Canelo delivers a Hagler/Hearns type performance, brutally stops Kirkland in 3

From the sound of the opening bell Kirkland came forward quickly firing a double left hook. Kirkland would continue to throw a barrage of punches landing big shots and putting Alvarez into a defensive shell in the corner. Picking his shots Canelo started to land and hurt Kirkland with a coupe of huge right hands. Kirkland would stagger to the ropes. At about 1:19 of round one, Canelo put some big combinations together sending Kirkland to the canvas with a straight right hand. Kirkland rose to his feet to take the remainder of the 8 count, starting to get comfortable Canelo started landing at will with straight right hands, body shots and upper cuts. Canelo would land big body shots to end the round.

Canelo would start the second round very aggressively virtually landing every shot he was throwing. Kirkland was not firing back initially and it seemed like an early stoppage was imminent. At the two minute mark Kirkland began to open up offensively landing some big shots of his own. As the second round came to an end it had seemed like Canelo had slowed down just a bit allowing Kirkland to mount some offensive fire power of his own. Both fighters were left in the middle of the ring both throwing punches as the round came to an end.

Both fighters met at the middle of the round to begin round three. Both Kirkland and Alvarez picked up right where the previous round left off. It would seem like as the fight progressed, it would come down to a battle of attrition as both fighters never stopped throwing punches. With a minute left in the round Kirkland waved to Alvarez as if he wanted more and to keep bringing more punches. With 1:06 left in the third round, Canelo Alvarez connected with a vicious right upper cut which sent Kirkland to the canvas for the second time in the fight. Kirkland would stay down on one knee until the count of six. Still visibly stunned and hurt the fight commenced and Canelo came in for the finish landing a hard upper cut and a strong straight right sending a Kirkland down again. The referee would immediately call (0:39) the fight as Kirkland hit the canvas very hard and would lay there motionless from the hard right hand.

Canelo Alvarez closed the show in emphatic fashion in front of a packed stadium of thirty one plus thousand fans who spent the entire third and final round on their feet. Alvarez would land a staggering 58% of total punches thrown and 60% of his power punches. This is the type of fight that Canelo prefers. “fighting a man like Kirkland is something the fans want and I want” stated Alvarez. “I do what I do, I do what the public wants me to do”.