In what was thought would be a test for the young Juanacatl?n, Jalisco, Mexico resident, Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez 37-0-1 (27 KO?s) would pass relatively easy, going through European champion Ryan Rhodes 45-5 (31 KO?s) of Sheffield, England like a knife through hot butter to gain the TKO stoppage at 0:48 seconds of round 12. ?I trained really hard for this and it paid off? said a victorious Alvarez. For the first time in his career Ryan Rhodes would find himself fighting outside of the United Kingdom in front of an all ?Canelo? crowd in Tlajomulco de Z??iga, in Alvarez? home state of Jalisco, Mexico. However, it would not be a lack of focus or anything mental that would lead to the downfall of Rhodes, but rather his lack of speed and perhaps resolve that would do him in.
From the outset it appeared that Rhodes was biding his time to perhaps come on in the latter rounds, but all night long the reality was that ?Canelo? had the title challenger in check, as Alvarez repeatedly busted him up with crisp fluent combinations to head and body for which Rhodes could find no answer. Without the reflex action to keep up, the stifled Englishman would remain a step behind for the duration, as ?Canelo? would retain his WBC junior middleweight crown, perhaps winning every round on the scorecards up until the end. Stated Rhodes in a post-fight interview on HBO, ?I probably underestimated him, underestimated his power. He?s a strong young kid. His body shots were fantastic. They took a lot out of me. He really caught me with some good body shots.? This victory sets up future potential showdowns with either of the top three junior middleweights in the world, to include, Kermit Cintron, Alfredo Angulo, or Miguel Cotto.
Sufficient power, or the lack thereof on the part of ?Canelo,? would once again be called into question, as although he dominated Rhodes over the course of the fight, scoring a flash knockdown in round 4, Alvarez was only able to gain the stoppage in round 12 by an accumulation of blows which would lead to referee Hector Afu calling a halt to the action as Rhodes was unresponsive to a number of blows hurled his way. Ryan Rhodes was simply the slower man as he could neither avoid ?Canelo?s? combinations, nor for that matter land his own punches, as Alvarez would use good head movement and footwork to carry him out of harms way when Rhodes did decide to punch back. As a result, the red headed Mexican would pile up points as the effective aggressor throughout, garnering himself another solid victory.
Does ?Canelo have the stopping power to deal with the divisions best? Will he need it, or can he fend off the top dogs with his current skill set? Although ?Canelo? knocked out Carlos Baldomir who had only been knocked out once in his previous 63 fights, with perhaps Baldomir being ripe for a knockout, Alvarez doesn?t seem to possess stunning power, as demonstrated in his last couple of victories against the smaller Matthew Hatton, against whom Alvarez threw and landed everything but the kitchen sink, as well as against Lovemore N?dou, who would trade with ?Canelo? all night long with no serious repercussions. Considered a phenomenon in Mexico already, Alvarez?stock would rise yet again, but it remains to be seen how well he stacks up against the divisions best without the power to perhaps take them out during the course of action. Additionally Alvarez? chin is somewhat suspect, as he was rocked early on in his bout with Jose Miguel Cotto in May of 2010. He does have the tools to beat the top fighters, but he will have to use those tools at a more superior level, as well as bring a solid chin to what will be no doubt a solid scrap. He?s up to the challenge though, as in alluding to future opponents ?Canelo? would state, ??I?m ready for anybody. If I have to fight the devil, I?ll fight the devil.?
Broner KO?s Litzau in first round
In undercard action, unbeaten super featherweight Adrien ?The Problem? Broner 21-0 (17 KO?s) of Cincinnati, Ohio would stun Jason ?The American Boy? Litzau 28-3 ( 21 KO?s) of Saint Paul, Minnesota in the very first round with a straight right hand or two which would cause Litzau to retreat towards the corner up against the ropes. Broner would keep Litzau on the ropes and follow up with an uppercut and left hook that would crumple ?The American Boy? to the canvas, prompting referee Curtis Thrasher to call a halt to the bout with 2 seconds left in the first round after seeing that Jason was in no condition to continue.
Coming in off of a good win where Litzau would expose former top ten pound-for-pound fighter Cellestino Caballero last November as a mere mortal, Jason would inexplicably not fire back even though he had the presence of mind to avoid most of the blows with which Broner was trying to put him away with. I expected more from Litzau who has faced the better opposition to include Caballero, Rocky Juarez, and Robert ?The Ghost? Guerrero. Good win and confidence booster for Broner who remains undefeated, although I thought he gave his last bout away against Daniel Ponce De Leon in the final rounds.
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