‘Canelo’ Alvarez batters Lopez, sets sights on bigger prize

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez never was threatened Saturday night, so after punishing yet another outclassed opponent, he made a promise.

The 22-year-old WBC junior middleweight champion, arguably boxing's hottest rising star, said he's ready and willing to take on unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I want the big fights now - (Miguel) Cotto, Mayweather, I'll fight them all," Alvarez said after defeating Josesito Lopez by technical knockout in the fifth round at the MGM Grand Garden.

A sellout crowd of 14,275 roared when Alvarez entered the ring, and he was even more popular when he walked out with a convincing win. No one was more impressed than Lopez.

"Canelo is a badass," Lopez said. "I knew he was a tough fighter, and he proved it. He was a better fighter. I was hoping to land good punches, but he was smarter, stronger and patient."

Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 knockouts) showed off his punching power by knocking down Lopez late in the second round and again early in the third, both times with left hooks to the body.

Lopez went down for a third time in the fourth round, and a flurry by Alvarez forced referee Joe Cortez to stop the fight at 2:55 of the fifth. Cortez made the right call in his last fight before retirement as Lopez's face was bloodied and he was taking a beating.

"Josesito has a big heart and is very brave," Alvarez said. "I had a big responsibility tonight to my fans and everyone watching around the world. I came in and did what I had to do and finished business."

Alvarez, who closed as a 12-1 betting favorite at MGM Resorts sports books, won the first four rounds on all three judges' scorecards. He landed 104 of 162 (64 percent) power punches and 140 of 269 (52 percent) total punches.

Lopez (30-5) was fighting for the first time since an upset win over Victor Ortiz on June 23. Lopez made $212,500, and Alvarez's purse was $2 million.

An electric atmosphere in the arena was ignited by Marcos Maidana and Jesus Soto Karass, who waged what resembled an alley fight. The welterweights traded big shots before a Maidana right hand knocked down Soto Karass in the seventh round.

Maidana made another charge early in the eighth. He backed Soto Karass into the ropes by unleashing a flurry of punches that caused referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight. The stoppage was debatable, but Soto Karass didn't put up much of an argument, and Maidana had a slight lead on all three scorecards.

Daniel Ponce De Leon took the WBC featherweight title from Jhonny Gonzalez in a bout stopped because of an accidental head-butt. Gonzalez was cut and unable to continue, and Ponce De Leon won by technical decision in the eighth round.

"I thought I dominated him from the first round," Ponce De Leon said. "He didn't want to fight anymore, you could tell."

Leo Santa Cruz led off the Showtime portion of the card with an impressive performance. Santa Cruz retained his IBF bantamweight title by battering Eric Morel until the fight was stopped after the fifth round by Morel's corner.

"I don't know if I'm going to fight anymore," said Morel, a former two-time world champion.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM, 98.9 FM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.