Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto 2015: Scorecard, LIVE Round By Round Coverage Of Championship Fight

Canelo Alvarez defeated Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The victory makes Alvarez the new WBC middleweight champion, possibly setting up a match with Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in 2016.

The fight was very even early on, and the first few rounds could have been scored either way. But Alvarez clearly got the better of his opponent in the second half of the fight, giving the judges an easy decision. Alvarez won the bout 117-111, 119-109, 118-110.

Cotto landed punches throughout the fight, but they didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the Mexican Fighter. Alvarez landed 155 of 484 total punches, while Cotto landed 129 of his 629 punches. Alvarez had the edge in power punches, 118-75.

Alvarez improves his career record to 46-1-1. Cotto falls to 40-5

Robert Byrd was the referee. Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and John McKaie were the judges.

On the undercard, Francisco Vargas scored a ninth-round TKO over Takashi Miura to win the WBC featherweight championship. Guillermo Rigondeaux beat Drian Francisco by unanimous decision in a bantamweight fight, while featherweight Ronny Rios defeated Jayson Velez in a 10-round bout.

Here is how IB Times scored the Alvarez-Cotto fight:

Round 1

Not much action in the first minute with a lot of punches failing to land. Both fighters land a few shots to the body in the second half of the round. It’s close, but a few good jabs in the final seconds give Alvarez the edge.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 2

Cotto lands a few hard punches to start the round. The Puerto Rican is much more aggressive with shots to the body and head throughout in the first two minutes. Alvarez landed a good uppercut and was more active in the final minute, but it wasn’t enough to give him the round.

Cotto 10-9

Round 3

Alvarez controlled the first half of the round, landing hard right hands on Cotto. It’s Alvarez’s most active round, and he wins the most decisive round thus far.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 4

Not much action in the first minute, but Cotto comes on with a few left hooks midway through the round. Cotto landed a flurry of punches with a minute remaining, and Alvarez matched him with a body shot. Cotto has the edge, landing some of the hardest shots of the night.

Cotto 10-9

Round 5

Alvarez hit a hard left uppercut, but Cotto came back with a flurry of punches. Cotto landed his share of body shots, but Alvarez landed more power punches, including a strong right hand in the final seconds.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 6

Cotto’s face is starting to show some evidence of Alvarez’s punches. A strong combination by Alvarez a minute in seems to affect Cotto. Cotto continues to land body shots on Alvarez, but they don’t appear to be doing too much damage. A few clean shots to the head give Alvarez another round.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 7

Alvarez dodges a few punches at the outset, and comes back with hard right hands to the body. Alvarez is in control of the fight, landing more shots to the body. Cotto gets a good hook in with about 75 seconds remaining, but it’s another round for Alvarez.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 8

Good left uppercut by Alvarez to start the round. Very active first minute with both fighters trading body shots. Cott landing a few left hooks, but Alvarez comes back hard shots to the head. Easily the best round of the fight, but Alvarez landed nearly three times as many power shots, buckling Cotto’s knees early on.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 9

Both fighters not nearly as active in the first 90 seconds, but then they start to trade jabs. Alvarez wins the round with a few left hooks that seemed to shake Cotto, though Cotto got in a few good jabs that inflicted some damage.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 10

Alvarez is landing a lot more power shots this fight, but Cotto has connected with a lot of punches, giving him a chance to steal a few rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Not much action in this round, but Alvarez hit the hardest shot of the round. Alvarez gets the edge, though it's a close one.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 11

This round is very similar to many others in this fight. Cotto landed his share of jabs, but Alvarez hit a few power punches that affected his opponent much more.

Alvarez 10-9

Round 12

Both fighters seemingly looking for the knockout. Alvarez tags him with more affective shots in the first minute, though Cotto lands some good shots to the body. Cotto showing a cut under his eye from a hard punch from Alvarez. Cotto was on the ropes with about 30 seconds left, but he survives another losing round.

Alvarez 10-9

Our Final Score:

Alvarez wins on our scorecard, 118-110

Final Result:

Alvarez by unanimous decision: 117-111, 119-109, 118-110