The memory of Canelo Alvarez’s last knockout has grown hazy. It’s been almost three years, and it’s fair to wonder if Alvarez has lost power at the age of 34. On Saturday, however, he’ll have a reasonably good chance to deliver a KO for the first time in six fights when he faces Edgar Berlanga in a super middleweight title bout. “I’ve prepared for the knockout,’’ Alvarez said this week. “I love the feeling of a knockout and I’m going do my best to get it done.’’

At the same time, Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) will step into the ring against power. Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) won his first 16 fights by first-round knockout. He won each of the next five fights by unanimous decision before scoring a knockout in his last fight.

Much has been made of Alvarez, the Mexican, and Berlanga, of Puerto Rica descent, renewing a fierce boxing rivalry between those two countries on Mexican Independence Day weekend. The matchup deserves to end with a thud -- the sound of a boxer crashing onto canvas.

Round-by-Round Breakdown

Round 1

Berlanga noticeably bigger than Canelo as they slowly circle at the center of the ring. Berlanga is 6-1 and Canelo is 5-7 ½. Chants are up. “Canelo, Canelo!’’ Canelo stalking and throwing jabs. Berlanga throws a jab but Canelo pushes forward. Berlanga talking trash. Canelo still pressing, but Berlanga answers with a couple of jabs. Canelo does enough to take the round. Canelo 10, Berlanga 9.

Round 2

Before Berlanga comes out for the round, his trainer: “We’ve got to go to hell to get this.’’ Canelo surely intends to make it at least that hard. Still a lot of hesitation here. Canelo lands a big body shot. Berlanga fires back with two nice punches. Berlanga wraps up Canelo and the crowd boos. Canelo still stocking, lands a big left. Berlanga answers with a left and later scores with a body shot. Bergana starting to assert himself. Canelo 19, Berlanga 19.

Round 3

An exchange of solid lefts and more chants. “Mexico, Mexico!’’ A left drops Berlanga with a left hook! He’s up quickly, but what a shot. Canelo looking to end it, has Berlanga in the corner. Canelo firing and Berlanga responding with a missed haymaker. Berlanga appears to have evaded danger. For the moment. Canelo 29, Berlanga 27.

Round 4

Canelo eats a punch. Keeps moving forward. Hears the chants of “Canelo!’’ Clearly trying to delight the crowd. Berlanga firing back but Canelo appears to be setting himself up for something big. Digs a left into Berlanga’s gut. Berlanag not capitalizing on his size and reach advantage to this point. Canelo’s speed is still world class even at 34. Canelo 39, Berlanga 36.

Round 5

Canelo comes out with instructions and keeps jabbing. Berlanga must have gotten the same orders. He’s flicking jabs. Fighters get tangled up and it’s rough. They’re talking trash and the referee hits the deck as he tries to separate the fighters. Canelo fuming. He looks far more emotional than Berlanga. Canelo lands a hard uppercut. Berlanga shakes his head. Berlanga lands a hard right, but it hardly slows Canelo. Canelo 49, Berlanga 45.

Round 6

Berlanga still fighting on the defensive. Canelo slashes him with punches. Berlanga throws the jab with success. But still on the ropes, although he scores with a big right. Eats a right from Canelo. It’s getting more competitive again. And more chants. “Canelo! Canelo!”’ Canelo backs up Berlanga into the corner again. Canelo 59, Berlanga 54.

Round 7

Canelo comes out the aggressor again. Berlanga seems content to counter, but he’s yet to display the knockout power. Is he waiting for the late rounds to turn up the heat? Berlanga in a low crouch as if looking for an opening. Berlanga on the canvas, but it’s ruled a trip. Canelo 69, Berlanga 63.

Round 8

Berlanga pawing with the jabs. Then throws a hard right. Canela with a sweeping left followed by a right. Some big exchanges here. Canelo caught Berlanga with a right on what appeared to be the break. Berlanga warned for a headbutt. Canelo giving, but getting a little too. Canelo dictating the action. Berlanga talking, maybe when he should be punching. Canelo 79, Berlanga 72.

Round 9

Canelo lands a massive right, but Berlanga responds. No one’s bleeding, but clear bad blood. The referees separates the boxers again. Canelo’s moving forward, and Berlanga’s standing his ground. Canelo 89, Berlanga 81.

The Undercard

Ersilandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia

Ersilandy Lara, a 41-year-old Cuban, threw only 63 punches. One of those was a left hand that left Garcia on a knee at the end of the ninth round. As he sat on the stool, his father told the referee to end the fight. The moment was enough for Lara to retain his WBA middleweight title but not satisfy the crowd, which booed Garcia during an in-ring interview.

Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby

Yes, Plant has lost to Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez. But he showed he hasn’t lost the ability to box or entertain during a ninth-round knockout victory against McCumby in a super middleweight bout. In the fourth round, a body shot from McCumby sent Plant sailing through the ropes. It turned out to be a wakeup call.

Under attack, Plant transformed himself into the bully and put on a remarkable display of punching power and precision as he moved the fight against the ropes. McCumby, who entered the bout 28-0, fought back. But there was no stopping Plant’s barrage that prompted the referee to stop the fight with one second left in the ninth round.

Rolando 'Rolly' Romero vs. Manuel Jaimes

Romero is a former champion. Jaimes is not. That was as clear as the outcome during their super lightweight bout. James finished on his feet, but with a face covered with welts. Romero, a former champion at 140 pounds, dominated with powerful shots from both hands. All three judges scored it 99-91.

Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro

Fulton went down in the fifth round, nearly went down in the eighth round, and yet emerged with a split decision victory. It drew boos. “Shout out to the boos,’’ Fulton said with a grin during a post-fight interview. Shout out for survival, too. Fulton, a former unified bantamweight champion, was not at his best after a 14-month layoff that followed his first loss which was a knockout against champion Naoya Inoue.

Castro knocked Fulton down in the fifth with a short right and kept Fulton on the defensive with a fierce left jab. But Fulton fought back and landed an assortment of punches that impressed the judges. They scored the fight 95-94, 96-93 and 95-94.

Roiman Villa vs. Ricardo Salas

Ricardo Salas, the so-called “Magic Man,’’ made Villa’s will and balance disappear in the third round of their welterweight fight. Salas knocked out Villa, who landed on the canvas on his back and remained there when the referee reached the count of ten.

Jonathan Lopez vs. Richard Medina

Armed with a powerful left, Lopez dominated Medina during their eight-round super featherweight fight and improved to 17-0. Lopez dropped Medina in the eighth round with a powerful left. Medina (15-3) got up and finished the fight but it was way too late.

Lawrence King vs. Vaughn Williams

Nurmaganbet, a 26-year-old southpaw from Kazakhstan, improved to 12-0 with a second-round TKO over Conley in their super middleweight bout. It was his 10th knockout. It was Conley’s fourth straight loss, and the 32-year-old’s record dropped to 17-7-1.

Canelo’s Reputation

As Canelo Alvarez heads into the ring to face Edgar Berlanga, his reputation for supposedly ducking big fights persists. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the face of Saudi Arabian boxing promotion, addressed the issue after Alvarez said he respects Alalshikh but doesn’t like the way he does business. “I only target big fights at fair prices, so of course anyone who likes easy fights won't like that,” Alalshikh wrote in August on X, formerly Twitter. “And I know how he feels after losing to (Dmitrii Bivol in 2022), so he's been looking for easier fights ever since. Also, I'm not the one who's afraid of fighting Benavidez or Crawford.”

Canelo: A Brief History

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) won his first super middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Callum Smith in December 2020. He became the undisputed champion by defeating Caleb Plant in November 2021, and made four successful defenses, before the IBF stripped him of the belt in July after Alvarez decided to face Berlanga instead of the IBF’s No. 1 mandatory challenger, William Scull. Alvarez, 34, of Jalisco, Mexico, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguia in May, which followed another dominant win over Jermell Charlo in September last year.

Alvarez has suffered only two losses in his career. In 2022, he lost to Dmitrii Bivol by unanimous decision in a 12-round super middleweight bout. In 2013, he lost to Floyd Mayweather by majority decision in a super welterweight bout. 

Alvarez is arguably boxing’s biggest star. According to Forbes, he earns at least $275 million.

The Main Event: A Look Ahead

The Alvarez-Berlanga fight will be for the WBC, WBO and WBA titles. The lineal championship will also be on the line. The 27-year-old Berlanga, of Brooklyn, New York, is fighting in his first title fight, and first PPV event. Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) started his career with 16 consecutive victories by KO -- in the first round! He has only one KO in his last six fights.

The main card on Prime PPV begins at 5 p.m. PT ($89.95). The fight will also be streamed on DAZN PPV. The main event is expected to start at about 11 p.m.

What to Expect

Alvarez’s fighting style is characterized by his speed, agility, and power, which is exactly what makes him a dangerous opponent for Berlanga. Canelo’s reputation for supposedly ducking big fights persists. No David Benavidez. No Terence Crawford. No marquee opponent. Could this be a sign that Alvarez is trying to avoid a possible upset by Berlanga?

What’s Next for Canelo

With a victory over Berlanga, Alvarez will likely have his eye on a rematch against Bivol. Alvarez has expressed interest in avenging his only loss to Bivol, and it's a fight that could be made by the end of the year. However, a fight against David Benavidez, a formidable super middleweight contender, could also be in Alvarez’s future. Benavidez would be the biggest name Alvarez could face right now. And there’s the possibility that Alvarez may be interested in fighting Crawford, a multi-division champion, in a bout that could pit the two pound-for-pound stars against each other.

The fight will be a test of Alvarez's ability to continue his winning streak. Berlanga is a formidable opponent, but Alvarez has the experience, skill, and power to win. This is a fight that could potentially deliver an electrifying knockout, but it’s a fight that Alvarez must be prepared to fight for the full 12 rounds. The fight will be a must-watch for boxing fans and it could be a fight that makes history in the sport.

The Final Word: A Match for the Ages

Saturday’s fight is a rematch for the ages. The two fighters have shown themselves to be some of the best in the world. This will be the fight that will decide who is the best. It will be a night of intense competition and it will be a night that will be remembered for years to come.

Alvarez has stated that he is looking for a knockout, and he will have to bring his A-game if he wants to knock out the powerful Berlanga. This fight will be a test of Alvarez’s power. But it will also be a test of his ability to deliver a knockout in the face of Berlanga’s size, speed, and power. 

Will Alvarez deliver on his promise to get a knockout or will he succumb to the pressure and go to the judges’ scorecards? Fans should tune in Saturday to find out!