Canelo's message to critics as boxing superstar ends young gun's ...

Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez retained his unified super middleweight world title with a punishing unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alvarez knocked down the previously unbeaten Berlanga in the third round and punished him throughout.

The champion rocked Berlanga with a big right in the waning seconds of the ninth round and Berlanga’s cornerman could be heard asking his fighter as he sat on his stool before the 10th “are you awake.” Berlanga remained defiant, taunting Alvarez as they came out for the 12th round. But the Puerto Rican-American, who launched his pro career with 16 straight first-round knockouts, couldn’t find the stoppage he’d brashly predicted.

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The vastly experienced Alvarez put him under pressure early, Berlanga looking tentative in the opening two rounds as he was backed repeatedly into the corner.

He tried gamely to respond in the third after Alvarez landed a right to the head, but a devastating left hook from Alvarez sent him down. Berlanga banged his gloves together as he sat on the canvas and hopped up quickly.

But his punches had a look of desperation as the round ended and he had no answer as Alvarez went after him with debilitating body blows round after round.

“I did good,” said Alvarez, who was awarded the fight by a score of 118-109 by two judges and by 117-110 from the third.

“Now what are they going to say -- I fight younger fighters? Before they say I fought older fighters. Now what are they going to say? They always talk.

“I’m the best fighter in the world,” added Alvarez, who improved to 62-2-2 (39 KOs) and retained his World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization belts.

Alvarez was stripped of his International Boxing Federation belt in July when he opted to take on Berlanga rather than IBF mandatory challenger William Scull.

That was immaterial to the partisan crowd of more than 20,000 at T-Mobile Arena, where Alvarez claimed another victory on Mexican Independence Day weekend -- a holiday he’s made his own along with the Mexican Cinco de Mayo holiday.

“It means a lot,” Alvarez said. “It’s an honor for me to represent my country on this day. I feel proud about it.” Berlanga, 27, fell to 22-1. As the final bell sounded the fighters embraced in an extended hug.

“I was telling him that he’s my idol,” Berlanga said. “Since I was a kid I looked up to him.” It was the fifth straight points victory for Alvarez, whose last win inside the distance was an 11th-round knockout of Caleb Plant in November 2021.

But it was the fourth consecutive fight in which Alvarez scored a knockdown. The four-division champion said he’d take some time to ponder what’s next for him.

“I’m going to rest with my family now and then I’m going to decide,” he said.