Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev Live Coverage & Discussion

Welcome to Fightful’s live coverage of Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title. We will provide quick results and recaps of the undercard with live, round-by-round coverage of the main event.

Below is the full lineup for the card (Undercard at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fightful/Main Card at 9 p.m. ET on DAZN):

• Canelo Alvarez defeated Sergey Kovalev by KO, round 11 to win the WBO Light Heavyweight title
• Ryan Garcia defeated Romero Duno by KO, round 1 to win the WBC Silver & NABO Lightweight titles
• Seniesa Estrada defeated Marlen Esparza by technical unanimous decision (90-81, 89-82, 88-83) to win the Interim WBA Female Flyweight title
• Blair Cobbs defeated Carlos Ortiz by TKO, round 6 to retain the NABF Welterweight title
• Evan Holyfield defeated Nick Winstead by TKO, round 1
• Bakhram Murtazaliev defeated Jorge Fortea by unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 118-110) to win an IBF Junior Middleweight title eliminator
• Tristan Kalkreuth defeated Twon Smith by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37)
• Meiirim Nursultanov defeated Cristian Olivas by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90) to win the WBC-USNBC Middleweight title
• Bektemir Melikuziev defeated Clay Collard by TKO, round 4

UNDERCARD:

Meiirim Nursultanov defeated Cristian Olivas by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90) to win the WBC-USNBC Middleweight title: This was a pretty one-sided affair that never really got into second gear. Nursultanov is an unbeaten Kazakhstan middleweight, but unlike Gennadiy Golovkin, he doesn’t possess the same killer power. Nursultanov does make that up by controlling the pace of the action well and limiting Olivas’ offense. It was unlikely that Nursultanov would beat Olivas inside the distance, given how tough Olivas is against similar types of competition. Nursultanov holding the WBC-USNBC title opens the door to him getting bigger fights for 2020, but he’s nowhere near a world title shot, especially given how the division currently stands.

Tristan Kalkreuth defeated Twon Smith by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37): The intrigue of this fight is the fact that Kalkreuth is 17 years old while Smith is 32. Kalkreuth basically used his athleticism throughout the fight to outwork Smith, but Kalkreuth did show a good chin in the third round when he got hit hard by a right hook from Smith. The jury is still out on Kalkreuth’s ceiling as a pro, but he’s got plenty of years to continue developing.

Bakhram Murtazaliev defeated Jorge Fortea by unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 118-110) to win an IBF Junior Middleweight title eliminator: Murtazaliev came into the fight as much as a 45-1 favorite to win the bout. Murtazaliev controlled the pace early and was the more aggressive puncher, but Fortea’s counter punches did open up some spots where he nearly hurt Murtazaliev. It began in the second round with a left hook upstairs from Fortea and then another big hook in the sixth round. Fortea didn’t create enough offense to even make this a competitive fight on the scorecards. Murzataliev is now the mandatory challenger to the IBF title being held by Julian Williams, but there is no telling on if the IBF will order that fight to happen at some point in 2020.

Evan Holyfield defeated Nick Winstead by TKO, round 1: This was the pro debut of Evan, son of Evander Holyfield. Holyfield dropped Winstead in the opening seconds of the round after a furious combination of punches, but the referee immediately stopped at 16 seconds of the fight. Nothing to gauge from this fight, but at least Evan is 1-0 as a pro.

MAIN CARD:

Blair Cobbs defeated Carlos Ortiz by TKO, round 6 to retain the NABF Welterweight title: Cobbs, a noted pro wrestling fan, came out to Triple H‘s “The Game” theme song. Ortiz opened things up with a left hook nearly to the back of the head towards the end of the first round that dropped Cobbs. Cobbs bounced back and started breaking Ortiz down with body shots and the occasional hook upstairs. Cobbs then managed to hurt Ortiz and knocked him down in the sixth round and that ended up being enough for Cobbs to win. Ortiz wasn’t able to continue fighting after he noted that he got hurt from Cobbs’ body punches. Cobbs has talent and charisma, but he is still very unpolished and leaves himself wide open to get knocked down. Still, there is no denying that Cobbs, who moves to 13-0-1, is typically in entertaining, competitive fights.

Seniesa Estrada defeated Marlen Esparza by technical unanimous decision (90-81, 89-82, 88-83) to win the Interim WBA Female Flyweight title: This is a very rare fight where the women got to compete in three-minute rounds as opposed to the two minutes per round that women’s boxing typically operates in. Estrada’s left hook landed early and often for Esparza, but both women brought a ton of firepower and action throughout the fight. Although Esparza did manage to connect on plenty of shots, Estrada’s left hand, jab work and ability to switch stances at times shined through in this bout. There was an accidental headbutt halfway through the fight that opened up a really nasty cut on Esparza’s forehead and a lot of blood immediately poured out. Esparza continued fighting up until the ninth round concluded as the referee asked if she can continue and she said no. The fight then went to the scorecards after there was some confusion from the DAZN broadcast team as to whether or not the fight would go to the scorecards or if it was going to be ruled a TKO win for Estrada. This fight had been in the making for many months and the post-fight interviews for both women showed that the bad blood between them is far from over. Lots of action in this fight and has been the most entertaining one of the night up to this point.

