Canelo Alvarez was calm, and for good reason. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Heading into his showdown against Jermell Charlo, Alvarez listened loud and clear as his critics had a lot to say. From hearing how his reflexes have slowed up to his stamina being horrific past the sixth round. There isn’t a ton of dust on his birth certificate but Alvarez has a considerable amount of wear and tear.
That’s what happens when you pick up your first pair of gloves when you’re barely able to walk and begin to fight grown men professionally at the age of 16. He was always sharp but fights against Dmitry Bivol, Gennadiy Golovkin, and John Ryder were far from impressive. Still, Alvarez promised to perform better.
Although his past outings were obtrusive, Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) turned back the clock this past Saturday night. The deafening dubious voices that harshly criticized him, were now quiet as Alvarez dropped the former undisputed champ at 154 pounds before cruising to a lopsided win on the scorecards.
Roy Jones Jr. was amongst those who didn’t know what to expect. But, after watching the pound-for-pound star look like his normal violent, he patted his chest and tipped his cap in Alvarez’s direction.
“Canelo had a great performance,” Jones told a group of reporters. “He showed us that he’s back. He’s back with a purpose.”
Alvarez, 33, is gasconading over his outing. He remembered every curse-filled word that Charlo uttered over the years and made him pay. Now, both Charlo and Alvarez’s naysayers have changed their opinions of him. From Jones’ point of view, those who were calling Alvarez over the hill and a shell of his former self owe him a gigantic apology.
“A lot of people wrote him off but he’s not ready to be written off yet. Canelo showed that he’s still one of the elite fighters in the 168 division.”