LAS VEGAS (AP) — Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated challenger Edgar Berlanga on points Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at T-Mobile Arena.

The 34-year-old Alvarez (61-2-2) was defending his eighth super middleweight title and dominated much of the bout. He used his experience and dogged pursuit to wear down the 27-year-old challenger, often sending the 20,312 fans into raptures with frequent chants of “Mexico! Mexico!” or “CA-NEL-O! CA-NEL-O!”

Berlanga lost for the first time in his career and was now 22-1-0.

“I did well. What are they going to say now? They said I don’t fight young fighters,” said Alvarez, who was defending his eighth super middleweight title. “They always talk, but I’m the best fighter in the world.”

Judges Max DeLuca and Steve Weisfeld gave the match a score of 118-109, and judge David Sutherland gave a score of 117-110.

Berlanga nearly matched Alvarez’s punch output, but the champion was far more accurate. Alvarez landed 43.3 percent (201 of 464) of the punches he threw, while Berlanga connected on just 119 of 446 (26.7 percent). Alvarez also landed 49.1 percent (133 of 271) of his power punches.

Alvarez, a four-division champion, has yet to drop a fight since technically knocking out Caleb Plant to become the undisputed champion nearly three years ago.

It looked like the drought would be over when a sharp left hook to the chin floored Berlanga in the third round, and further punishment from Alvarez seemed to be taking its toll. Alvarez landed a sharp right uppercut in the fifth and a vicious hook in the sixth.

But Berlanga would not back down, as he faced Alvarez and matched his machismo, refusing to be bullied by the man he would call “my idol” after the fight. He also went wild in the seventh round, missing a wild overhand right that sent him to the canvas, and was warned for a headbutt to the face by Alvarez in the eighth round.

“I got a little angry about his tactics, but I’m a Mexican man,” Alvarez said. “It means a lot to fight on this day. It’s an honor to represent my country on this day.”

It marked one of the biggest nights in combat sports on Mexican Independence Day for Las Vegas, as the UFC made its debut in the Spherejust three miles down Las Vegas Boulevard, with seven Mexican fighters in the lineup.

Alvarez closed as a -1600 favorite at BetMGM Sports Bettingmeaning a gambler would need to wager $1,600 to win $100.

The IBF stripped Alvarez of his title after he chose to fight Berlanga instead of his main challenger, William Scull.

In a very uneventful WBA middleweight championship bout, 41-year-old Erislandy Lara (31-3-3) successfully defended his title against Danny Garcia (37-4-0) with a TKO three minutes into the ninth round thanks to a straight left jab to the face. Garcia’s father and trainer, Angel, requested the stoppage after the round.

“The punches I threw hurt him,” said Lara, the oldest active world boxing champion. “That punch that ended the fight was a big blow.”

After falling behind on the scorecards early in the fight for the interim WBA super middleweight title, Caleb Plant overcame a fourth-round knockout, dominated the final four rounds and earned a TKO of Trevor McCumby (28-1-0) in the ninth round. With time running out, Plant landed a series of punches to McCumby’s head, prompting referee Allen Huggins to stop the bout at the 2:59 mark.

“I knew I hurt him and I had to go to work,” Plant said. “It was time to get my belt. Now I’m ready to go home and play with my daughter.”

In the first match of the main card at the pay-per-view event, Rolando Romero improved his score to 16-2-0 with a unanimous decision over Manual Jaimes (16-2-1), with all three judges scoring the bout the same, 99-91.

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