Floyd Mayweather Jr. Beats Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez - Wall Street Journal

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. Beats Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez - Wall Street Journal

Associated Press

Floyd Mayweather Jr. throws a punch against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas.

In what was surely the most anticipated fight in years, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (45-0) boxed the ears off Mexican sensation Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-1-1) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The showdown brought the biggest gate in boxing history. The sold-out arena for this junior middleweight title unification bout was packed with fervent Mexican fans who were eager to see their hero put the first loss on Mayweather's impeccable ledger. But it wasn't to be.

Right from the opening bell, the 36-year-old Mayweather showed that he was the grand master of the art of hitting without being hit. Throughout the 12-round contest, he peppered his gutsy rival with jabs and straight rights, then slid away out of danger.

Alvarez, 23, may be known for his knockout ability, but he was never able to hurt Mayweather. Alvarez charged forward and fired salvo after salvo but was unable to land meaningful punches. Finally, out of frustration, he began to resort to low blows and using his shoulder. By mid-fight, the fighter from Guadalajara looked gassed and outclassed.

Though most ringside scribes had Mayweather winning in a rout, one of the judges, C.J. Ross, scored it a draw at 114-114, even though Mayweather outlanded his opponent 234-117. The other judges had Mayweather winning by margins of 117-111 and 116-112.

After the decision was announced, a gracious Mayweather commented, "Canelo is a young strong champ…I take my hat off to him and the country of Mexico." He said, "I just listened to my corner…listened to my dad [trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.] My dad had a brilliant game plan. I executed that game plan."

At the end of the night, a humbled Alvarez said, "I didn't know how to get him. It's as simple as that. He's very elusive. He's a great fighter...I didn't want to lose. I didn't want to leave here with a loss. But it happens and it hurts."

Alvarez's thousands of fans were profoundly disappointed that the man they had put their hopes on couldn't dethrone the king, but they fully acknowledged Mayweather's fistic artistry.

Mayweather has been boasting that he is the face of boxing—and he certainly made good on that claim in the desert last night. However, the question that loomed after the klieg lights dimmed in Las Vegas was: Who could possibly beat this man? The boxing community is agog at his dominance and at a loss about legitimate future opponents.

But one fighter who made it to the short list last night is the rugged pugilist from Philadelphia, Danny Garcia. In a scintillating contest just before the Mayweather-Canelo fray, junior welterweight champion Garcia outpointed one of the most potent power punchers in the sport, Lucas Matthysse.

However, game and gifted as he is, Garcia might be too small for "Money" Mayweather. Another name that has been floated is the Mayweather look-alike, Adrian Broner, but he too would need to put on some pounds.

Then again, assuming Manny Pacquiao conquers Brandon Rios in November, there is the prospect of a better-late-than-never battle with the Pac Man. But after Floyd Mayweather's bravura performance tonight, there is no one who can question his boxing supremacy.

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