Canelo edges Lara via split decision.

 

Photo by Tom Hogan

Rising star from Mexico, Saul Canelo Alvarez(44-1-1,31KO’S) packed MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with his fans on Saturday night. He also packed a mean punch mainly to the body of his crafty opponent from Cuba, Erislandy Lara(19-2-2,12KO’S). Alvarez landed 73 shots to the body of Lara who used a strategy as old as boxing itself – hit and don’t get hit. Both fighters stuck to their game plan through twelve competitive rounds and both experienced a measure of success, but Canelo’s heavier blows convinced two judges he deserved the victory. Judge Jerry Roth scored it 115-113 for Lara. He was overruled by judges Dave Morretti and Levi Martinez who scored it 115-113 and 117-111 for Alvarez.

  “You don’t win by running here you win by hitting, “said Canelo after the fight:” He does have a great jab and he moves around, but you don’t win a fight that way. You don’t run.”

 

Lara who came into the ring weighing 166 pounds used his reach and southpaw jab to control the first round; he moved around the ring effortlessly and threw combinations. Canelo caught Lara off balance early in the second  igniting  the crowd, but he still had a hard time finding the target. Lara continued to move around the ring and pot shot Canelo from time to time while Alvarez was stocking his prey without much success.

Canelo who came into the ring weighing 171 pounds found his rhythm in the fourth attacking the body of a Cuban fighter with dogged aggression.  Alvarez continued body assault while Lara moved and fired in rounds five and six. Lara got cut on the side of the right eye in the seventh stanza. The cut was caused by Alvarez’s vicious uppercut. Canelo controlled rounds seven and eight with body shots and aggression.  Lara might have changed the tide in the tenth by moving and throwing combinations.

 

 Lara continued to stick and move while landing occasional one two’s in the eleventh.  Canelo came out for the final stanza like his career depended on it, but was still a close twelfth round.”This wasn’t the fight I expected,” said Alvarez who will turn 24 in less than a week:” I wanted to go toe to toe. He didn’t come to fight. He came to run. He is a great boxer- I respect him- but he has to learn how to throw more punches.”

 Lara who actually landed ten more punches than Alvarez according to shostats disagreed:”One hundred percent I won this fight. I was controlling all the fight but more than anything I made him look bad in front of his crowd. People know I won this fight. The body shots connected, but they didn’t have any force. I still have no respect for him. I am asking for a rematch. One hundred percent I’ll do the same and we’ll win again.”

 “When he learns how to fight then I’ll give him a rematch,” Canelo said:” For now my birthday is coming and we are going to have fun.”