Canelo Alvarez completed the third defense of his titles against Jermell Charlo on September 30th, winning by unanimous decision. It was a solid performance from the Mexican champion who remains the undisputed super middleweight champion. Alvarez’s match with Charlo was the appetizer to a fight card filled with entertainment, controversy, and spectacle. The PBC-promoted card took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With scores of 118-109 twice and 119-108, Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s) easily outboxed a clearly more tentative Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO’s) than has been witnessed throughout his career. Whether Charlo was affected by moving up two weight classes from 154 lbs to super middleweight, Alvarez’s ability, the occasion of the match, or a combination of all these factors, his performance was indicative of someone fighting solely to survive.
Throughout most of the rounds, Canelo Alvarez was content to show off his greater power, as evidenced by the numerous times he walked Jermell Charlo down and stood in front of him with no true fear of being stopped or knocked out. Charlo was on the backfoot for most of the fight, contrary to his usual pressure style of fighting. He clearly looked uncomfortable in this regard, often struggling to find his range or a rhythm to attack Alvarez.
There was virtually nothing Charlo could do that truly bothered Alvarez. While Charlo managed to rally himself into throwing more punches in some rounds, his punches didn’t seem to have much impact. By the later half of the fight, it was clear that Charlo was losing by a wide margin.
To his credit, Charlo managed to survive all the way to the twelfth round, but it was undoubtedly one of his worst performances. Charlo’s lack of work rate and tendency to remain on the backfoot did not help his cause.
Canelo Alvarez took advantage of Jermell Charlo’s timidness throughout the fight, often staying in front of him as if daring Charlo to punch. However, Charlo seemed daunted and rarely attempted to attack Alvarez.
It resulted in a rather easy win for Alvarez, pinpointed by a 7th round knockdown he scored on Jermell Charlo. Alvarez seemed to prefer breaking Charlo down rather than unleashing his full arsenal to stop or knock Charlo out.
The match was nonetheless entertaining and another showcase for Alvarez, who secured the unanimous decision win after twelve rounds. It might have been one of his easiest wins in recent memory, but it’s important to note that it was Charlo’s first time fighting at 168 lbs under such a spotlight, as evident by his uncharacteristically inactive performance.
The fight card also featured an array of reputable fighters who provided plenty of entertainment.
The co-main event between Yordenis Ugas (27-6, 12 KO’s) and Mario Barrios (28-2, 18 KO’s) for the WBC interim welterweight title was expected to be more competitive but largely became Barrios’ show as Ugas failed to impress. Like Jermell Charlo, Ugas had flashes of offense, but Barrios seemed to dictate the pace, particularly with his knockdowns over Ugas in the 2nd and 12th rounds.
Additionally, Ugas was deducted points in the last round for spitting out his mouthpiece, making it a performance the Cuban will want to forget as Barrios secured a career-defining win. After being announced the winner by unanimous decision, Mario Barrios became the WBC interim welterweight champion after the title was made available during his fight with Yordenis Ugas.
While it’s uncertain what current undisputed champion Terence Crawford will do, Barrios now has the opportunity to challenge the WBC welterweight champion with his interim status.
The result of the super welterweight fight between Jesus Alejandro Ramos (20-1, 16 KO’s) and Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KO’s) was highly controversial, with Lubin earning a unanimous decision win. Judges scored the fight 117-111, 116-112, and 115-113 in favor of Lubin; scores that did not seem to accurately reflect the match’s happenings.
Understandably, neither fighter impressed with their styles. Lubin adopted a more defensive approach, while Ramos’ offensive style seemed to be overly cautious, making for an underwhelming fight. Lubin boxed well, which may have earned him the win, but his defensive style, which had him on the backfoot for most of the match, didn’t seem to do enough to secure the victory.
Overall, it appeared that Ramos had landed more effective punches, but Lubin was declared the winner by unanimous decision, resulting in controversy and boos from the crowd.
Another match of interest was the Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez’s (23-0, 16 KO’s) bout against American Scott Alexander (17-6-2, 9 KO’s). The heavyweight fight lasted just four rounds after Sanchez stopped Alexander and notably scored a knockdown over Alexander in the second round. However, Sanchez’s opponent was not of a high enough caliber to significantly impact Frank Sanchez’s career.
While still in contention, Sanchez seems in need of better competition or even a title fight to make a notable mark in the heavyweight division. There are plenty of fighters better than Alexander who Frank Sanchez has yet to face, and aside from his fight against Efe Ajagba (18-1, 13 KO’s) in 2021, he hasn’t encountered strong enough competition in the heavyweight division.
Former WBC light-heavyweight Ukrainian champion Oleksandr Gvodzyk (20-1, 16 KO’s) continued his active return, securing a devastating KO over his Brazilian opponent Isaac Rodrigues (28-5, 22 KO’s). Clearly intent on fighting for a world title, Gvodzyk has risen through the rankings quickly following his return from a four-year retirement.
Lastly, Floyd Mayweather’s apparent protégé, 17-year old Curmel Moton (1-0, 1 KO’s), made a successful pro debut at super featherweight, ending with a 1st-round KO over fellow American and unbeaten prospect Ezequiel Flores (4-1, 3 KO’s).
