Moments ago, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, former jr. middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defeated WBA jr. middleweight champion Erislandy Lara via split decision. The fight was extremely close as Lara utilized his technical skills to box from the outside and move, while Canelo pressed the action looking to close the distance and slow him down with body shots. In the end, the judges scored the bout 115-113 (Lara), 115-113 (Canelo), and 117-111 (Canelo) in favor of Canelo. Relive all the action in FightHype's round-by-round results.
SAUL "CANELO" ALVAREZ VS. ERISLANDY LARA
ROUND 1
Lara lands a stiff jab to start the fight. They trade jabs. Lara lands a 1-2. Lara circles while Canelo tries to cut the ring off. Jab lands for Lara. Canelo digs a left to the body. Left to the body lands for Lara. Nice left hook to the body lands for Canelo. Now a solid right to the body lands for Canelo. 1-2 gets in for Lara and he dances away. Straight left lands for Lara. Jab lands for Lara. Round to Lara.
Lara 10 Canelo 9
ROUND 2
Lara comes back out firing his jab. Quick jab lands for Lara. Right hand from Canelo knocks Lara backwards. Another right lands for Canelo. Nice straight left lands for Lara. Canelo digs a left to the body. Another. Lara lands a few jabs. Canelo digs a right to the body. Lara lands a straight left. Jab lands for Lara. Another left and a jab lands for Lara. Canelo digs a left to the body. Close round, but I give it to Lara for landing a few more shots.
Lara 20 Canelo 18
ROUND 3
They trade jabs. Canelo digs to the body. Straight left lands for Lara. Canelo presses forward as he follows Lara around the ring. Not much action in the round as Lara simply moves around the ring while Canelo chases. 1-2 gets in for Lara. Canelo lands a left. Lara jabs to the body. 1-2 from Lara and he darts away. Nice straight left lands for Lara. Canelo swings wildly and misses. Round to Lara.
Lara 30 Canelo 27
ROUND 4
Lara continues to circle the ring. Canelo lands a hard left hook to the body. 1-2 lands to the body for Canelo and Lara ties him up. Canelo digs another hard 1-2 to the body. Straight left lands for Lara. Right to the body lands for Canelo. Lara not throwing much. Left hand from Lara gets in through the guard. Nice right to the body lands for Canelo. Round to Canelo.
Lara 39 Canelo 37
ROUND 5
Jab lands for Lara. Nice right hook lands for Lara. Canelo leaps in with a right trying to catch the constant moving of Lara. Nice 5-punch combo to the body lands for Canelo. Another 1-2 lands to the body for Canelo. Left to the body lands for Canelo. Now Lara digs a left to the body. A couple of nice body shots from Canelo back Lara up. Round to Canelo.
Lara 48 Canelo 47
ROUND 6
Left hand lands for Lara. Canelo works the body. Straight left from Lara grazes the forehead of Canelo. 1-2 lands for Lara and he circles away. Canelo digs to the body. Not much action to choose from. Right hand lands for Lara. Canelo fires wildly to the body. Hard round to score, but I give it to Lara.
Lara 58 Canelo 56
ROUND 7
Left hand gets in for Lara. Canelo runs toward him and digs a 1-2 to the body. Jab lands for Lara. Nice right lands for Lara. Canelo lands a 1-2 to the body. Another left hook to the body lands for Canelo. Lara retreats. Lara is cut on his right eye from a punch. Canelo digs to the body again. 1-2 lands for Lara. Another 1-2 lands to the body for Canelo. Round to Canelo.
Lara 67 Canelo 66
ROUND 8
Jab lands for Canelo. 1-2 from Lara. Nice right lands for Canelo. Lara continues to circle more and punch less. Canelo works the body. Nice combo to the body followed by a right upstairs lands for Canelo. Right to the body lands for Canelo. Lara lands a left. Round to Canelo.
Lara 76 Canelo 76
ROUND 9
They trade jabs. Left to the body lands for Canelo. Right to the body lands for Canelo. Lara rakes him with a left hook upstairs. Solid left hook to the body gets in for Canelo. Nice combo lands for Lara. Canelo fires a combination to the body. Left hook to the body lands for Canelo. Lara lands a left hook upstairs. Hard right lands for Lara. Close round, but I give it to Canelo.
Lara 85 Canelo 86
ROUND 10
Lara lands a left, but Canelo digs a right to the body. Nice combo lands for Lara. Canelo swings and misses wildly. Lara lands an overhand right. Nice 1-2 lands for Lara. Canelo digs some shots to the body. 1-2 from Lara again. Canelo reaches and misses with a right. Nice left hook to the body lands for Canelo. 1-2 gets in for Lara. Round to Lara.
Lara 95 Canelo 95
ROUND 11
Lara gets in a jab. Quick left lands for Lara. Lara fires a 1-2. Canelo digs a left hook to the body. Another 1-2 to the body lands for Canelo. Right hook lands for Lara and he slips away. Canelo gets in a right upstairs. Another. Straight left lands for Lara. Another close round, but I give it to Canelo.
Lara 104 Canelo 105
ROUND 12
Canelo comes charging out to start the final round. Left lands for Lara. Canelo digs some nice shots to the body. Nice 1-2 lands for Lara. Canelo digs to the body again. Left gets in for Lara. Canelo presses forward and digs to the body. Nice left lands for Lara. Canelo digs to the body. 1-2 from Lara to end the round. Another close round, but I give it to Lara.
Lara 114 Canelo 114
Official judges scorecards: 115-113 (Lara), 115-113 (Canelo), 117-111 (Canelo)
THE WINNER BY SPLIT DECISION...SAUL "CANELO" ALVAREZ
ABNER MARES VS. JONATHAN OQUENDO
Also on the card, three-division champion Abner Mares got back to his winning ways with a solid performance, defeating game featherweight contender Jonathan Oquendo via unanimous decision. Mares took his time breaking down Oquendo, utilizing his superior technical skills and lateral movement to box from the outside while still mixing it up on the inside. In the end, the judges scored the bout 96-94, 98-92, and 98-92 in favor of Abner Mares.
OTHER RESULTS:
Mauricio Herrera def. Johan Perez via Majority Decision
Francisco Vargas def. Juan Manuel Lopez via TKO in Round 3
Tomoki Kameda def. Pungluang Sor Singyu via KO in Round 7
Enrique Quevedo def. Yoandris Salinas via TKO in Round 5
John Karl Sosa def. Luis Bello via Split Decision
Yamaguchi Falcao def. Jesus Cruz via TKO in Round 4
Jason Quigley def. Howard Reece via TKO in Round 1
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