Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Saturday once again showcased his super middleweight mastery with a resounding unanimous-decision triumph over Jermell Charlo, thus reaffirming his undisputed world title status.
The raucous crowd bore witness to a relentless Alvarez, hailing from Mexico, who defended his WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF belts in spectacular fashion.
Alvarez became the first fighter to successfully defend all four titles for a remarkable third consecutive time.
Judges Max DeLuca and David Sutherland rendered identical scores of 118-109, while Steve Weisfeld's tally stood at 119-108, all in favor of Alvarez.
Right from the opening bell, Alvarez established himself as the aggressor, dictating the tempo and asserting his dominance.
The defining moment of the bout occurred in the seventh round when Alvarez unleashed a thunderous right to Charlo's temple, causing the American champion to hit the canvas.
A relentless follow-up uppercut had Charlo sagging to a knee, as Alvarez sent shock waves through the arena.
Alvarez's strategic brilliance was evident as he had meticulously planned to target Charlo's body, a plan executed with precision right from the outset.
"You know, I worked all the fight to go in the body," Alvarez said. "And then I changed the punch, and that's what happened."
He acknowledged the intensive three-month training regimen in the California mountains, away from his family, which rejuvenated his fitness and strength, noticeably absent in his recent outings against Gennady Golovkin and John Ryder since his light heavyweight setback against Dmitry Bivol.
Alvarez, now setting his sights on a title defense next May, in sync with the Mexican Cinco de Mayo holiday, brushed off any concerns about not securing a knockout, stating: "I feel great. That's why we fight 12 rounds, right? If I don't get that knockout, I get 12 rounds to show I'm the best, right? I'm the best. Who's better? Nobody can beat this Canelo."
Charlo, on the other hand, faced a humbling defeat, as his record now stands at 35-2 with one draw and 19 knockouts.
Reflecting on his performance, Charlo remarked: "I just feel like I wasn't me in there. It's boxing. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose."
Despite having a height and reach advantage, Charlo struggled to find his rhythm as Alvarez expertly controlled the ring and pushed Charlo on the defensive throughout the contest.
Although Charlo exhibited sporadic moments of aggression, particularly after the knockdown, he could not sustain the momentum, while Alvarez continued to land telling blows.
Charlo's corner urged him to produce something extraordinary in the 11th round, but it wasn't enough to alter the course of the fight.
Charlo's ambition to join the ranks of undisputed champions, akin to Terence Crawford, was thwarted on this night.
Stripped of his WBO super welterweight title, Charlo intends to make his return to the 154-pound division, proud of his resilient performance.
"I'm proud of myself," Charlo affirmed, his head held high. "He didn't knock me out. He hit me with some hard shots."
