound great.
“I’m upset because at the end of the day I’m a winner. I fought a legend tonight and did my best to represent Puerto Rico. We’re fighters and we try to throw our opponent off their game.
“I took his best shot and I knew I could take his punches and return them. I could have jabbed a lot more, but I was in there with a legend.”
Elsewhere on the Canelo card, Erislandy Lara claimed a ninth round retirement win over Danny Garcia to retain his WBA middleweight title, and Caleb Plant stopped Trevor McCumby in the ninth round to win to win the interim WBA super-middleweight title.
There was also a dominant unanimous decision win for Rolly Romero against Manuel Jaimes, while Stephen Fulton recovered from a fifth round knockdown to defeat Carlos Castro by split decision.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez proved he is still the man to beat in the super middleweight division after a win by unanimous decision against Edgar Berlanga.
Despite the dominant nature of the Mexican’s victory, Alvarez’s wait for a knockout continues. The 34-year-old has had to wait almost three years for a stoppage victory, since beating Caleb Plant in November 2021.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez successfully retained his unified super-middleweight world title after a unanimous decision victory over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas.
The 34-year-old won after scoring 117-110, 118-109, 118-109 on the judges’ scorecards, to inflict the first loss of Berlanga’s career.
Alvarez retained the WBA, WBC and WBO titles with this result, and hit back at his critics after the victory.
He said: “I did good. Now what are they going to say? They said I don’t fight young fighters.
“They always talk, but I’m the best fighter in the world.”
It looked like Canelo may have ended his three-year wait for a knockout when Berlanga was caught with a shot to the head in round three, but the American held on until the 12th round.
The 27-year-old took plenty of punishment from Canelo after the Mexican successfully landed a brilliant uppercut in the fifth round and a superb hook in the sixth.
Berlanga fell to the canvas in round seven after missing with an overhand shot and received a warning for a headbutt in the eighth.
Alvarez admitted to being upset by his opponent’s antics on a huge night for Mexican fighters, with seven mixed martial artists also taking part in the UFC 306 event to mark Mexican Independence Day on Sunday.
“I got a little angry with his tactics, but I’m Mexican man,” Alvarez added. “It means a lot to fight on this day. It’s an honour to represent my country on this day.”
However, Alvarez’s decision to take this bout cost him the IBF belt after failing to fight the division’s No.1 challenger William Scull.
It remains to be seen what lies next for Alvarez, with WBA super welterweight champion Terence Crawford stating he would be open to a super-middleweight bout with the 34-year-old.
However, those plans were put on the back-burner with Turki Alalshikh reportedly turning his attention away from setting up what would have been a mouthwatering clash.
He posted on X: “I decided to disregard the Canelo fight, as I don’t want it anymore.
“Instead, I will be focusing for the US market with bigger fights, especially for the legend Crawford.
“Additionally, I will support making fights for Boots [Jaron Ennis], [Devin] Haney, Shakur [Stevenson], Ortiz, [Jared] Anderson, [David] Benavidez, [William] Zepeda and more.
“Regarding Tim Tszyu, there’s something unclear with the communications from his team with our team, so I believe I will reconsider his situation.”
Terence Crawford is still angling for a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Terence Crawford was ringside for Canelo Alvarez’s win over Edgar Berlanga tonight, and though his dream fight seems unlikely, he’s not given up on it just yet.
“Put me in the game, coach!” Crawford posted on social media, still angling for a bout with Canelo, which has been repeatedly shot down by Alvarez himself.
Canelo has most notably said that fights he does will happen on his terms, not on those of Turki Alalshikh, who attempted to make Crawford’s dream a reality with a big money offer.
Crawford is a current titlist at 154 lbs, while Canelo fights, of course, at 168, and because of that he feels that he would not get any credit for beating Crawford if the fight were to actually happen.
But you can’t blame “Bud” for continuing to hope, because it would potentially be an enormous amount of money for both sides.
Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KO) dropped Berlanga (22-1, 17 KO) and won a wide decision, but Berlanga got some credit from fellow fighters for his display of toughness.
“Edgar will learn a lot from this fight,” said Jamel Herring. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”
In a really thought-out bit of insight, Devin Haney declared that Berlanga is “not a hoe.”
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