Article by Rick Mohamed

Canelo Alvarez, before an indoor boxing record 73,126 fans, cracks Billy Joe Saunders open, cementing his legacy. Caleb Plant awaits…

Canelo Alvarez is on a mission: to unify the super middleweight titles. He just moved a step closer to being the undisputed champion after beating UK’s Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO champion. 

Canelo now holds 3 of the 4 belts needed to be undisputed: WBA, WBC, and now the WBO title. Only the IBF, held by Caleb Plant, remain. 

Canelo went into his match against Billy Joe the heavy favorite. Billy Joe fought a gallant fight and held his own. His superior footwork helped him get out of trouble, but Canelo wasn’t going anywhere: his punches were heat seekers that found their targets often, and to good damage. 

By the 8th round, Canelo was winning the fight, but not by too much. Billy Joe did more than just hold his own. The fight was seen as even by some, but others gave Canelo the slight advantage, and a few gave Saunders the edge. 

It was anyone’s fight. At 1:31 seconds in the 8th, Canelo unleashed a right uppercut that the dashing, ducking Saunders ran right into. 

This caused Saunders to stagger a bit, igniting the crowd. Canelo exhorted the majority-pro Canelo fans, who responded with huge roars. 

The energy they generated helped Canelo to finish the round strong and solid. He then acted as if he’d won the fight after that round, standing up and again exhorting HIS crowd. 

Then the news came: Saunders’ corner had thrown in the towel. Saunders was then taken to the hospital, where it was discovered he’d suffered a an orbital fracture, plus nerve damage. 

An orbital fracture is when one of the bones surrounding the eye is broken. After sustaining the fateful blow, Billy Joe fought, but was definitely slowed, his right eye swelling more and more. 

In his corner, his eye had swollen shut, prompting the towel being thrown in. I’m not saying “quit”, because that would be a huge disrespect to a great fighter who had fought a very close match before it ended so abruptly. 

Twitter fans went on the attack after the fight, calling Saunders and his team “quitters”. They weren’t. Not at all. However, last year, when Daniel Dubois fought Joe Joyce in November 2020, Joyce hit Dubois with a punch that started swelling in round 2. 

By the 10th round, Dubois, the overwhelming favorite, took a knee and took a 10-count, ending the fight Billy Joe Saunders has a history of saying insensitive things, and he bashed Dubois after that fight saying: “If my two eye sockets were broken, my jaw was broken, my teeth were out, my nose was smashed, my brain was beaten, I was not stopping until I was knocked out or worse. 

I don’t agree with a man taking the knee and letting the ref count him out.” It will be interesting to see how he answers his critics now. 

Tonight was Canelo’s night. He fought well, with a huge crowd of pro-Canelo fans hanging on his every punch and his every word after the fight, when he said that Plant was next. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman was on hand after the fight to present the winner with the WBC “Mestizo belt”. 

Mestizo is a term used in Mexico to describe and celebrate those who are of a mixed heritage, a uniting of their European (mostly Spanish) and indigenous (Mexican) roots. 

Canelo won that belt, along with the WBO strap he beat Saunders for in his win. All in all, it was an excellent night for boxing. Can I say it now…? Ok, I will. Boxing is Back! LETSGOCHAMP 

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LETSGOCHAMPS!