Ryan Garcia defeated Romero Duno by KO, round 1 to win the WBC Silver & NABO Lightweight titles: Garcia had a championship-level performance in Las Vegas. Starting off, Garcia started landing right hands while stepping back to keep Duno at bay. Duno had one real opportunity to land body shots and fight on the inside, landing four straight right hooks to Garcia’s ribs. Garcia then unloaded strong jabs and then a 1-2 combination that ended with a right to the side of Duno’s head, ultimately resulting in Garcia knocking him out. Garcia is now primed for a breakout 2020, but whether or not he’ll get a title shot next will be an entirely different question.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev: WBO Light Heavyweight title

Round 1: Kovalev opens up with several jabs to Canelo. Canelo goes for a two-punch combination, but Kovalev manages to block it. Canelo throws a left hook but misses and then connects with a right jab. Kovalev continues to keep Canelo at bay with his long jab. Both fighters manage to connect with the left hand at the same time and Canelo lands a quick left hook to the body.

Fightful scored round 1 for Kovalev 10-9

Round 2: Kovalev is still throwing the jab, but Canelo is throwing the hooks more often. Canelo lands a quick left jab and then a right hand to the body. Kovalev has two left-hand punches blocked by Canelo. Kovalev throws a four-punch combination but Canelo lands a left hook to the body and is starting to back Kovalev up. Canelo then lands a three-punch combination and Kovalev ends the round by constantly throwing numerous jabs.

Fightful scored round 2 for Kovalev 10-9

Round 3: Both fighters are landing shots early on in the round, especially with a right hand upstairs. Canelo isn’t throwing a ton of punches as he is still trying to figure out how to best attack Kovalev. The Russian champion continues to throw jabs. Canelo threatens with a right hand to the body but pulls back. Both champions land short left hooks upstairs. 

Fightful scored round 3 for Canelo 10-9

Round 4: Canelo lands a big left hook upstairs, but Kovalev is unfazed. As soon as Canelo tries to go for a left uppercut to the body, Kovalev goes for the clinch. Canelo throws a couple of left hooks to the body. Both men continue throwing punches but Canelo throws another body shot.

Fightful scored round 4 for Canelo 10-9

Round 5: The crowd in Las Vegas is already booing the fight, especially Canelo’s lack of activity. Kovalev’s jab is still being utilized a lot to keep Canelo from attacking the body. Canelo threw a left jab upstairs, but Kovalev was able to block it. Canelo lands a big left hook upstairs and Kovalev connects with a pair of body shots. 

Fightful scored round 5 for Kovalev 10-9

Round 6: Kovalev tries to go for the jab and Canelo counters with a right to the body. Canelo throws a left hook upstairs. Both men trade punches and Canelo finishes the exchange by throwing a wild right hook. Canelo attacks the body some more and Kovalev is backing up once more.

Fightful scored round 6 for Canelo 10-9

Round 7: Kovalev throws a series of unanswered punches, but Canelo does his best to block more of them. Kovalev tries to bully Canelo around, but it isn’t doing much to deter the Mexican. The crowd chants for Canelo as he throws a left hook upstairs. Canelo then lands a right jab followed by a left uppercut to the body. 

Fightful scored round 7 for Canelo 10-9

Round 8: Kovalev tries to land several of his jab, but as usual, they barely connect on Canelo’s skin and more on his glove. The crowd continues to boo the fight as Kovalev pushes Canelo to the ropes and throws about a dozen jabs. Kovalev ends the round by landing a right jab.

Fightful scored round 8 for Kovalev 10-9

Round 9: Kovalev throws a four-punch combination that Canelo blocks. Kovalev leads with his left shoulder and hits Canelo. Kovalev then lands a left jab to Canelo’s chin, followed by a right hand. Canelo then throws a left hook upstairs. Kovalev lands a body shot and then a left hook and Canelo responds with a left hook upstairs as well.

Fightful scored round 9 for Kovalev 10-9

Round 10: Canelo tries to back up Kovalev and Canelo nearly lands a big shot. Kovalev then continues to throw the jab at Canelo. Kovalev continues to limit Canelo’s offense with his punch output, but isn’t actually landing much that seriously hurts Canelo. Kovalev lands a left jab and then a right uppercut.

Fightful scored round 10 for Kovalev 10-9

Round 11: Kovalev eats a right uppercut from Canelo in the first minute of the round. Canelo throws a left hand upstairs. Kovalev throws several jabs and Canelo connects with a right hook upstairs. Canelo then immediately drops Kovalev to the ropes with a right hook, followed by a left hook and then a straight right to Kovalev’s chin. We have a new WBO light heavyweight champion!

Official result: Canelo Alvarez defeated Sergey Kovalev by KO, round 11 to win the WBO Light Heavyweight title