Las Vegas, NV – Saul "Canelo" Alvarez retained his WBC super welterweight title with a fifth-round technical knockout of Josesito Lopez Saturday night.
Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs) floored Lopez three times before referee Joe Cortez stopped the bout with five seconds left in the fifth round.
In round two, Lopez (30-5) was sent to the canvas for just the second time in his career, as he was victimized by a right uppercut to the chin and then a left hook to the body.
The second knockdown came in the opening minute of round three by another body shot. Lopez recovered from a low blow in the next round, but was sent sprawling after taking multiple punches to the head in the fourth.
Lopez was backed into a corner when Cortez stopped the fight. It was the final bout of a long career for Cortez, who was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.
On the undercard, Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-4, 35 KOs) took the WBC featherweight title with an eighth-round technical decision over Jhonny Gonzalez (52-8, 45 KOs). Referee Kenny Bayless was forced to halt the bout due to a cut over the eye of Gonzalez, and the decision came from the scorecards.
Leo Santa Cruz (21-0-1, 12 KOs) kept his IBF bantamweight championship with a five-round win over Eric Morel (46-4, 23 KOs). Morel's corner threw in the towel after the fifth round.
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