Score this one for Mexico.
In the latest chapter of the storied Mexico-Puerto Rico boxing rivalry, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (46-1-1) carried his country's flag to victory over Miguel "Junito" Cotto (40-5). Alvarez won a lopsided unanimous decision and the WBC middleweight championship Saturday night in Las Vegas.
ESPN.com's Dan Rafael shared the scorecards:
Dan Rafael @danrafaelespnTo the scorecards we go: 117-111, 119-109, 118-110 all for Canelo Alvarez, the new middleweight champion of the world! #CottoCanelo #boxing
Per HBO Boxing, Canelo announced his arrival as the premier attraction in the sport:
HBOboxing @HBOboxing"Now it is my era." - @Canelo #CottoCanelo
Alvarez's quicker hands and harder punches were the difference in the bout. The two men came out tentative, offering respect for the other's power.
However, when they did exchange punches during the first three rounds, it appeared as though Canelo's punches reached their target quicker and with more steam. This became evident as the fight went on.
Cotto wanted to land his powerful left hook to the body, but Canelo was hip to that strategy. He consistently turned his right side into Cotto's body when the two were in close quarters.
That slight maneuver took away Cotto's angle for his money punch. Meanwhile, Canelo was unleashing hard jabs, straight rights, uppercuts and hooks with bad intentions.
He didn't land all of them, but the combination of his activity and the impact of the shots that did find their mark impressed the judges. Not everyone loved the judges' scores, though. Tom Craze of Bad Left Hook and Laceupboxing tweeted their displeasure:
Tom Craze @TomCrazeAn unbelievable batch of scorecards. Truly awful.
Laceupboxing @LaceupboxingAbsolutely DISGUSTING scorecard but I've called it for months! I had it even but that was not a UD no way!
Cotto deserved to win four rounds in the fight. The second and fourth were solid frames for him, and the 10th and 11th also belonged to him, when it seemed as though Canelo began to coast.
Aside from that, it was all Canelo. The best round of the fight was the eighth. That's when Canelo put his foot down and stamped out Cotto's last chance to stem the tide.
The two fighters traded shots, but Canelo got the better of the exchanges. Cotto withstood the punches, but he was worse off when the bell rang.
Canelo had the edge in hand speed from the beginning, but Cotto's hands looked even slower from the midway point on. Perhaps it was the 10-year age difference (Cotto is 35, and Alvarez is 25), or all the wars Cotto has been through.
In any case, there's no question as to which fighter was fresher at the end, or who deserved to win the fight.
Cotto had been the WBC champion before being stripped of the title days before Saturday's fight. He refused to pay the sanctioning fees to hold on to the belt; thus, the title was at stake only for Canelo.
Now that Canelo is the champion, the question is this: Who's next for him? It didn't take long for WBA, IBF and interim WBC champion Gennady Golovkin's name to come up. HBO's Max Kellerman asked Canelo about GGG after the fight.
Per Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo wants GGG to bring it on:
Golden Boy Boxing @GoldenBoyBoxingWhat's next for @Canelo? "I'm not afraid of ANYBODY. If you want me to fight GGG, i'll fight him right now" #RESPECT #LETSDOIT
NBA Hall of Famer and known boxing fan Earvin "Magic" Johnson would love to see Canelo and GGG clash:
Earvin Magic Johnson @MagicJohnsonI hope the @GGGBoxing and @Canelo fight happens. It will be a great fight and I will be there!
That bout would represent the biggest challenge of Golovkin's career. He's widely considered to be the most feared fighter in the sport. The fact that Canelo is seemingly willing to risk it all against the hard-punching Kazakh says something about the new champion's heart.
Hopefully, he makes good on his word, and we'll learn of an agreement and date sometime in 2016. For now, Canelo has earned the right to celebrate his world title.
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