That was the question that echoed through the boxing world immediately after Saul “Canelo” Alvarez retained his WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight crowns with a sweeping 3-0 decision by a double 118-109 and 117-110 decision over the struggling but still young Edgar Berlanga, 27 years old, native of New York and son of Puerto Ricans, and who stepped into the ring with 22-0, 17 knockouts, last Saturday, September 14 in the ring of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, packed to capacity for about 20 thousand people.
Among those in attendance were movie and boxing celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Demi Moore, Mexicans Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, as well as four-time welterweight world champion Terence Crawford and WBO super lightweight king Teófimo López.
HE HITS LESS, BUT STILL WINS
The 34-year-old Mexican, who has been fighting professionally since October 2005, had not fought since last May when he defeated compatriot Jaime Mungia on points. And just like against Mungia, the predictions for the Las Vegas clash were that the Jalisco native would walk out of the ring with his 40th win before the limit.
But again the predictions failed as the 27-year-old Puerto Rican offered stiff opposition throughout the 12 rounds, despite being knocked down on an 8-second protection count when the champion sent him to the floor with a left hook near the beginning of the third round.
Alvarez then maintained relentless pressure throughout the rest of the fight, but Berlanga never gave in and never stopped responding to the attacks, although always at a disadvantage. At the end, once the judges’ decision was known, “Canelo”, very gallantly, congratulated the challenger for his demonstration of courage during the 36 minutes of action.
The result reaffirmed the point of view of most of the experts that the demolishing power that distinguished the Aztec in his beginnings and that has allowed him to win by KO in 39 of his 66 fights, of which he has lost 2, with 2 draws, and at the same time has turned him into one of the current great figures of the sport of gloves, has ostensibly diminished. Naturally, this presumable loss of power in his fists is related to the fact that in the same measure in which he has been increasing his physical tonnage, his opponents, of greater strength than his previous opponents, are becoming more difficult to knock out.
As irrefutable proof of this is that since December 2020, when he defeated Callum Smith by unanimous decision, then lost on points to Dmitri Bivol in May 2022 in the semi-complete division; He knocked out Avni Yildirim (3rd), Billy Joe Saunders (6th) and Caleb Plant (14th) and won on the cards over Gennady Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, Jaime Mungia respectively, until Berlanga a few days ago, this a mandatory fight for the WBA, which ordered it subject to the provisions of its internal regulations.
However, apart from the presumable loss of his knockout capacity -which also suggests that time is taking its toll on him in that aspect- Alvarez does not stop winning and such inconspicuous results have had no impact on his irrefutable condition as a box office magnet and even less on the increase of his personal wealth, which rises to the sky with each performance. At the T-Mobile Arena on the 14th, it is estimated that “Canelo” earned some $65 million, $35 million from the signing of the contract, $17.5 million from broadcasting rights and $13.6 million from the 80% he receives from ticket sales.
FLOOD OF SPECULATIONS
Before the final bell of the bout, the rumors about the alleged future plans of “Canelo” were reactivated in the boxing circles, many ecen said that he will definitely leave boxing sooner rather than later.
And again, like rain, the names of two potential rivals fell and sounded loudly, among others: that of Russian Dmitri Bivol, who defeated him by clear decision in the light heavyweight a semi-complete belt fight on May 7, 2022 and that of undefeated knockout and WBC super middleweight and semi-complete interim champion, David Benavidez, a native of Phoenix, Arizona of Mexican and Ecuadorian descent nicknamed El Monstruo Bandera Roja, who has knocked out 24 out of 29 opponents.
In addition to Benavidez, ranked 2nd, there are other names to consider in the list of the top ranked 168-pounders, although several of them have already been stopped in their aspirations by the fighter from Jalisco. They are Callum Smith, Caleb Plant, Anthony Dirrell, Billy Joe Saunders, John Ryder, Daniel Jacob and Lionel Thompson, in that order. Of the group already before “Canelo”, Jacob, Smith, Saunders, Planty Ryder have failed, which makes an expected confrontation with the undefeated Benavidez, 1.88 meters taller than the Tepatitlán fighter and 7 years younger, even more attractive for the fans.
With respect to Bivol, the commentary rolls around that Alvarez is not very interested in a rematch against an opponent who outweighs him in all physical aspects, especially in weight.
Let’s add that we personally think that all the talk about the next fight of the Mexican and against whom it would be against, falls into the realm of mere speculation. Obviously those who have the final word on the matter are the managersm of the career of who is these days the figure of greater relevance and greater attraction for the fans of the world, even above the militants of the highest category among which stand out the names of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, Andy Ruiz, Daniel Dubois, the latter today on the rise after his stunning 5 round KO win over Anthony Joshua on September 21 at London’s Wembley Stadium, packed with more than 95,000 souls, the largest crowd for a boxing match at the iconic venue.
Back to the subject of “Canelo” and who will be next in his plans after Berlanga, let us note, without further ado, that as the old saying goes, simply and finally: “It will dawn and we shall see”.
