At the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Canelo Alvarez dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to settle what turned out to be more of an all-Mexican beatdown than the advertised war. All three scorecards came in at 120-108 for the 164.5 lb Catchweight affair, with Boxing Base tallying the action at 119-109.
Canelo, who met with Gennady Golovkin post fight to announce a September showdown, now improves to 49 wins, 1 defeat, 1 draw, 34 knockouts, while Chavez Jr suffers a major stall in momentum as he reduces to 50 wins, 3 defeats, 1 draw, 32 knockouts. And yeah, you read that right: Canelo just verbally agreed to square off against GGG, meaning one of the most explosive encounters in boxing is now in the calendar.
Anyway, getting back to tonight’s action. Canelo was the better fighter in just about every sense possible, outshining a tentative, ineffective Chavez from the get-go. Canelo was all-business as he punished his Mexican rival with crisp punches, landing thudding head-body combinations and a strong jab. Canelo was the ring general, the smarter, stronger fighter. Just everything.
As for Chavez Jr, who had some quiet backing prior to the first bell due to his greater size, height and reach advantages, he had very little to offer. And the fact he went the distance was more a testament of thick whiskers than actual boxing prowess. Maybe Chavez’s tank was dry from boiling down too much in weight for this fight, maybe he was just taken to school against Canelo. Maybe a lot of things. We’ll never know. But, with Canelo vs Golovkin announced, it’s at least a consolation of sorts for PPV fans who shelled out tonight.
Canelo vs Chavez Jr: Undercard
- Lucas Matthysse (38-4, 35 KO) came back with a bang by stopping Emmanuel Taylor (20-5, 14 KO) within 5 ones-sided rounds. Taylor’s ability was no match for Matthysse’s vaunted power, with the experienced contender clearly in deep as he was wobbled early and dropped in the 3rd and 5th sessions. Matthysse, who was stopped by Viktor Postol in October 2015, is now back in the Junior Welterweight mix.
- Middleweight mauler David Lemieux (39-3, 33 KO) had to settle for a 10-round decision over Marcos Reyes (35-5, 26 KO), who was docked a point for hitting after the bell in the 8th round. Landslide tallies of 99-90 (twice) and 98-91 aren’t to be scoffed at, but it’s apparent nonetheless that a decent boxer remains a tricky obstacle for Lemieux.
- Joseph Diaz (24-0, 13 KO) outclassed fellow unbeaten prospect Manuel Avila (22-0, 8 KO), with telling scores of 100-90 and 99-91 (twice) deciding the Featherweight 10-rounder.
- Ronny Rios (28-1, 13 KO) faced little resistance in his Junior Featherweight contest as he scored a 4th round TKO over veteran Daniel Noriega (30-11-1, 15 KO).
- Ryan Garcia (9-0, 8 KO) extended his Lightweight slate by dropping and stopping Tyrone Luckey (8-7-3, 6 KO) inside 2 rounds.
Spill your thoughts on tonight’s fight, the rest of the Las Vegas bill, plus Golden Boy’s decision to finally pit Canelo Alvarez against the formidable Gennady Golovkin?
