Canelo Alvarez cruises to a lopsided decision victory over Edgar Berlanga.

LAS VEGAS -- Canelo Alvarez, the leading figure in boxing, successfully defended his unified super middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Alvarez knocked Berlanga down with a powerful left hook in the third round, his signature punch, and won by scores of 117-110, 118-109, and 118-109. ESPN scored the bout as a 120-107 shutout.

This marked Alvarez's fifth straight victory by decision, with his last knockout coming against Caleb Plant in November 2021. Additionally, it was the fourth consecutive fight in which Alvarez scored a knockdown.

"Now what are they gonna say?" Alvarez, 34, said during his postfight interview. "I fight younger fighters. They say I fight older fighters. They always talk. ... My experience, my talent, my hard work, my intelligence, everything together [makes me the best]. If you have talent but you don't have discipline, you have nothing."

Alvarez, ranked No. 5 pound-for-pound by ESPN and widely regarded as an all-time great, faced Berlanga, who was competing at the elite level for the first time. Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) was a heavy -1600 favorite according to ESPN BET, and a -250 favorite to win by knockout.

Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) seldom threw power punches, clearly cautious about giving Alvarez—one of the sport's best counterpunchers—an opportunity to exploit any openings. After the knockdown, Berlanga, while sitting on the canvas and clapping his gloves together, shifted into a defensive mode.

Alvarez aggressively pursued Berlanga, trying to close the distance while Berlanga jabbed from a safe range. Although Berlanga demonstrated resilience and toughness on the inside, he was cautious and avoided taking risks that could lead to a knockout.

"I'm disappointed," Berlanga said. "I fought against a legend tonight. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of my journey to becoming a future legend. I believe I took his best shot in the third round."

The Brooklyn native of Puerto Rican descent began his career with 16 first-round knockouts, but his power waned as he faced tougher competition. Berlanga, 27, entered his first title bout following a sixth-round knockout win over Padraig McCrory in February.

Alvarez, with his superior skill and experience, clearly outmatched Berlanga. Despite showing his comfort in the ring, Alvarez was occasionally frustrated by Berlanga's rough tactics, leading referee Harvey Dock to issue several warnings to both fighters.

"Fighters often try to disrupt each other's rhythm," Berlanga commented.

Once again, Alvarez headlined an event during Mexican Independence Day weekend, a prime slot for boxing's top stars. However, he was not yet ready to talk about potential opponents for his next fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend.

Ahead of the fight, Alvarez expressed to ESPN on Wednesday his interest in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who had defeated him in May 2022 at 175 pounds. This would depend on whether Bivol wins against Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight title on October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Another potential opponent was present at ringside: Terence Crawford, the undefeated future Hall of Famer. Crawford, who recently debuted at 154 pounds with a victory over Israil Madrimov, indicated to ESPN on Thursday his desire to face Alvarez at the full 168-pound limit without a rehydration clause.

"I think it would determine who the top fighter is in this post-Mayweather era," Crawford said.

Regardless of who Alvarez faces next, he will be seeking his first knockout win since November 2021, though he has been dominant in his recent fights.

Alvarez stated, "I'm the best fighter in the world."