Canelo Alvarez defeats Edgar Berlanga to retain unified super middleweight world title, result, video, highlights

Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defended his unified super middleweight world title with a tough unanimous decision victory over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alvarez knocked down the previously undefeated Berlanga in the third round and punished him throughout.

The champion rocked Berlanga with a hard right in the closing seconds of the ninth round, and Berlanga's handler could be heard asking his fighter, who was sitting in his chair before the tenth round, “Are you awake?” Berlanga remained defiant, taunting Alvarez as they came out for the twelfth round. But the Puerto Rican, who began his professional career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, could not get the stoppage he had boldly predicted.

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The highly experienced Alvarez put him under pressure early, and Berlanga looked hesitant in the first two rounds as he was repeatedly cornered.

He tried to bravely respond in the third round after Alvarez landed a right to the head, but a devastating left hook from Alvarez sent him to the floor. Berlanga slapped his gloves together as he sat on the mat and quickly jumped up.

But his punches seemed desperate at the end of the round and he had no answer as Alvarez attacked him round after round with crippling body blows.

“I did well,” said Alvarez, whose fight was scored 118-109 by two judges and 117-110 by the third.

“What will they say now – I fight against younger fighters? Before they say I fought against older fighters. What will they say now? They always talk.

“I am the best fighter in the world,” added Alvarez, who improved his record to 62-2-2 (39 KOs) and defended his World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization belts.

Alvarez was stripped of his International Boxing Federation belt in July when he chose to face Berlanga rather than IBF mandatory challenger William Scull.

That made no difference to the partisan crowd of more than 20,000 at T-Mobile Arena, where Alvarez earned another victory on Mexican Independence Day weekend — a holiday he has adopted as his own, along with Mexico's Cinco de Mayo.

“This means a lot to me,” said Alvarez. “It's an honor to represent my country on this day. I'm proud of it.” Berlanga, 27, fell behind to 22-1. When the final bell rang, the fighters hugged each other extensively.

“I told him he's my idol,” Berlanga said. “I've looked up to him since I was a kid.” It was the fifth straight point win for Alvarez, whose last inside-the-distance victory was an 11th-round knockout of Caleb Plant in November 2021.

However, it was the fourth straight fight in which Alvarez scored a knockdown, and the four-division champion said he will take some time to think about what's next for him.

“I will now rest with my family and then make a decision,” he said.