Those looking for a historic upset from Jermell Charlo were left sorely disappointed on Saturday night. Canelo Alvarez easily beat Charlo in a unanimous decision, 118-109, 118-109, 119-108. "Nobody can compete with this Canelo. Two months in the mountains without my family. I still love boxing. I love boxing so fucking much. Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today," Canelo said after the fight. Alvarez, who had told reporters he was "still in his prime" prior to the fight, spent most of the bout trying to goad Charlo into engaging. Charlo, who was fighting up two divisions, managed to avoid most of Alvarez's power attacks but rarely went on the offensive himself.
"I feel like it wasn't me in there. I don't make excuses. You win some, you lose some. I'm undisputed in my weight; I was daring to be great. I'm proud of myself. He didn't knock me out; he knocked all the other guys out," Charlo said after the fight. Furthermore, Charlo confirmed that he would be returning to 154 pounds for the foreseeable future. He still holds three titles at junior middleweight but was stripped of the WBO title before the fight. He will have to wait on the October 14 bout between Tim Tszyu and Brian Mendoza before he can mount another claim to be undisputed.
Alvarez Eyes Cinco De Mayo, Charlo Calls Out Crawford
As for the future, both men had different plans. "Whoever. I don't fucking care," Canelo said when asked who he intends to fight in his next scheduled bout over the Cinco De Mayo weekend. Potential contenders could include David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade, both of whom have called out Alvarez over the past few years. The two men fight later this year, setting up a de facto challenger to Canelo through the winner. However, the marquee fight in the eyes of many fans would be to pit Alvarez against Terence Crawford.
Despite this, that may have to wait as Charlo called out Crawford directly after the fight. However, Charlo also stated that he was happy to wait for a winner from Tszyu-Mendoza and then challenge for the WBO belt he just lost. Charlo was meant to fight Tszyu back in January before breaking his hand in training. However, for now, both camps will return to their home bases - one in victory and the other in bitter and humbling defeat.
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