Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fight result: Mexican great beats Sergey Kovalev to win WBO light-heavyweight title

Tom Dutton3 November 2019

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez used a devastating combination to stop Sergey Kovalev and clinch the WBO light-heavyweight crown in Las Vegas as their fight exploded into life in the 11th round.

Alvarez landed a left-right, dropping Sergey Kovalev to the canvas. ​He was left on his knees, his arms draped over the middle ring rope as the fight was brought to a halt with a devastating knockout.

It was a dramatic finish for a fight that had little drama to that point. Kovalev was more than holding his own late in the fight and hadn't been hurt when Alvarez landed the left followed by a right.

It mean the Mexican great, who moved up two weight classes, now has four titles in as many weights. He celebrated by kissing the glove on his right hand as Kovalev's handlers jumped into the ring to see to their fighter.

The punch was one Alvarez had been looking for the entire fight, stalking Kovalev while taking a lot of jabs and right hands to the face.

Both fighters fought cautiously for the most part, with Kovalev using his jab from long distance and Alvarez looking to land hooks to the body. The crowd at the MGM Grand booed on several occasions, unhappy with the lack of action.

Alvarez was a 4-1 favorite despite moving up two weight classes to fight for a piece of Kovalev's 175-pound title. He took the fight against Kovalev rather than a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin as part of a $365 million [£282million] deal he signed with the streaming service DAZN.

Kovalev controlled the distance early with his jab, sticking it in Alvarez's face as he plodded ahead with gloves held high looking for an opening on the inside. Alvarez threw punches sparingly, winging a few big punches that missed as Alvarez came back with jabs and an occasional right hand.

But Alvarez began finding the range with his left hook in the middle rounds, working Kovalev's body and trying to wear him down. He kept advancing with gloves held close to his face, putting pressure on his bigger opponent.

Aditional reporting by AP

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