Canelo Alvarez was too much for Jermell Charlo

The king was too much. Canelo Alvarez was too powerful for Jermell Charlo on Saturday night in Las Vegas, easily maintaining his undisputed super middleweight title.

Charlo survived the 12-round bout without being knocked out. That’s about the only good thing that can be said about the Houstonian’s performance against Alvarez, however.

Canelo Alvarez dominated Charlo in every sense to earn the unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Charlo, the undisputed junior middleweight champ, jumped two weight classes from 154 pounds to 168 pounds. 

That jump was clearly too much for Charlo, who appeared tentative and hesitant to engage the more powerful Alvarez.

Canelo Alvarez makes it look easy

“Truthfully, I could feel the difference in the weight,” Charlo said afterward. “I picked up 14 pounds. I am undisputed in my weight division. You fall short sometimes, but you just have to keep on pushing. 

“My roll don’t stop right here. I’m proud of myself. He hit me with some hard shots. I thought I got mine off. I’m the little Charlo, and I represent that.”

Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) sent Charlo to a knee in the seventh round with a looping overhand right. The legend from Guadalajara, Mexico, earned the unanimous decision with a 119-109 advantage on one judge’s card and a 118-109 advantage in the other two judges’ cards.

“We worked on attacking the body,” Canelo said. “We know he’s a great fighter. He knows how to move in the ring. We worked on attacking the body for three months, for three months in the mountains without my family, without everything.”

Alvarez, 33, improved to 60-2-2 with 39 KOs. Charlo, 33, fell to 35-2-1. Canelo was the more active fighter. He landed almost twice as many punches as Charlo, edging him 134-71, according to CompuBox.

Canelo peppered Charlo with 42 body shots over 12 active rounds.

“I still love boxing,” said Canelo. “I love boxing so much. Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today. That’s why I love boxing so much. And I love boxing so much because of my fans, too.”