In one of the most anticipated fights of the year, it was Saul "Canelo" Alvarez retaining his WBC light middleweight championship on Saturday night against Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Alvarez had even more at stake in this fight than just a title, as he brought a 41-fight unbeaten streak into this match. He was able to make it through this contest with everything still intact and further solidified his spot as one of the top light middleweights in the world.
Lopez fought extremely hard, but three knockdowns took their toll. Alvarez used his stunning power to batter Lopez in every which way, and Lopez couldn't fight his way off the ropes.
He almost made it out of the fifth round, but Alvarez cornered him one final time. He scored a few heavy blows. The referee stopped the fight, and Alvarez retained his WBC light middleweight belt.
However, there could be some thought that Alvarez still has more to prove, as Lopez was not even supposed to be in this spot, at least that was the original plan.
The idea for Alvarez's fight was to have him go up against Victor Ortiz. Of course, that was provided Ortiz defeated Lopez when they fought in June.
Instead, Lopez shocked the world on that night and destroyed Ortiz to the point where he couldn't make it out after the ninth round. That victory also secured the WBC Silver welterweight title for Lopez.
Coming into this fight, Lopez was thought to be at a disadvantage. He had to move up in weight for this bout and was six years older than Alvarez.
The age difference probably wasn't that big of a deal, because Alvarez is a freak at just 22 years old. He is naturally bigger than Lopez, so he is able to pack a little more power into his punches.
Alvarez is still working his way up the pound-for-pound ladder, but as his outstanding 42-0 record and increase in quality competition proves, the sky is the limit for him.
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