For Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the assessment of Saturday night’s victory over Edgar Berlanga at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is clear: He won, defended his super middleweight title and remains – at least as long as David Benavidez fights at lightweight heavyweight – the undisputed best fighter at 168 pounds.
The glass-half-empty review, which may be a bit harsh, is that as he enters his relative infancy, his fights become somewhat predictable. At one point, Alvarez will send his weaker opponent to the canvas and seemingly have a chance to stop him, but the moment will pass and he’ll end up going the distance before his hand is raised in victory.
That was the case against Berlanga in the main event of PBC’s Prime pay-per-view, a fight in which Alvarez once again appeared to be on the cusp of an early night but ultimately relied on the judges. But, like his other recent performances against Jermell Charlo, John Ryder and Jaime Munguia, Alvarez continued to land with ruthless efficiency throughout — he landed 49 percent of his power punches — even if he no longer has the extra gear to deliver a spectacular finish.
Importantly, his fans, including the 20,312 people gathered at T-Mobile Arena, were more than satisfied and were thinking about their next performance on Cinco de Mayo weekend 2025.
Alvarez made his intentions clear early on, pinning Berlanga against the ropes and landing a left/right combination in the second round. Berlanga responded with a nice uppercut and then another to the midsection; despite being backed up, the Puerto Rican looked comfortable early on.
In the third round, with his back to the ropes, Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) landed three difficult jabs to Canelo, but then Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) landed a perfect left hook that turned Berlanga’s head and sent him sprawling. Berlanga sat up but immediately punched in frustration and got back into the fight.
In the fourth, Alvarez had Berlanga back against the ropes. He punched his opponent to the body and landed a straight right hook up top. Then he landed a hook, a right hook up top and a hook to the body. Berlanga landed a punch as Canelo went after him.
Both men often erupted in anger and irritation, including in the fifth round when Alvarez grabbed Berlanga by the head and punched him to the body. But despite the tension and outbursts of aggression, Berlanga could not impose himself on Canelo, who kept coming forward, constantly trying to cut the ring and press him against the ropes, and always looking for an angle to land another of his vaunted left hooks.
Despite the fact that he seemed to be losing almost every round, Berlanga, to his credit, looked comfortable and had his moments, and his performance dropped off more and more as the fight progressed. A sneaky hook landed the challenger in the sixth round, and in the seventh he finally started landing his right hand.
Still, Alvarez was the one making the fight, and in the eighth round, after a vicious hook that didn’t quite connect, he landed a powerful right hook and a acute counter when Berlanga overdid it with a right hook and left himself exposed. And all the while, Alvarez repeatedly kicked Berlanga’s body, landing 49 body blows during the fight, compared to just 18 for Berlanga.
The ninth round was another mighty round for Alvarez as it became increasingly clear that Berlanga was not going to open up and risk a knockout loss in pursuit of a spectacular victory. Alvarez landed a powerful right hook, followed by a hook and uppercut, pinning Berlanga in the corner, followed by a right hook to the temple.
Round 10 saw another flashpoint, Alvarez walking away when he mistook the 10-second warning bell for the bell ending the round. Berlanga, like his right hand, immediately cracked him, prompting Alvarez to shout at him angrily as his opponent gestured at him.
Berlanga landed a total of 186 power punches during the fight, 79 of them in the final three rounds when he finally began to engage in his offense. Both men traded furious blows in the championship rounds, but Canelo’s punches landed again with greater frequency, accuracy and solidity. By the end of the 11th round, Berlanga was trapped in Alvarez’s corner, which gave both men the opportunity to once again shout at each other as the round came to an end and referee Harvey Dock intervened.
Despite their apparent hostility, when the bell sounded to end the contest, the two men hugged and chatted for a minute or two, showing each other the respect they had earned over the previous 47 minutes.
The outcome was never in doubt, with David Sutherland seeing the fight 117-110 in Alvarez’s favor, while Max DeLuca and Steve Weisfeld had it a round wider, 118-109.
“I’m nervous because at the end of the day I’m the winner,” Berlanga said afterward. “I fought a legend today and I did what I could to represent Puerto Rico. I took his best punch and I knew I could take his punches and return them. I could have thrown a lot more punches, but I was there with a legend.”
“My experience and talent were the difference,” Canelo said. “It’s about difficult work and intelligence. I did well. What will they say now? They said I don’t fight adolescent fighters. They always talk, but I’m the best fighter in the world.”
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