Canelo Álvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders
WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Álvarez wins via 8th-round RTD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
With an official attendance of 73,126, it was reported to have surpassed Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II as the most-attended boxing event at an indoor venue in U.S. history, as well as the largest U.S. gathering since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
Background
The fight between the pair was previously planned for May 2, 2020, in Las Vegas, before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the sport to a halt. Álvarez planned to stage his next fight on September 12, again in Las Vegas, with Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith and a Gennady Golovkin trilogy all being possible.[3] However, Álvarez refused to take a pay cut off his deal with streaming service DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions.[4] Unable to agree on an opponent and with DAZN unwilling to pay,[5] Álvarez sued DAZN, as well as Golden Boy Promotion's founder Oscar De La Hoya for breach of contract and sought at least $280 million, the remainder of what he was owed on his deal. According to the lawsuit, De La Hoya would be liable for the money. On 6 November 2020, Álvarez was released from his contract with Golden Boy Promotions after a lawsuit was settled.[6] In December 2020, Álvarez won the unified title against Callum Smith in San Antonio, Texas,[7] and defended it against WBC mandatory Avni Yıldırım in February 2021 in Miami.[8]
In July 2020, Saunders ruled himself out of a September showdown with Álvarez, citing he would not be 'ready' in time.[9]
Canelo vs. Saunders was agreed before Álvarez's fight with Yıldırım, and was officially announced shortly after. The AT&T Stadium in Dallas was announced as a venue a few weeks later.[10]
Fight details
The fight was close and competitive for the first seven rounds, with most giving the early rounds to Canelo and the middle rounds to Saunders. A right uppercut from Álvarez in round eight reportedly caused a right orbital bone fracture, leaving Saunders unwilling to come out of his corner for the ninth round. As a result Saunders was taken to a hospital post-fight.[11] According to CompuBox, Álvarez outlanded Saunders during the fight, landing 73 of 206 punches (35.4%), with Saunders landing 60 of 284 (21.1%). Throughout the fight, Álvarez landed 52.7% of his power punches.[12]
At the post-fight interview, Álvarez made it clear he wanted to become undisputed in the super-middleweight division, calling out IBF titleholder Caleb Plant.[13] During the post-fight press conference, WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade, asked about a potential bout, with Álvarez dismissing the idea. They exchanged heated words before Andrade was escorted out by security.[14]
Fight card
| Weight Class | vs. | Method | Round | Time | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super middleweight |  Canelo Álvarez (c)
|
def. |  Billy Joe Saunders (c)
|
RTD | 8/12 | 3:00 | Note 1 |
Junior flyweight
|
Elwin Soto (c)
|
def. |  Katsunari Takayama
|
TKO | 9/12 | 2:44 | Note 2 |
Super welterweight
|
 Souleymane Cissokho
|
def. | Kieron Conway (c)
|
SD | 10/10 | Note 3 | |
| Heavyweight |  Frank Sánchez
|
def. |  Nagy Aguilera
|
TD | 6/10 | 1:42 | |
| Featherweight |  Marc Castro
|
def. | Irving Macias Castillo
|
TKO | 4/6 | 2:04 | |
| Lightweight | Keyshawn Davis
|
def. | Jose Antonio Meza
|
UD | 6/6 | ||
| Welterweight | Kelvin Davis
|
def. |  Jan Marsalek
|
UD | 4/4 | ||
| Welterweight | Christian Alan Gomez Duran
|
def. | Xavier Wilson
|
TKO | 2/8 | 2:19 |
References
- ^ Kershaw, Tom (May 9, 2021). "Canelo knocks out Saunders to unify WBC, WBA and WBO world titles". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Canelo TKO's Saunders in legacy-enhancing win". ESPN.com. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Canelo-Golovkin 3 reportedly in the works for September 12, AT&T Stadium in Dallas to host". The Ring. March 17, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Esco, Wil (July 24, 2020). "DAZN wants Canelo Alvarez to take pay cut, delaying fight announcement". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Rives, T. J. (August 15, 2020). "Looks like Canelo won't fight September 12th- possibly not 2020". Big Fight Weekend. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "Canelo Alvarez reaches agreement to part ways with Golden Boy Promotions, DAZN". The Ring. November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "Canelo Alvarez puts a beating on Callum Smith to become unified super middleweight champion | DAZN News UK". DAZN. December 20, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Kasabian, Paul. "Canelo Alvarez Beats Avni Yildirim via 3rd-Round TKO to Retain Titles". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "Billy Joe Saunders rules himself out of Canelo fight in September, explains reasons". talkSPORT. July 2, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Wolfe, Cameron (March 19, 2021). "Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders clash lands at AT&T Stadium; 60,000-plus fans expected". ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "BJS taken to hospital after suffering suspected fractured socket in Canelo loss". talkSPORT. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders: CompuBox Punch Stats". BoxingScene.com. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Conway, Tyler. "Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant 'The Only Fight' After Saunders TKO, Eddie Hearn". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Esco, Will (May 10, 2021). "Canelo Alvarez exchanges heated words with Demetrius Andrade during post-fight press conference". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved May 24, 2021.