Canelo after Charlo domination: 'I’m back; finally, I’m back'
His left hand finally healthy, the undisputed super middleweight champion basks in one-sided decision win
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LAS VEGAS — As Canelo Alvarez answered questions at his post-fight news conference on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, his wife, Fernanda, sat next to him and gently rubbed his right hand.
After laying so many hard shots on Jermell Charlo, who he knocked down in the seventh round en route to a near-shutout decision to retain the undisputed super middleweight title, Alvarez’s right hand was probably a bit sore.
Regardless, boxing’s biggest star, was as happy as could be after a tremendous performance in a 119-108, 118-109 and 118-109 rout in his sixth overall super middleweight title defense and third of the undisputed crown, the first time a male champion in the four-belt era has made more than two undisputed title defenses.
“I’m so happy because I did what I was supposed to do,” Alvarez said.
In his previous four bouts, Alvarez said he was troubled by an injured left hand and wrist, which he had surgery on last year. Even though he knocked out Caleb Plant to become the first four-belt champion in 168-pound division history in November 2021, he said his hand wasn’t right going into the fight.
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The problem, he said, persisted through his decision loss challenging WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitri Bivol in May 2022 as well as in super middleweight title defenses against rival Gennadiy Golovkin in their trilogy fight last September and near-shut out of John Ryder in a May homecoming fight in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“My hand is 100 percent and I feel good,” Alvarez said. “I feel in my prime. I feel fresh and I’m ready.”
Going into the fight with undisputed junior middleweight champion Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs), 33, of Houston, who was coming off a 16-month layoff due a fractured left hand and moving up two weight classes for the biggest, most lucrative fight of his career, some questioned whether Alvarez was in decline because of the uneven recent performances. But he believes he answered those questions with a supreme performance against Charlo.
“I think this is Canelo. I’m back. Finally, I’m back,” Alvarez said. “I feel confident. I feel great. I’m so happy because, you know, I didn’t feel like this for a long time, but now I’m back.”
He would have liked a knockout victory and looked like me might achieve one in the seventh round when he landed a right hand high on Charlo’s head, near his temple, that badly wobbled him. Alvarez followed with an immediate right uppercut that sent a dazed Charlo to the mat, only the second knockdown of Charlo’s career.
But Charlo survived and never appeared in any trouble after that.
“I worked on the body the whole fight and then I changed my punch and it was a good punch,” Alvarez said of the knockdown blow. “I would love to do more but you’re in front of a great fighter. He did his job. He moved a lot. But I’m happy with what I did in the fight.
“It was 12 rounds and Charlo is a savvy fighter that can move around the ring. Sometimes you win by knockout, sometimes you win by decision, so I’m happy with the work I did. I did by job. In the end that’s what has me really happy with the way things turned out.”
‘I didn’t feel like this for a long time, but now I’m back,’ — Canelo
Charlo never looked like he truly tried to win and instead was content to go the distance, not get knocked out, collect an eight-figure purse and then announce he would return to 154 pounds, where he remains champion.
Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs), 33, said he would never go into a fight just trying to survive even that is what Charlo appeared to do.
“I think that happened with a lot of fighters,” Alvarez said. “That’s not on my mind, right, to survive. It’s not that way, but I did my job and I think he never do something to win. (My plan was to) neutralize everything he’s going to come with. He’s a counter puncher with the left hand and I tried to don’t get hit. Sometimes a fighter can’t do anything in the ring.”
When the time came to discuss Alvarez’s next move, the only thing he committed to was a return on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
The fight with Charlo was the first on Alvarez’s three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions. Future possible opponents who work with PBC include the winner of a Nov. 25 Showtime PPV fight being planned between WBC interim titlist David Benavidez and former two-division titlist Demetrius Andrade, WBA “regular” titleholder David Morrell, WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo (Jermell’s twin brother) and undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford, who unified the four belts at 147 pounds with a one-sided beat down of Errol Spence Jr. in a ninth-round knockout win on July 29.
Crawford would probably be the biggest fight commercially, but he is even smaller than Charlo. Alvarez didn’t sound too interested in that bout.
“You know, I always say if the fight makes sense, why not,” Alvarez said. “But he is not in the plan. Like I say, if it makes sense, maybe. I don’t know right now. I just want to enjoy this fight and please, let me enjoy this fight, and then you’re gonna know what is next for sure.”
Give the new episode a listen as we break down the Canelo-Charlo PPV card, the seemingly impending demise of Showtime Boxing and much more.
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Canelo photo: Esther Lin/Showtime
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Love him...or hate Canelo......you have to admit...he is the FACE of boxing....and we can debate all week who is the best pound for pound....That distinction does not come from 'one' fight and 'one' major win....It's an accumulation of wins...and Canelo's the P4P guy...period......Sure he has had some close calls but he did get the W....Close fights will always have controversy.....Can be beat Benevides? I am a HUGE fan of Benevides...and his promoter/manager....and I mean HUGE but respectfully when that fight is made with Canelo......it will be HUGE.....and like Tim Bradley says....I would favor Canelo, too.
Hey Dan. will Jose Nunez beat Omar Salcido Gamez tonight?