Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez kept his super-middleweight titles this weekend. The unified champion beat Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision, maintaining his dominance in the division.
Canelo showed his power in the third round. He knocked Berlanga down with a well-timed left hook. Berlanga got up, punched his gloves together, and made it through the round.
Fans expected Canelo to add another knockout to his record. But Berlanga held on for all 12 rounds. Canelo cruised to an easy win, never troubled by Berlanga's punches.
After the fight, Canelo looked bruised. Fans noticed his face was more marked up than usual. Some commented online:
"Wow. Never seen Canelo's face so marked after a fight."
"You'd think he'd been in a war by the look of his face."
"Canelo face was swelling up after the first."
Canelo brushed off concerns about Berlanga's power. He told reporters he said to Berlanga in the late rounds, "You hit like my son." Canelo explained, "I'm super strong so that's why maybe."
Berlanga had a different take. He called Canelo "for sure the hardest hitter he has ever shared the ring with." He added:
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"I already told myself 'I know I'm going to get hit, I know I'm going to get hit on my chin', but I've got to bit down on my mouthpiece and push. It comes with boxing, the greats got dropped got hurt, but it's about how you come back."
Canelo's next fight will likely be next May, his usual Cinco de Mayo weekend slot. His opponent is still undecided.