Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez was in control throughout as he outboxed and outthought undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo to win on points over 12 rounds on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After a slow opening round Canelo began to score with his right hand against his taller opponent.
This was the pattern throughout the fight with Charlo piecing the defence of Canelo every now and again, but this was not enough.
In round seven a big right hand dropped Charlo to his knees where he took a count.
Canelo was in control from there on as he emerged a comfortable winner.
Canelo improved his record 60-2-2; 39 and Charlo’s record dropped to 35-2-1; 19.
UNDERCARD
Heavyweight Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez 23-0; 16 who fights out of Miami, Florida stopped Scott Alexander 17-6-2; 9 from Los Angeles in the fourth round.
In a middleweight contest the 2012 US Olympian Terrell Gausha 24-3-1; 12 scored a close majority points decision over eight rounds against KeAndrae Leatherwood 23-9-1; 13. The scores were 78-74 twice and 76-76.
Former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvodyk 20-1; 16 stopped Isaac Rodrigues from Brazil in the second round.
In a WBA junior middleweight title eliminator Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin 26-2; 18 won on points over 12 against Jesus “El Mono” Ramos 20-1; 16 in a fight that never rose to any heights.
MARIO BARRIOS WINS WBC INTERIM TITLE
Mario Barrios 28-2; 18 won the WBC interim welterweight title when he scored two knockdowns on his way to a unanimous points decision over 12 rounds against former world champions Yordenis Ugas 27-6; 12.
Middleweight Elijah Garcia 16-0; 13 stopped Armando Resendiz 14-2; 10 in the eighth round of a scheduled ten-round WBA title eliminator.
JAI OPETIA RETAINS IBF CRUSERWEIGHT BELT
IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia 23-0; 18 retained his belt against the taller Jordan Thompson 15-1; 12 on a fourth-round technical knockout at the OVO Arena in London on Saturday night.
Opetaia hurt Thompson in the first round and dropped him in the third round before smashing him to defeat 20 seconds into the fourth round.
OTTO WALLIN WINS IBF ELIMINATOR
Southpaw Otto Wallin 26-1; 14 won on a 12-round split decision against Murat Gassiev 30-2; 23 in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator on Saturday night at the Regnum Carla Resort in Antalya, Turkey.