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Canelo Alvarez Defeats Edgar Berlanga, Maintaining Title Reign
Canelo Alvarez emerged victorious against Edgar Berlanga, marking the latter’s first professional defeat in a unanimous decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence weekend. This fight saw the boxing icon successfully defend his WBC, WBA, and WBO super-middleweight world titles, while the IBF belt remains vacant.
The judges displayed a clear consensus on Alvarez’s performance, with scores of 118-109 from Max DeLuca and Steve Weisfeld, and 117-110 from David Sutherland, all favoring the celebrated Mexican fighter.
Although Alvarez has not scored a knockout since he became the undisputed champion at 168 pounds by defeating Caleb Plant in 2021, he made a significant impact early in the bout by knocking Berlanga down in the third round. Despite this setback, Berlanga displayed admirable resilience and endured through to the final bell, absorbing a considerable amount of punishment throughout the fight.
Reflecting on the match, Alvarez expressed his passion for representing his heritage: “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.” He reinforced his commitment to the sport and hinted at his future plans, stating, “We are warriors and we never give up. I’m going to rest and then I’m going to decide what’s next.”
Alvarez also addressed the critics who question his choice of opponents, asserting, “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.”
For his part, Berlanga remained proud of his effort, noting, “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.”
Undercard Action: Lara Stops Garcia
In additional bouts, Erislandy Lara successfully defended his WBA middleweight title by stopping Danny Garcia at the end of the ninth round. At 41, Lara holds the distinction of being boxing’s oldest active world champion. This match marked Garcia’s return to the ring after a two-year hiatus from competitive fighting.
“I felt that I boxed beautifully,” Lara stated post-fight. “It was a work of art, like a Picasso. I negated everything Danny had. He’s a great fighter and a Hall of Famer just like me. I used lateral movement with a long jab to land my big shots, just like you learn at the Cuban school of boxing.” He further emphasized the effectiveness of his strikes, noting, “The punches I was landing were hurting him. That punch that ended the fight was a big shot.”
Looking ahead, Anthony Joshua is set for a heavyweight clash with Daniel Dubois on Saturday, September 21. Fans can catch the action live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Joshua v Dubois now!
Source
www.skysports.com