Alvarez Defeats Chavez, Announces Fight With Golovkin

Recap: There were no knockdowns, but the high-profile prize fight between two famed Mexican boxers ended in convincing fashion, as Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) thoroughly dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-3-1, 32 KOs) over 12 rounds on Saturday night before a sold-out crowd of 20,510 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was after the fight, however, in an announcement by Alvarez, that sent shockwaves through the arena.

On Cinco de Mayo weekend, Chavez failed to make the fight competitive, absorbing uppercuts, jabs and hard rights from Alvarez. To Chavez's credit, he remained on his feet and at times showed flashes that he could perhaps mount a comeback. But as the fight progressed, Alvarez never ceased his assault, essentially winning every round with ease.

All three judges scored the fight for Alvarez at 120-108. International Business Times also scored the fight 120-108 for Alvarez.

The real fireworks came after the fight. Alvarez announced that he would fight Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 16 at the very same venue. It's the fight that boxing fans have been yearning for several months, as Golovkin and Alvarez are clearly the two best middleweights in the world and certainly among the best pound-for-pound boxers.

Golovkin, who was ringside and made his way into the ring, had the crowd in a frenzy. He commented to Alvarez: "Good luck in September."

The drama in the ring overshadowed an uninspiring fight.

There were concerns before Friday's weigh-in that Chavez may not be able to get down to the 164.5-pound catch-weight. He weighed in at 164 pounds but the drop in weight may have caused him to not put forth the effort many were expecting.

Chavez Jr. entered the fight with a reputation for being an underachiever, having not fought a boxer of real significance since 2012. He didn't show much over 12 rounds to put him in the same class as a boxer like Alvarez, who continued to prove he's one of the world's best boxers.

Preview: Canelo Alvarez (48–1–1, 34 KOs) and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50–2–1, 32 KOs) meet in a non-title fight on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Alvarez enters the fight as the favorite at -600 compared to Chavez's +450.

Both Mexican boxers weighed in at 164 pounds for the catch-weight of 164.5 pounds. Alvarez is listed at 5-foot-9, with a reach of 70.5 inches. Chavez is 6-foot-1 and has a 73-inch reach. Alvarez and Chavez both fight from an orthodox stance.

Alvarez, 26, enters the fight having won six consecutive fights since his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in September 2013. The Guadalajara native mostly recently defeated Liam Smith at AT&T Stadium by a technical knockout in September 2016.

Chavez has lost two of his last six fights. The 31-year-old, however, is coming off back-to-back unanimous-decision victories over Marcos Reyes and Dominic Britsch. Reyes faces David Lemieux on the undercard in a middleweight matchup.

The main event is expected to begin after 11:30 p.m. ET. The referee is Kenny Bayless.

Here is how International Business Times scores the Alvarez-Chavez 12-round fight:

Round 1

A rambunctious crowd at T-Mobile Arena excited ahead of the opening bell. Canelo delivered a good hard right to begin the round as well as a decent jab. Chavez was able to land a solid body shot. Not an overly eventful round but it goes to Canelo. Chavez might have been a little too hesitant, but he usually comes on late.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 2

Canelo remains the more active boxer. He was able to land some clean uppercuts and a good combo. Chavez put some pressure on Canelo for a stretch, but it wasn't enough. Chavez is already down two rounds.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 3

Canelo landed a clean overhand right and an uppercut. Chavez landed perhaps his best punch of the night: a left hook. But this fight remains solidly in Alvarez's corner. He's effectively using his jab, despite having a shorter reach. Chavez needs to put more pressure on Alvarez.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 4

The more active boxer remains Alvarez. Canelo is simply overwhelming Chavez with uppercuts and jabs. It's unclear if Chavez is hurt by all of this but he's certainly not in a competitive fight yet. This has been one-sided with Alvarez showing he's the more determined boxer, and Chavez looking slow. Canelo delivered a solid body shot to end the round.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 5

More Canelo. He landed yet another big right hand and then later powered through the round with an impressive combination. Two right hands from Alvarez backed Chavez up, and now it seems that Chavez is going to have to take more chances because he's on his way to losing this fight. Chavez's eyes are not looking good.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 6

This is not a competitive fight, as Canelo remains the far more active boxer and Chavez is showing no sign of making this a fight. He was dominated by body punches. Chavez simply needs to throw more punches and be more defensive.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 7

Excellent jabs from Canelo. Chavez showed more resolve this round with some body shots. But this remains a total mismatch. Chavez has been outclassed from start to finish.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 8

Chavez is dealing with an eye that is fully closed. He had Canelo on the ropes, but Canelo effectively jabbed and hooked his way to a victory in this round, as well.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 9

This has remained a one-sided fight with Canelo continuing to land punches of significance while Chavez struggles to keep this even slightly competitive. Chavez's corner should consider throwing in the towel. Bayless had previously suggested that Chavez needed to show him something.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 10

Canelo with a stiff right hand, as he remains in full control of this fight. Chavez has used his right throughout the round with total domination, and Chavez appears done. The weight loss by Chavez was probably too much.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 11

The crowd is not happy with this fight, as Canelo continues to dominate and Chavez has looked uninspired. This fight will go the distance because Alvarez has not decided to throw a knockout punch but his steady barrage of impressive of his conditioning. Chavez deserves credit for staying on his feet.

Alvarez, 10-9

Round 12

The final round to this one-sided fight. There is little to report other than Chavez deserves credit for signing on for this fight and not going down over 36 minutes. Canelo was impressive from start to finish, winning every round with precise punches.

Alvarez, 10-9

IBT Final Scorecard

Alvarez, 120-108

Final Scorecards

Alvarez wins! The official scores are: 120-108, 120-108 and 120-108.