The sold-out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena was electric, chanting "Canelo!" as Fuerza Regida’s music thumped in sync with my heartbeats. Saul "Canelo" Álvarez walked out, flanked by the band, as Mexican flags waved proudly throughout the arena. It was a reminder of Canelo’s post-fight words from a previous match—millions of people around the world tune in to watch a Mexican fighter. In that moment, blind patriotism surged through me.
Though the Jalisco native’s performance followed a familiar script—dominating with an early knockdown, relying on his ring IQ to cruise through the later rounds—this time, Canelo was visibly hunting for the knockout he promised. Edgar "The Chosen One" Berlanga endured relentless punishment but managed to survive Canelo’s body shots and close exchanges on the ropes. When ESPN’s Chava Rodriguez revealed Berlanga had ballooned to 192 lbs on fight night, Canelo’s failure to get the KO seemed less consequential.
Between rounds, my friend Rolando texted, marveling at the energy of the event, asking, “Who in Mexico can replicate this next?” My answer? No one, at least not anytime soon. As the fight unfolded, I found myself demanding a knockout or at least another knockdown to validate Canelo’s dominance. But as Canelo stalked Berlanga in the later rounds, it became clear: while he didn’t get the KO, he did deliver the beating of Berlanga’s life, just as he had promised.
Canelo may be approaching the end of his prime as the knockouts become less frequent, but his dominant performances endure. In my opinion, it was Canelo’s single-minded pursuit of the knockout that caused him to miss it. Head-hunting, as the smaller man with a shorter reach, he allowed Berlanga to absorb the shots. While many dismissed Berlanga as a viable opponent, his size gave him the ability to withstand Canelo’s power—something the Canelo who fought Golovkin in their rematch would have overcome easily.
Post-fight, Rolando and I celebrated Canelo’s win, as Mexicans do, and continued discussing who might follow in his footsteps. We both agreed—no one in sight. Rolando summed it up, “We’re going to miss him when he’s gone.” It’s easy to resent Canelo for choosing to step away from A-level competition as he exits his prime, especially with the asterisks some put beside his resume. But over the past decade, his star has risen higher than anyone else’s, and while some may refuse to include him among the top 10 Mexican greats, his legacy as a legend is sealed. We’ll all miss him when he’s gone—whether it’s hearing Vicente Fernández and Peso Pluma blaring as fans sing along, or seeing the loyal haters show up with their green signs.
Edgar Berlanga earned some respect, but I’m still conflicted after his post-fight behavior. Unlike others who seemed to come for a payday, Berlanga kept coming forward, even after enduring Canelo’s body shots. While Berlanga never landed anything significant—except during a brief moment where Canelo turned his head, thinking the round was over—his resilience was impressive. However, his post-fight praise of Canelo bordered on excessive after being swept for 12 rounds.
Despite his losses to two top Mexican fighters and that now-deleted tweet calling Mexicans "Modelo-drinkers," Caleb Plant has won over Mexican fans. Initially, I was indifferent to him due to his lackluster resume and defeats in his biggest step-up fights. But after his latest performance, I’ve officially jumped aboard the Caleb Plant bandwagon.
Yes, he struggled against an unknown MAGA enthusiast and even got dropped, which almost had me texting people, "I told you so." But Plant caught a second wind. The former super middleweight champion stopped trying to outbox McCumby and instead, *se puso listo pa' los chingazos*, turning the fight around and securing a dominant 9th-round KO.
What impressed me most was his ability to go toe-to-toe, especially after being introduced in Spanish and hearing the crowd—who came to see Canelo—start chanting his name while he was down on the scorecards. Caleb Plant is the type of fighter boxing needs. He may win, he may lose, but he gives it everything he has, every time he steps into the ring.
On the undercard, some fights didn’t belong. Take Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia, for example—a fight that felt unnecessary. “Even the stoppage was boring,” someone tweeted. I have to agree. I used the fight as a food break after the third round. While Lara deserves credit for being a champion at 41, Garcia’s inactivity showed. Most fans were disappointed in Garcia for “giving up,” but honestly, I’m just glad it didn’t drag on to a decision.
Rolando Romero’s comeback was equally lackluster. Despite a tailor-made opponent in Manuel Jaimes, Rolly seemed gun-shy. Jaimes promised he would beat Romero but failed to win over the crowd or the judges, losing on all three scorecards. Romero may not have impressed, but he got the win.
Stephen Fulton also faced adversity in his first fight back since being knocked out by Naoya Inoue, hitting the canvas in the 5th round against Carlos Castro. Fulton managed a split-decision victory in his first bout at 126 lbs, though many fans felt he didn’t deserve it. He later tweeted about his future plans, leaving fans eager to see what’s next.
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