Alvarez makes statement on the big stage

After suffering a scare in round one, 19-year-old welterweight prospect Saul Alvarez (32-0-1, 24 KO’s) soundly defeated Jose Miguel Cotto (31-2-1, 23 KO’s), stopping him in the ninth round.

Cotto staggered Alvarez in the first round, sending the young Mexican fighter into the ropes after connecting with a massive left hook. Then, Cotto landed a series of rights and lefts. However, Alvarez pulled it together and hit Cotto with a vicious right uppercut in round two, forcing Cotto’s glove to touch the canvas, which resulted in a knockdown being scored.

From there, the fight was very competitive. As Cotto moved forward with his head down, Alvarez landed a stinging right uppercut to Cotto’s chin in round three. Later, Cotto and Alvarez exchanged hard left hooks and sharp right hands.

In round four, Alvarez again connected with a short uppercut and landed right hands in succession. Cotto was aggressive in rounds five and six, but Alvarez showed a great deal of patience and displayed competent instincts, placing his punches with remarkable success.

In round seven, both men fought fiercely in close range. However, Alvarez got the best of Cotto in round nine, landing powerful right hands over and over again. Cotto slipped some shots, but Alvarez kept firing. Then, Cotto unleashed a left hook with little behind it. Lastly, Cotto stopped throwing and Alvarez continued smashing him with right hands, which prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the bout at 2:51.

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