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Canelo Álvarez won a tight and controversial decision against Daniel Jacobs in his highly anticipated fight for unification of the middleweight championship in front of a delirious crowd of the weekend in Cinco de Mayo on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Ringside judges Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld scored 115-113 while Glenn Feldman scored 116-112. (The Guardian had it 115-113 in Álvarez).
Álvarez (52-1-2, 35 KO), added Jacobs' IBF title belt to the WBA and WBC bracelets he won from Gennady Golovkin in their second clash last September.
"It was just what we thought, we knew he was going to be a tough fighter," said Álvarez after his victory for the second time since signing a five-year contract on 11 fights of minimal value $ 365 million with the DAZN streaming service. . "That was exactly what we thought because of the fighting style he brings, but we just did our job."
Jacobs (35-3, 29 KOs) struggled to find the elusive Álvarez for long periods before beating strong in the second half, bringing 131 out of 649 (20%) in 12 rounds, versus 118 out of 466 (40). %). ) for Álvarez.
"I feel fulfilled, I feel good. I have to go back and look at the tapes to see exactly what the judges thought, "said Jacobs. "They told me [in the corner] that I was standing, so I kept going forward because I wanted to finish strong. He is a great champion and I take my hat off him. I gave everything there.
Álvarez, 28 years old, was the most active fighter of the opening bell, defiantly chasing the Jacquard 5-foot 11½ despite the edges of his opponent three and a half inches in height and reach. Jacobs was able to use his rangy left jab to hold Álvarez at bay, but to score consistently was another matter, as the red-haired Mexican was using a clever upper-body move to defeat his opponent. In the third minute, Jacobs was already looking fearful, while Alvarez was completely at ease, pbading through the big man's fists.
"He was a fast guy, very slippery," said Jacobs. "It certainly took me a few laps to recover, to understand his pace, because he is propellant of pots."
The tide began to move in the sixth when one moved to the south leg position. Álvarez continued to advance and score goals, but this allowed to change the content of a fight that was likely to disappear completely. Jacobs again switched to the seventh-ranked southpaw position and began scoring Álvarez with powerful shots, trapping his opponent along the ropes and opening on the body.
The two-way action has warmed up from there. Fire fights erupted all over the ring in eighth place, Álvarez having been right exchanges. The Mexican jumped forward early in the ninth and snuck into Jacobs' ribcage with a thud to the left, but Jacobs fought back with mbadive shots to win the round on the cards of the three. judges. Both fighters looked exhausted in the championship round, but Canelo managed to delay Jacobs' rally to win a decision that did not spark any protest.
The day began with a hint of controversy when Jacobs surpbaded the 170-lb limit scheduled for rehydration on Saturday morning, a stipulation demanded by the Álvarez team during the negotiations.
Jacobs, 32, admitted that making the middleweight limit is becoming untenable.
"It has negative consequences for my body and it shows," he said. "I could have pbaded the middleweight division, and I could take my talents to super middleweight."
Having unified three of the four major title belts to 160 pounds, Álvarez could target WBO champion Demetrius Andrade for his usual fight of the month of September of Mexico's Independence Day weekend, and achieve its long-standing goal of becoming an undisputed champion. But a third fight with Golovkin, who turned 37 last month, would be a bigger commercial success. Both are signed with DAZN and clashed Saturday in the ring.
"I'm just looking for the biggest challenge," said Álvarez. "That's the reason I'm here, that's why I was born: fight, defend what's mine, I'm going to fight anybody."
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