Canelo Alvarez puts 'Fight of the Century' in rearview with devastating KO

HOUSTON – While there are many fans who appreciate the subtlety and nuance of a slick boxer, Canelo Alvarez on Saturday proved that there remains unmitigated love for one who delivers sheer, unadulterated violence.

A week after the so-called "Fight of the Century," turned off thousands of fans and led to slew of lawsuits, Alvarez left a smile on the faces of every fight fan who saw him with a brutal third-round knockout of James Kirkland before an adoring crowd of 31,588 at Minute Maid Park.

There was no shortage of action on Saturday, as Alvarez and Kirkland began exchanging almost as soon as the bell sounded.

"I believe we witnessed Hagler-Hearns all over again," De La Hoya said. "It was action-packed, it was dramatic, and I believe Kirkland had Canelo a bit tired and maybe a bit shaken up."

Kirkland was a huge underdog, though the fight had great appeal because of his all-out offensive style. He entered the bout 32-1 with 28 knockouts and a reputation as one of the sport's most aggressive and exciting fighters.

He's not much of a defender, though, as Alvarez's punch totals would indicate. Alvarez connected on 36 of 63 power shots in the first round, 27 of 49 in the second and 16 of 20 in the third.

Alvarez dropped Kirkland in a wild first, in which Kirkland raced out of the corner and starting firing at Alvarez.

But as hard-nosed and as fun to watch as Kirkland is, he's a one-dimensional fighter with no defense. Alvarez is the complete package, a boxer-puncher who showed off both in one of the most impressive displays of his career.

"I did not know I was knocked out," Kirkland said after eight minutes, 19 seconds of all-out action in which he was hit by an incredible 60 percent of the shots thrown by Alvarez.

In the opening seconds, Alvarez was pinned in the corner by Kirkland's bull rush. Though nearly everyone in the house expected that, Alvarez, if you believe him, was not one of them.

He said it took some time to get his bearings because he wasn't expecting such a fierce onslaught so early.

"I knew James was a strong fighter, but he did surprise me with his aggressiveness in the first and second rounds," Alvarez said.

His promoters, De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins, briefly had to hold their breaths, because a loss would likely have killed any hope for a fall bout with WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Kirkland was firing huge shots at Alvarez, some of which got through, and left the two great fighters concerned.

"Bernard said to me how impressed he was by Canelo's poise," De La Hoya said. "He didn't get excited and he took his time and took care of business."

It was a shock that the fight made it into a second round, and that's a credit to Kirkland's intestinal fortitude. Alvarez dropped him with a right hand to the face about halfway through the first, and then poured it on with a heavy onslaught in an attempt to finish.

Kirkland made it, even though referee Jon Schorle seemed like he was thinking of stopping it.

But it was clear at that point that, barring something dramatic, this was destined to be Alvarez's night. De La Hoya said Alvarez has grown dramatically over the last several years and said Golden Boy is willing to match him against any of the elite fighters in and around his weight class.

"I was not surprised because I did see him in the gym and I witnessed him sparring," De La Hoya said. "I was shocked by what I saw. I saw him grow into his man strength. He's a complete fighter. He can box, he can fight and he's a complete fighter."

That he is. He showed virtually every punch in the book, hurting Kirkland with hooks, crosses and uppercuts. He put things together smartly, throwing his shots hard and fast and with deadly efficiency.

A fighter with Alvarez's power is dangerous even when he connects on 40 percent. But when he's landing at or better than 60 percent, he's virtually impossible to beat.

Kirkland, who was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary CAT scan, was simply overmatch in the third.

Fighting inside, Alvarez ripped him with a right uppercut that landed squarely on the chin and sent him tumbling to the canvas.

He beat Schorle's count, but was clearly in jeopardy and Alvarez showed why he's one of the game's best finishers.

He backed Alvarez to the ropes near a neutral corner, then wound up with a right hand and blasted Kirkland. It spun Kirkland around and put him down.

It was scary for a while, as Schorle reached the count of 10 and Kirkland didn't move for a while.

He eventually got up and appeared responsive.

That was the good news from his end, though in defeat he undoubtedly made a lot of fans.

But the one who came out the best was Alvarez, who entered the fight as one of the sport's biggest names and only enhanced it with a star-like performance.

"Last week was the past," De La Hoya said of Mayweather-Pacquiao. "Tonight, we witnessed the future."

He's a promoter and has a vested interest in Alvarez, but it was hard to disagree with him.