They finished with hands alongside each other’s heads. That, and the immediate and direct eye contact spoke volumes. The bell ending their middleweight World Boxing Council title epic had just ended and their first reaction was one of respect for the other.
When the judges spoke, boxing’s axiom had been fulfilled, once again. The younger, stronger, bigger man had won. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez had given boxing what it needed, even if his opponent, Miguel Cotto, certainly didn’t want it.
Alvarez won a unanimous decision Saturday night at Mandalay Bay. The judges had it for Canelo to varying degrees, all of them widely decisive: 117-111, 118-110 and 119-109.
He is now lined up to take on the sport’s current other middleweight superstar, Gennady Golovkin, Triple G from Kazakhstan. It probably will become one of those big-deal boxing matches that you will hear hyped from now until your head aches.
Alvarez earned the respect of those judges, just as he had the respect of Cotto, who was fighting a man 10 years younger and, from the looks of things by fight time, a good 20 pounds heavier.
Cotto kept nipping away. He danced and darted and landed lots of jabs and angle punches. But when Alvarez landed, it was a bomb. Cotto ducked and deflected most of them, but the power eventually took its toll.
Alvarez, the pride of Mexico, had a huge crowd’s backing. Even his misses brought roars and gasps.
Cotto seemed to start tiring in about the seventh round. Instead of constant and annoying stingers, he just danced and tried his best to stay on his feet.
The final round of this 12-rounder said it all. With the crowd roaring at full lung capacity, Alvarez chased Cotto and connected in several flurries. It was clear who was intent on finishing and who was intent on getting out with his wits intact.
Alvarez was asked about taking on Golovkin, the interim WBC champion, who is now his mandatory next opponent.
His answer: “Bring him on.”
