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“Common Sense Saved Him”: Years After $42 Million Fight, Fans Relive Former Opponent’s Failure on the Biggest Stage as Canelo Alvarez’s Big Moment Resurfaces Days Before Jermell Charlo Bout

Published 09/27/2023, 3:33 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Come Saturday night, the T Mobile Arena will feature one of the year’s most significant fights. Fans expect an explosive slugfest to happen between Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo. Unsurprisingly, amidst the preparation and promotions, fans have been coming across old videos of the former across social media. @Fade_Cob2 shared footage of the Canelo Alvarez versus Billy Joe Saunders earlier yesterday. Soon, a flurry of comments flew in. Most of the time, Canelo Alvarez’s supporters seemed astounded by his performance.

Two years ago, Canelo Alvarez began his title unification campaign. First, he challenged Billy Joe Saunders for his WBO Super Middleweight title. Though the Briton started on a good note, he finally wilted before the Mexican champion’s devastating blows, especially the one that sealed his fate in the eighth round. The fight reportedly made Alvarez richer by $35 million, while Saunders took home a career-high $7 million.

Canelo Alvarez is too ‘superb’

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According to the following user, Canelo Alvarez timed the punch at the right time as Billy Joe Saunders dove under it. Thus, it turned out to be one of the best punches seen in the last couple of years. It came at a time when the latter was having his best run. He could foretell that the upcoming rounds would be tough; hence, he gave up. Probably using his common sense kept him alive, the user posits.

Laughing, the next fan highlighted that career-wise, Alvarez put an end to Saunders.

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The next user mentioned that it was the last time Billy Joe Saunders fought.

The following seems to have been stunned by the counter-uppercut. Additionally, the crowd’s roar in preparation for the early stoppage became legendary, and he reminisced.

The following fan pointed out that one of his favorite Canelo knockouts came from this bout.

In 2020, Canelo Alvarez returned to the Super Middleweight division after a successful campaign in the Light Heavyweight division the previous year. He fought Callum Smith and defeated him via a unanimous decision to grab his WBA (Super), the Ring, and the vacant WBC Super Middleweight titles. He had to defend them very soon, after two months.

A milestone in a brilliant career

Initially scheduled for May 2, 2020, the fight came about only next year as the surging COVID-19 pandemic halted all sporting activities. When the bout finally came about, it created a record of sorts as the T Mobile Arena saw the largest gathering in the United States since the start of the pandemic. An official attendance of 73,126 made it the most-attended boxing event in an indoor facility in American history.

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Billy Joe Saunders surpassed expectations for the initial seven rounds and fought well, often outwitting Alvarez’s power shots. However, the tables turned in the eighth round. After receiving a right uppercut from the Mexican icon, ‘Superb’ reportedly fractured his right orbital bone. As a result, his team threw in the towel, bringing the fight to an early end.

Saunders was transported to a hospital after the battle because of his injuries. It was the second consecutive time Alvarez had forced a fighter into corner retirement. Early in the year, Alvarez had forced a corner retirement for the Turkish challenger, Avni Yildrim.

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Do you think Canelo Alvarez could outbox Jermell Charlo on Saturday night as he did against Saunders? Please share your thoughts and views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Who Is Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo Undercard Fighter Curmel Moton and How Is He Related to Floyd Mayweather?

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Written by:

Jaideep R Unnithan

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Jaideep Unnithan is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. With over 400 articles authored at ES, Jaideep has built a reputation for diving deep into stories and producing detailed reports. Jaideep's passion for the sport of boxing was ignited when his father shared his experience of watching Ali vs Frazier live in the US.
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Edited by:

Stefan Thomas