LOS ANGELES -- September 18th, 2010, Staples Center, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, one of Mexico's most popular fighters won against Carlos Baldomir with a crushing sixth-round knockout in their junior middleweight bout.
Alvarez dominated the much slower Baldomir, 39, until unloading on him in the sixth round. As the raucous crowd was chanting, "Canelo! Canelo! Canelo," Alvarez landed a flush left hook to Baldomir's chin. He fell face first, hitting his face on the mat with a loud thud. Baldomir tried in vain to beat the count, but referee Jose Cobian counted him out at 2 minutes, 58 seconds, and the crowd erupted again.
They fought at a contract weight of 151 pounds, although Baldomir missed weight on Friday, coming in at 153.4. Now, Alvarez (34-0-1, 26 KOs) wants to return to the 147-pound welterweight division, where he is more comfortable.
Baldomir (45-13-6, 14 KOs), of Argentina, captured the boxing world's attention in 2006 when he upset against Zab Judah to become the undisputed welterweight champion and followed with an upset ninth-round knockout of the late Arturo Gatti. In his next fight, Baldomir lost a lopsided decision and the title to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
While he had that short run of glory, one thing has been a constant in his career -- his durable chin. Only once before had he been stopped, and that came in the second round in his seventh professional fight in 1994.
