LAS VEGAS — Sergey Kovalev, using a stiff jab and good footwork, fought the perfect fight for nearly 11 rounds before Saul “Canelo” Alvarez proved his punching power could be just as devastating at 175 pounds.
Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) finally got past Kovalev’s jab at 2:15 of the 11th, landing a left hook and then a right cross to floor Kovalev and make Alvarez a world champion in a fourth division.
The ending was vicious and stunning and came without warning. Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) looked in control, but then came the sudden flurry from Alvarez, who captured the WBO light heavyweight championship to add to his titles at 160 and 168 pounds.
“I’m very happy,” Alvarez said. “This is just a step in my history. Be patient because Canelo will make history.”
He becomes just the fourth Mexican boxer to capture titles in four divisions and just the second to win a light heavyweight title.
“The plan was to have patience,” Alvarez said. “We knew it would take time for me to get him. He’s a great fighter. But we stuck to our game plan.”
Alvarez, a former 154-pound champion, faced a huge challenge taking on Kovalev, a three-time champion at 175 pounds. At age 36, Kovalev might be on the downside of his career, but he remains a dangerous puncher. The game plan hatched by Kovalev and his trainer, Buddy McGirt, was to keep Alvarez on the end of Kovalev’s jab.
Canelo AlvarezGetty Images“No matter what he tries to do, the key is to make him uncomfortable in anything that he tries to do,” McGirt had said before the fight.
Kovalev, four inches taller with a two-inch reach advantage, used his jab to keep Alvarez away from his body early in the fight. But Alvarez began to close the distance in the third, landing two hard left hooks to the chin that got Kovalev’s attention.
Kovalev was fighting in Las Vegas for the first time since losing back-to-back fights to Andre Ward, one by a close decision and the other by eighth-round stoppage. Given the favorable decisions Alvarez has received in Vegas, it seemed logical Kovalev would be gunning for a knockout. But the Russian stayed patient, working behind his jab and trying to work Alvarez’s body with hooks to the ribs.
Alvarez began to open up in the sixth, looking to counterpunch around Kovalev’s jab. But there were few openings to do any real damage.
It seemed as if Kovalev was content trying to stay out of harm’s way and score points with his jab. By the eighth, Alvarez changed tactics. Instead of pressing the issue, he went to the ropes and invited Kovalev in. But Kovalev stayed cautious, willing to fight from a distance and keep Alvarez off his body.
Entering the championship rounds, it was anyone’s fight. Kovalev’s stamina had been a question in past fights. He faded dramatically in his second bout with Ward, but vowed to be in better condition for this bout. The Russian breezed through the 10th, but got caught in the 11th on a terrific finish by Alvarez.
In the preliminary bouts, Ryan Garcia of Victorville, Calif., remained unbeaten (19-0, 16 KOs) by scoring a stunning first-round knockout over Romero Duno (21-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles. Seniesa Estrada of East Los Angeles won by TKO over Marien Esparza of Houston; Blair “The Flair” Cobbs stopped Carlos Ortiz in six rounds; and Evan Holyfield won his pro debut with a first-round knockout.
