ANAHEIM., CA -Saul Alvarez spent twelve rounds tenderizing the rib cage of a very game Matthew Hatton in a unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBC super-welterweight title. Scoring 119-108 on all three judge?s scorecards the big question changed from which round would Alvarez knockout his opponent, but whether Hatton could last all twelve rounds.
In the fight?s build up to the fight the question was whether 20 year-old Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez could become the youngest champion in the junior middleweight division since Fernando Vargas set the record in 1998. He entered the ring as a distinct favorite against Matthew Hatton, younger brother of the more illutrious former light-welterweight champion Ricky Hatton.
In the opening round Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez (36-0-1 26KO) slowly and surely stalked the game but obviously smaller Hatton. But it was in the second round that the tide started to instantly turn in favor of the 20 year-old Mexican sensation. As the bell rang for the end of the round blood streamed down the face of the Mancunian fighter after Alvarez used left hooks to the body to open up space to the head.
The third round kept the status quo as Alvarez, with little respect for the power of his English foe, charged forward delivering body shots to the weak, soft and open mid-drift of Hatton.
The fourth round meant a cut over the eye of Hatton required the Englishman to retreat from the dangerous left hand of Alvarez, one that was usually followed by an equally formidable right.
The remainder of the fight saw Hatton try to delicately balance the act of moving away from Alvarez?s mortar like left hook body shots and trying to get close enough to land anything of meaning with his own gloves. In the seventh round, despite a point deduction for hitting after the referee?s request to break was a huge round for Alvarez, easily drawing the round level. Hatton meanwhile deserves credit for holding on the entire duration of the bout.
?I?m a fighter through and through,? explained Hatton after the defeat. ?Nothing I seemed to do could have an affect on him. I will move back down to welterweight and seek world championship opportunities there. I think he was just a little too big for me on the night. He (Alvarez) has a good variety of punches.?
Alvarez meanwhile paid tribute to his opponent?s heart and durability.
?He was a good rival. He held on and it was a good experience.?
He was also quick to pay tribute to his fanbase, one that has already made him a supertar in his native Mexico.
?I told them [the fans] I would give them a great fight and this is for them. Maybe two more fights and I will be ready for the big fights in this division?
Alvarez?s dominance was evident in the fact that he landed 294 shots at a percentage of 47%.
