In front of 11,674 fans in Anaheim, California, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez officially became the youngest junior middleweight champion in the sport’s history with a dominating twelve round decision over game but limited Matthew Hatton. Alvarez can now rest his head as a WBC titleist and while this does mark a glorious night in many regards there are still going to be those unsold on him for various reasons.
From the opening bell it appeared that Alvarez was the classier and bigger fighter inside of the ring as he picked apart Hatton, who typically fights at 147 pounds, with his precise punching. Scores of 119-108 were read across the board for the Jalisco, Mexico champion, whose only blemish in the bout was a point deduction in the seventh for hitting Hatton after the break.
<--- Slideshow: Saul Alvarez becomes WBC junior middleweight champion
What does stand out about Alvarez is just how polished he is for a man his age. He is always calculated inside of the ring and even kept his cool when he was rocked last year in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand by Jose Miguel Cotto, eventually turning the fight around to score a 9th round stoppage. Against Hatton he seemed to be in complete control and was fully satisfied with working his way to a decision verdict, landing 294 out 626 punches for a 47% rate.
Things should be interesting here on out for Alvarez, whose star power is growing by the day. Alvarez is already somewhat of an icon in his native Mexico but ‘Canelo’ has been introducing himself more and more to American audiences and will surely be featured in some high-profile showcases if all goes according to plan. There is a wealth of talent between 147 and 154 pounds and in the WBC’s junior middleweight rankings alone the names of Angulo, Williams, Cintron, Margarito, and Martirosyan all stand out. It definitely looks like it could be a fast ride for the young champion.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
