Saul Alvarez of Mexico beat Matthew Hatton in a unanimous decision on Saturday night to win the vacant WBC super welterweight belt, the first world title of his promising career.
The redheaded, freckle-faced 20-year-old, known as Canelo — the Spanish word for cinnamon — became the youngest man to win the 70-kg title by beating Hatton, the younger brother of former world champion Ricky Hatton.
Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KOs) dominated Hatton from the opening bell with repeated head shots and his brute force. The smaller Englishman twice went to the canvas after getting hit out of a clinch with Alvarez, but wasn’t seriously hurt either time.
“This was a great experience for me,” said Alvarez, who’s already among his nation’s most famous athletes. “This was my first world title shot, but it’s the first of many and I’ll win them all for my fans.”
Alvarez has won 32 consecutive fights since June 2006, when he was a raw 15-year-old. He tried to finish off Hatton (41-5-2), who hasn’t been stopped in more than eight years, but never knocked down the Manchester native.
“He’s a good fighter,” Alvarez said. “People criticized him, but he was a tough guy.”
All three judges scored the bout 119-108, meaning Alvarez won every round on every card. He lost one point for an illegal punch in the seventh round.
JUDAH V MABUZA
AP, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
Zab Judah knocked out Kaizer Mabuza in the seventh round on Saturday night to regain the IBF junior welterweight title he first held more than a decade ago.
Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) was in a back-and-forth fight against his South African opponent, before landing a devastating straight left early in the seventh. Mabuza fell halfway through the ropes in the corner and referee Sam Viruet gave him a standing count, before allowing the fight to continue.
Judah then landed several more blows that finally put the South African out on his feet, taking back the IBF belt he first won back in 2000.
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