Although Miami It would seem to be a common scenario for an international Mexican boxer, the truth is that Saúl El Canelo Álvarez, which will face there on February 27 Avni YildirimHe did it there only once in his career. To confirm this, you need to travel back in time to 2008.
It was December 5, at Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, and the Mexican had not yet been crowned world champion, but had to defend the WBA Fedecentro welterweight title. His rival, the Colombian Raúl Pinzón, who would retire in 2010 after losing to Shawn Porter, with a record of 17 wins and 5 losses.
Photograph from The New Herald
With exactly one minute until the end of the first round, Canelo destabilized his opponent with an extraordinary right hand and sent him on the canvas with a few more shots. Although he was completely disoriented, he got up to continue the fight. It would only be a few seconds, because the Mexican again found a series of clean shots, of pure power and finished the task.
“I remember that in the middle of the fight,” Canelo “made a fint with his left, I turn to his right and he fakes again. I go to the left and when it hits me, I tried to get out and the blow was between the septum and the eyes. I still don’t know what happened, I tried to get into the fight but I was still unconscious. “he remembered the Colombian a few years ago in an interview The New Herald.
This was the 23rd victory in Canelo Álvarez’s career. Two years later, among those who fought another 9 fights, it would have been time to be crowned world champion for the first time in his career, defeating Argentine Luciano Cuello by technical elimination in the sixth round, taking the WBC title of super welter.