Canelo Alvarez claimed a 17th world title with a unanimous decision over Christian Mbilli, but his victory was overshadowed by a scary knockout on the undercard. His stablemate Bek Nurmaganbet captured headlines with a devastating finish against Marcos Vazquez Rodriguez, leaving the Mexican boxer motionless on the canvas.
Brutal Knockout Stuns Crowd
Nurmaganbet moved to a 17-0 record in Riyadh with just three seconds of the opening round remaining. Vazquez lay unmoving underneath the ropes and, according to Mexican media, required medical attention and oxygen in the aftermath. He is said to have left the ring unaided following his treatment.
"He's out cold," said Todd Grisham on commentary. "Incredible power and he picks up his 13th straight knockout and you can see the concern of everybody after that violent end to this fight."
"Make that six first-round knockouts for Nurmaganbet," his co-commentator said. "Oh my God, that was dangerous; let's hope Vasquez is alright. That was a dangerous 45-degree uppercut."
Alvarez's Winning Return
Nurmaganbet had already sent Vazquez to the canvas with a glancing blow midway through the first round. The Kazakh walked down his opponent and delivered heavy shots on his way to victory.
Alvarez made his return to the ring for the first time since dropping his undisputed middleweight titles to Terence Crawford more than a year ago. Surgery on an elbow injury and a family issue kept him out of action before his successful return.
"It's so difficult to explain. It's something unbelievable," Canelo said of his 68th bout. "Now after 21 years as a professional, 16 years ago I won my first title, now I won the title again… I want to thank everybody back home."
"I knew he was a strong fighter. He didn't throw a lot of punches because it's difficult to throw punches with me... I did perfectly," he added. "I'm going to keep learning, I'm going to keep working hard. I'm going to take a couple of weeks off and then come back."
Rematch Hopes
Alvarez would like to see rival Crawford come out of retirement for a rematch. "Hopefully, yes," he said. "Honestly, we'd love to have that rematch, as I've said. If not, we'll keep moving forward with our career, but hopefully that fight can happen."
