Highlights: Canelo Alvarez puts on a striking clinic against Jermell Charlo, wins decision

Ben King

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez proved once again that he’s far from being on the decline in his illustrious career, delivering a commanding performance against Jermell Charlo and securing an easy unanimous decision victory (119-108, 118-109, and 118-109) in Las Vegas.

While Charlo (35-2-1) demonstrated resilience by never hitting the canvas, there was a notable moment in the seventh round when he was compelled to take a knee. Despite this, Charlo had some impressive flashes in the fourth and fifth rounds. However, it was Canelo (60-2-2) who consistently displayed his superiority, particularly with his jab, which he used to great effect throughout the fight. In a surprising turn of events, Canelo out-jabbed the taller Charlo 56-40.

For those speculating about Canelo’s retirement plans after retaining his four 168-pound titles, the Mexican boxing sensation provided a resounding response. During his post-fight interview with Jim Gray, the 33-year-old exclaimed, ‘I love boxing so fing much!’ He emphasized that he doesn’t ‘fing care’ about his next opponent, making it clear that he’s far from hanging up his gloves.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman had previously mandated that David Benavidez would be Canelo’s next challenger for the super middleweight belt. However, Canelo has yet to commit to facing Benavidez, who boasts an impressive record of 27-0, with all but four of his victories coming by knockout. If Canelo declines the fight, the WBC may be forced to vacate his championship.

Reflecting on his future plans earlier in the week, Canelo stated, ‘I’m going to win [against Charlo], but I don’t know what is next. I’m going to sit down with my team and talk about it because I’m 100 percent focused on this fight.’ He added that his intention is to ‘make the best fights out there’ in the wake of his victory over Charlo.

Canelo’s recent performances have faced scrutiny, including a loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022. However, he rebounded with a unanimous decision win against Gennady Golovkin and a convincing victory over John Ryder. Some critics had questioned whether the sport was surpassing Canelo, but his near-flawless performance against Charlo on Saturday silenced those doubts.

CompuBox statistics from the fight tell the story clearly. Canelo landed 40 percent of his power punches, whereas Charlo managed just 27 percent. Even in the rounds where Charlo displayed his best, Canelo out-punched him. Ultimately, Charlo was unable to pose a significant threat to Canelo, a fact reflected in the judge’s scorecards.

In sum, Canelo Alvarez’s passion for boxing remains undiminished, and his dominant victory over Jermell Charlo solidifies his position as one of the sport’s true icons.