Alvarez defeats Cotto by unanimous decision to win middleweight title

theScore covered the Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez main event and undercard bouts Saturday night in detail. Read our full Cotto-Alvarez recap and round-by-round coverage below, as well as recaps of all the night's fights.

Recap:

Canelo Alvarez outlasted a spirited effort from Miguel Cotto to win the WBC middleweight championship by unanimous decision Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Judges scored the bout 117-111, 119-109, 118-110 in favor of the 25-year-old Mexican, though it appeared much closer to those watching the latest installment of the storied rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.

One fighter nearing the end of an illustrious career's second chapter met an experienced upstart 10 years his junior in one of the year's most anticipated fights. Boxing fans desperate for a palate cleanser following the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao dud six months ago got precisely what they wanted Saturday night.

Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) was the better fighter over 12 rounds, though full credit must go to Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) for his movement and array of jabs. Alvarez landed 155 of 484 (32 percent) punches thrown, to 129 of 629 (21 percent) for Cotto.

The difference was the advantage in power punches, where Alvarez landed 118 of 298 (40 percent) to Cotto's meager 75 of 255 (29 percent).

Speaking post-fight in the ring, Alvarez had nothing but praise for the only Puerto Rican fighter to hold four titles. "Much respect to Cotto," he said. "I will always admire him. But now it's my era."

Alvarez now has 15 days to confirm plans to face Gennady Golovkin, or else he will vacate the title.

Round-by-Round:

Round 12:

The final round mirrored the eighth in terms of excitement, as both Cotto and Canelo came out punching. Canelo was the better fighter by a decent margin, striking Cotto with a slew of hooks. Canelo appeared poised to knock Cotto out with under 30 seconds left in the round. Round 12 to Canelo, who receives a kiss on the forehead from a bleeding Cotto.

Round 11:

Despite Cotto's movement, Canelo's size continues to negate much of the Puerto Rican's lateral migration. Cotto's jab continues to land. Let's give that one to Cotto just because he was the busier fighter.

Round 10:

For all of his efforts, Cotto's punches simply lack the power of Canelo's. The young Mexican receives a warning for a low blow, though Cotto appears nonplussed. A vicious right hand from Cotto in the round's final moments is answered by a three-punch combination from Canelo. Round 10 to Canelo.

Round 9:

A lead right from Cotto started the ninth round on a good note. Canelo seems willing to weather the left jabs from Cotto to get a closer look, though they seemed to do more damage this round. Round nine goes to Canelo by virtue of a pair of vicious uppercuts.

Round 8:

The best round thus far. Canelo's left uppercut is starting to do damage, as Canelo continues to leave a gap between his gloves and his chin. Cotto answers Canelo's power punches with an array of violent body shots. Roach's advice has clearly influenced Cotto to take this bout by the scruff of its neck. Round eight to Canelo by virtue of two uppercuts.

Round 7:

The ginger-maned Mexican was the clear aggressor in the seventh round, hitting Cotto with a flurry of his patented left hooks. Cotto has been consistent in answering shots to his face with punches to Canelo's body. Despite being the more active fighter, it's clear that Cotto needs to alter his game plan to alter the bout's direction. Round seven to the Canelo, again, by a narrow margin.

Round 6:

Hard not to notice that Cotto seems to be conserving energy for the later rounds. Definitely could afford to throw more. Canelo continues to leave his gloves low, inviting Cotto's advances. Hard to decide who took that round. Let's say Cotto by a slim margin.

Round 5:

Canelo continues to have the edge in clean power shots. Impossible to say who's at the advantage now in a tight bout. Canelo caught Cotto with a left uppercut midway through the round that was answered with a combination by the 35-year-old. Round five goes to Canelo.

Round 4:

Between rounds, Cotto's trainer Freddie Roach implored his fighter to "keep moving, (and) make him chase you." A string of three left hooks from Cotto - body, body, head - caught Canelo by surprise. Cotto continues to lack power with his punches, but his jabs are keeping Canelo at a distance. Round four goes to Cotto.

Round 3:

The third round was rife with attacking impetus. Canelo lands a nice right followed by a similar punch by Cotto that catches the young Mexican. The 35-year-old's left jabs are keeping Alvarez at a distance. The best punch of the round was a powerful right hook by Canelo near the round's end. Chalk round three up for Canelo.

Round 2:

Cotto has been the busier fighter, circling away from Canelo to avoid his array of power punches. An uneventful round narrowly goes to Cotto.

Round 1:

The partisan crowd chants "MEXICO!" as both fighters take a cautious approach to the opening stanza. Cotto moving well laterally as Canelo lands a left hook to the Puerto Rican's jaw to cap off the first round. First round to Cotto.

(Courtesy: BoxNation)

Undercards:

Francisco Vargas (23-0-1, 16 KO) def. Takashi Miura (29-3-2, 22 KO)

Now that's a fight. Mexican Francisco Vargas beat southpaw Takashi Miura by TKO in the ninth round in an enthralling match to take the WBC super featherweight title.

A vigorous right hook by Vargas stunned both Miura and those in attendance a minute into the opening round. The potent punch was matched by a left from the Japanese boxer that opened a cut under Vargas' right eye, giving fans a taste of what was to come.

Miura was knocked down early in the ninth round with a left hook, left uppercut combination followed by a violent right jab. The ref stopped it two minutes later following a spirited flurry of punches from both fighters in a match that recaptured the attention of those in attendance.

Guillermo Rigondeaux (16-0, 10 KO) def. Drian Francisco (28-2-3, 22 KO)

More closely resembling a high school dance than a prelude to the year's most anticipated fight, Roc Nation fighter Guillermo Rigondeaux trudged through the 10-round featherweight bout as the under-skilled Drian Francisco looked on with a bewildered expression.

A chorus of boos greeted the two fighters midway through the fourth round, as Cuban-born Rigondeaux outlasted the Filipino Francisco in an ennui-filled bout.

Rigondeaux stayed awake long enough to improve his professional record to 16-0, courtesy of scores of 97-93, 100-90, 100-90.

Ronny Rios (25-1, 10 KO) def. Jayson Velez (23-1-1, 16 KO)

Mexican-American fighter Ronny Rios kicked off the undercard in fine form with a decisive victory over Puerto Rican Jayson Velez in a featherweight bout that went the distance.

Rios was the aggressor the entire match, overcoming a one-point penalty for low blows in the fifth round. As the fight progressed, Velez's punches began to lose steam while his opponent increased the pressure, hurting the 27-year-old with a left hook in the ninth round.

The California-born Rios, who landed 182 of 457 power punches, was adjudged the victor by unanimous decision, 97-92, 95-94, 96-93, taking home the WBC Silver featherweight title in the process.