Canelo Alvarez claims unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs to unify middleweight division

Canelo Alvarez added another belt to his collection on Saturday night, outworking Daniel Jacobs over 12 rounds to win a unanimous decision in their middleweight title unification fight.

Alvarez was the more active fighter early and held on late to win a close but unanimous decision in the 160-pound showdown before a pro-Alvarez crowd on the Las Vegas strip.

Two ringside judges scored it 115-113, while the third had it 116-112.

Alvarez, a huge bookmakers’ favourite at fight time, was tested by a bigger fighter in Jacobs but did enough to win in a fight that had no knockdowns and no serious fouls. Neither fighter ever appeared badly hurt, though Jacobs landed some of the bigger punches in the late rounds.

Alvarez, the red-headed Mexican sensation, earned US$35 million for risking his titles against Jacobs, a Brooklyn fighter who held a piece of the middleweight crown himself. He got another US$1 million from the purse of Jacobs after the American weighed in too heavy on the day of the fight.

Alvarez was aggressive from the opening bell, throwing punches with intent while Jacobs was content to try and fight from the outside while backing up most of the time. Neither fighter landed any sustained flurries, but Alvarez had more snap to his punches and landed them with more consistency.