Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan meet tonight in one of the most unexpected matchups in recent memory, as Alvarez defends the WBC and Ring Magazine middleweight championship in a 155-pound catchweight main event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET, and we'll have live round by round updates of all four fights on the show.
Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KO) is the strong favorite against Khan (31-3, 19 KO), with odds only widening since the fight was first announced, despite the promotional hype that this could be a surprise outcome for those underestimating Khan, who is moving up in weight to challenge for the lineal middleweight title.
On the undercard, David Lemieux (34-3, 31 KO) will face Glen Tapia (23-2, 15 KO) in a middleweight fight, Mauricio Herrera (22-5, 7 KO) takes on Frankie Gomez (20-0, 13 KO) in a welterweight bout, and Patrick Teixeira (26-0, 22 KO) meets Curtis Stevens (27-5, 20 KO) in another middleweight contest. All three fights are scheduled for 10 rounds.
Wil Esco will be on the round-by-round call this evening. Join us!
*****
Results
CANELO ALVAREZ def. AMIR KHAN by KO (2:37, Round 6)
DAVID LEMIEUX def. GLEN TAPIA by TKO (0:56, Round 4)
FRANKIE GOMEZ def. MAURICIO HERRERA by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90)
CURTIS STEVENS def. PATRICK TEIXEIRA by TKO (1:04, Round 2)
******
ROUND BY ROUND
CANELO ALVAREZ vs AMIR KHAN
DAVID LEMIEUX vs GLEN TAPIA
Round 1: Lemieux starts off with a strong jab, then trowing a right hand to the body. Lemieux lands another right hand to the body. Lemieux throws a combination, landing a left hook to Tapia's body. Lemieux strafes Tapia against the ropes. Hard left to the body and head lands for Lemieux. Lemieux 10-9.
Round 2: Tapia comes out behind the jab, creating more space between he and Lemieux. Lemieux closes the stiance and attacks Tapia's body. Right hand lands for Tapia. Lemieux lands a hard straight right to the body. Left hook lands for Lemieux. Two hard jabs land for Lemieux. Tapia looks like he's hurting. He's stunned against the ropes after a left hook from Lemieux! Tapia survives the moment but he's in bad shape. Lemieux 10-9.
Round 3: Lemieux going on the attack straight away. Hard right hand lands to the body for Lemieux. Two hard punches shake up Tapia again. He's trying to move his hands to fight back but he's just pawing. Now Tapia fires a strong right. Left hook lands for Lemieux. Lemieux putting together combinations now, lands a couple solid shots. Tapia tries to maul Lemieux to end the round. Lemieux 10-9, 30-27.
Round 4: Lemieux throws punches for the opening 20 seconds straight. Lemieux drops Tapia hard with a right hand! Tapia gets up but he's in bad shape. Tapia's assistant trainer steps on the apron to stop the fight. Tapia's pissed! Fight is over. Lemieux TKO-4.
MAURICIO HERRERA vs FRANKIE GOMEZ
Round 1: Starts off as a technical battle. Gomez throwing hard shots to let Herrera feel his power. Gomez getting increasingly aggressive as the round progresses, putting together some hard combinations. Gomez throws a four punch combination after a clinch. Herrera just trying to break his momentum. Gomez 10-9.
Round 2: Gomez comes out throwing a hard jab followed by a wide hook. Herrera having trouble dealing with Gomez's quickness. Gomez lands a three punch combination. Herrera continues to come back forward but doesn't know what he wants to do just yet. Gomez continues to strike first at center ring and Herrera has a cut under his left eye. Big round for Gomez. Gomez 10-9.
Round 3: Gomez comes out attacking early. Herrera keeps coming forward but isn't getting off much. Gomez really taking it to Herrera now with both hands. Herrera pressures Gomez to the ropes but Gomez still getting off first. Sneaky right hand lands for Gomez. Herrera is going to have to change something fast to start winning rounds. Gomez 10-9, 30-27.
Round 4: Hard left hook lands for Gomez. Gomez follows up with a four punch combination, landing well. Left hook, right uppercut land for Gomez. Gomez dodges a retaliatory combination from Herrera and comes fires back with his own which lands solid. Herrera is taking a beating in there right now. Gomez 10-9.
Round 5: Herrera starts the round already standing at center ring, looking to make a point. Both Herrera and Gomez trade body shots, Gomez gets the better of it. Gomez putting together numerous punches against Herrera while he has him on the ropes. Herrera tries to get some forward momentum going, but eats more leather doing it. Nice left hook to the body lands for Gomez. Gomez 10-9, 50-45.
Round 6: Herrera comes out stalking, Gomez sticks out his jab to counter. Now Gomez is coming forward, landing punches to the body and head. Gomez starts circling the ring a little more here, perhaps needing to catch his breath. Gomez starts up again with the combination attack. Gomez in full control of this fight. Gomez 10-9.
Round 7: Herrera is really being dominated in this fight, he really can't get anything going. Gomez has him back on the ropes, unloading combinations to the head and body. Gomez almost throws Herrera's head to the side and then clocks him with a left hook. Referee warns Gomez. Gomez lands another three punch combination. Gomez 10-9, 70-63.
Round 8: Gomez comes out backing off, knowing his far ahead on the scorecards. Gomez spontaneously charges ahead with a combination and pushes Herrera to the ropes. Gomez smiling at Herrera knowing he's imposing his will. Gomez backs off and walks Herrera into a lead right hand. Uppercut lands for Gomez. This is a wipe out, folks. Gomez 10-9.
Round 9: Gomez starts off with a four-punch combination. Gomez moving around and picking spots to ambush Herrera. More punches from Gomez splash off Herrera's face. Herrera is hardly fighting back now, he's moving his feet more than his hands. Herrera comes forward again with a body attack but Gomez counters. Gomez 10-9.
Round 10: Gomez putting on a bit of a show now, getting more flashy in his combinations. Herrera trying any and everything but has nothing to offer Gomez. I hate to call it an easy win for Gomez, but it really is an easy win for Gomez. Gomez 10-9, 100-90.
PATRICK TEIXIERA vs CURTIS STEVENS
Round 1: Stevens comes out aggressively and puts together a couple combinations. Teixiera using the jab to establish range. Steven continues to talk forward looking to close the distance. Stevens shakes up Teixiera with a hard left jab. Stevens strafes Teixiera against the ropes with body punches. 10-9 Stevens.
Round 2: Teixiera comes out more careful, trying to stay on the outside. Stevens closes the distance quickly and throws hard punches with Teixiera in the corner. Stevens drops Teixiera hard with a right hand. Teixiera gets up on shaky legs. Referee waves it off. Stevens TKO-2.