0
0
Canelo Alvarez is still the king and it’s going to take more than soothsayers to oust him. Alvarez silenced whispers of his athletic decline, outclassing fellow undisputed champion Jermell Charlo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Alvarez played lion tamer to Charlo’s lion, humbling a hungry challenger whose eyes were bigger than his stomach. Charlo travelled two weight classes north in hopes of adding a second undisputed title to his collection to no avail. Alvarez successfully defended his super middleweight championships against the undisputed junior middleweight champ, scoring a Round 7 knockdown and winning nearly every round on the cards. It was the first fight in the four-belt era between two male undisputed champions.
Charlo fell short of lofty ambitions but the night wasn’t a total loss for boxers rising to the challenge. A mature and disciplined Mario Barrios, 28, looked renewed and evolved while battering former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas earlier that night. The undercard opened with an absolute thriller that saw Elijah Garcia, 20, stop Armando Resendiz in a war of attrition.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including instant analysis of Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas below.
“I’m sore but I’m full of excitement and joy right now,” Barrios said. “Everything from camp paid off tonight. I’m happy with my performance. I’ve always thought very highly of Ugas and I have even more respect for him now. He put up a hell of a fight and I’m thankful to him for the opportunity.”
CBS Sports was with you throughout fight week with the latest news, in-depth features and betting advice to consider ahead of Alvarez vs. Charlo.Alvarez vs. Charlo fight card, results Alvarez vs. Charlo countdown
The reason Canelo Alvarez won’t fight in Mexico’s Independence Day for the first time in years
Since 2009 and non-stop, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez had an agreement with Matchroom Boxing to set up his fights in two specific dates. Las Vegas was the usual place at T-Mobile Arena where the Mexican champion always fought in both Cinco de Mayo and the Mexican Independence Day. But in 2023, the September 16 date no longer has Canelo as the main event. This year, Dana White’s UFC has managed to grab this date for the ‘Noche UFC’ that features mostly Mexican fighters. Guadalajara native Alexa Grasso is defending his title in the immediate rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. But why did Canelo lose this date in 2023? There are multiple factors that we need to consider.Listen to Canelo’s strong message before clash with CharloDana White snatches T-Mobile Arena from Canelo
The UFC managed to win the T-Mobile Arena venue from Canelo Alvarez’s mega fight against multi champion Jermell Charlo. Instead, Alvarez is fighting on September 30, which is two weeks after the traditional Independence Day fight he had been doing in Las Vegas for the last six years. This happened mainly because Canelo switched promoter from Matchroom Boxing to Al Haymon’s Premiere Boxing Champions recently. Amid all the process that took long to complete, the T-Mobile Arena owners decided to accept the No. 2 on the line to organize this September 16 event. That is one of the reasons Canelo won’t fight during one of his favorite holidays.
The other reason is money, PBC wanted to sell as many tickets as possible and the growing UFC audience has been slowly but steadily getting more pay-per-view sales in recent times. Since the UFC is taking the center stage at T-Mobile Arena next Saturday, PBC decided to not choose a different venue on the same date and move Canelo’s fight to September 30th. For the first time in 14 years, Alvarez will get to celebrate Independence Day with his loved ones at a party instead of a boxing ring. Although, he will try to fight on the same Holiday in 2024, there is no doubt about it.
