The world boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo will officially be held on September 30 2023, who will win?
Canelo Álvarez retained his undisputed super middleweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Jermell Charlo, marking his 60th professional win. The fight took place on September 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At 33 years old, Mexican boxer Alvarez has become a world champion in four different classes and holds the title of Undisputed Champion in the Super Middleweight division. With a fight record of 63 bouts, he boasts an impressive record of 59 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws.
Jermell Charlo, known as Iron Man, is a 33-year-old American boxer who has held the world champion title in the super welterweight class since 2016. He boasts a record of 37 fights, with 35 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, establishing himself as the Undisputed Champion in the Super Welterweight division.
One-sided fight
Prior to the game, fans and punters who prefer to bet on boxing predicted that Alvarez was not likely to change that even with a big win, but a Charlo victory could rejuvenate his status. Many predicted Charlo to win this match, considering his height and size advantage (185cm) over Alvarez (173cm).
Charlo moved up two weight classes to challenge Álvarez, but his year-plus layoff raises questions about his current capabilities. Alvarez has also moved up in weight, some argue it might be an exaggeration and he might not be fitting for his current class after all.
Alvarez's prime seemed to run from the rematch victory over Golovkin through the Caleb Plant knockout, though recent performances haven't matched those glory days. Alvarez's only missing super middleweight jewel is a fight under the PBC umbrella, with David Benavidez or Demetrius Andrade as potential opponents.
Nevertheless, on that Saturday night, Canelo won unanimously (119-108, 118-109, 118-109). Throughout the fight, Canelo dominated Charlo, targeting his body early on, which weakened Charlo and left him vulnerable to headshots. The relentless attacks ended with a highlight in Round 7 when he dropped Charlo with a powerful overhand right, leading to the knockdown.
Álvarez explained that the focus on body attacks was part of their planned strategy. “We worked for that,” he said after the match. “We worked to go to the body. We know he’s a great fighter and he knows how to move in the ring. So we worked that in the gym for three months.”
Future plans
With this win, Canelo achieved a historic feat as the first champion to retain undisputed titles three times. Despite not achieving a knockout, he felt great and believed the 12 rounds showcased his superiority.
“For three months in the mountains without my family, without anything. But I still love boxing,” he said. “Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today. Boxing is my love. That’s why I love it so much, boxing. And I love boxing that much because of my fans, too. Thank you!”
Looking ahead, Álvarez mentioned his return on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2024, showing readiness to face David Benavidez or any other opponent.
Charlo, on the other hand, acknowledged his rather timid performance, saying, "I just felt like I wasn't me in there," adding that victories and losses are part of boxing.
“You fall short sometimes, but you got to just keep on pushing. My road don’t stop right here,” Charlo said. “He didn’t knock me out, [but] he knocked all those other guys. He hit me with some hard shots. I felt like I got mine off. But hey, I’m the little Charlo, I’ve got to represent.”
Charlo then expressed his intention to return to the junior middleweight division and boldly declared his readiness to challenge Terence Crawford in his own weight division.
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