Canelo Alvarez said he wanted to make a statement, and he did just that against Jermell Charlo on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Alvarez defeated Charlo by unanimous decision (119-108, 118-109, 118-109) to retain the undisputed super middleweight title.
From the very onset of the bout, Alvarez controlled the pace and location of the fight. He backed Charlo into the ropes time and time again, capitalizing on those opportunities by landing big power punches -- especially to the body. Alvarez said after the fight that was the strategy throughout camp.
Alvarez scored the only knockdown of the fight in the seventh round.
Charlo, the undisputed 154-pound champion who hadn't fought since his victory against Brian Castano in May 2022, just couldn't get moving. He landed a few big punches throughout, but nothing that put Alvarez into massive jeopardy.
Here's how Mike Coppinger saw all the action in Las Vegas: