Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez solidified his status as the unified super-middleweight world champion with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night.
In front of more than 20,000 fans at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the Mexican superstar knocked Berlanga down in the third round and controlled the fight from start to finish. The victory marked Alvarez’s fifth consecutive win and came as part of Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations.
The judges scored the bout 118-109 twice and 117-110, all in favor of Alvarez, allowing him to retain his WBA, WBC, and WBO titles. Alvarez, now 34, improved his record to 62-2-2, while the previously undefeated Berlanga, 27, suffered his first career loss, bringing his record to 22-1.
“I performed well,” Alvarez said after the fight. “People used to say I fought older opponents, but now I’ve faced younger ones. They always have something to say. But I’m the best fighter in the world, and it’s an honor to represent my country.”
Alvarez’s victory came after he opted to fight Berlanga rather than IBF mandatory challenger William Scull, a decision that led to him being stripped of the IBF title in July.
From the outset, Alvarez pressured Berlanga, landing a sharp right in the third round followed by a powerful left hook that sent his opponent to the canvas. Throughout the fight, Alvarez continued to punish Berlanga with vicious body shots and a hard right in the ninth round that shook the challenger.
Berlanga remained defiant, even taunting Alvarez as the 12th round began, but was unable to find the knockout punch he had predicted.
