Las Vegas, Nevada – Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) continues his super middleweight championship reign by defeating another hungry lion in Edgar Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs).
Canelo put on a masterful performance in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,312 at T-Mobile Arena. Berlanga played it safe to box Canelo on the outside instead of trading with him on the inside like he said he would do during the lead up to the fight.
Predicting that he will knock out Canelo by the 6th round. Canelo scored a third-round jab with a vicious left hook that sent Berlanga to the canvas. Berlanga survived the round and the match and finally received recognition from the crowd for his valiant effort. The pro-Canelo crowd applauded his efforts at the end of the match.
Canelo outclassed Berlanga in every category, landing more jabs and power punches. He landed an astounding 49.1 percent of his power punches, showing that he can still perform at a high level. Berlanga did not have an effective defense to thwart Canelo’s attack.
Canelo was able to land with precision. Berlanga’s production consisted largely of his jab, throwing 260, but he only landed a measly 20.8 percent of them. His striking was ineffective and didn’t really cause Canelo any real damage (Compubox).
At the post-fight press conference, Canelo stated that he would take some time to rest and think about his next opponent. Turki Alalshikh and Terence Crawford called Canelo last night from the Sphere, saying they were ready for him. When pressed about Terence Crawford, Canelo didn’t just comment.
Canelo has stated that if he moves up to 175 pounds, he will only do so to fight Dmitry Bivol and no one else. Another possible option for Canelo is to face the new IBF super middleweight champion, whoever that is. There is no current champion.
Canelo was stripped of the belt for failing to face the mandatory IBF number one contender, William Scull. The prestige of becoming undisputed champion could be drawn once again.
We will have to wait and see who wins the Canelo contest. Many want the chance to win a million dollar payday. Terence Crawford, David Benavidez, Caleb Plant and Dmitry Bivol have expressed interest in fighting Canelo.
To the dismay of many, Canelo can pick and choose who he does next. For Edgar Berlanga, although he lost, his star power rose. His valiant effort has earned him the respect of fans, and they want to see more of him in the future. The main options for Berlanga are Canelo’s previous opponents Caleb Plant or Jaime Munguia.
