Canelo Alvarez dropped Jaime Munguia on his way to recording a unanimous points victory over his Mexican compatriot in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
With Canelo heading into his 65th fight and Munguia the younger and unbeaten man, some were predicting an upset win for the 27-year-old.
Munguia initially started well and having temporarily rocked Canelo in the third round, there was reason for optimism in the challenger's camp.
However, towards the end of the next session, Canelo began to unload, landing several heavy shots before an uppercut-left hook combination sent Munguia to the canvas for the first time in his career.
Albeit dazed, Munguia completed the round and remained competitive in what was an entertaining fight, yet Canelo was able to build up an advantage during the middle rounds that left Munguia in need of a knockout.
That never looked realistic despite Munguia's evident toughness and desire, and Canelo was deservedly handed a 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 verdict by the judges.
What did Canelo, Munguia have to say?
Speaking after successfully defending his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super-middleweight titles, Canelo was full of praise for his opponent, while at the same declaring that he felt he remained the best fighter in the world.
The 33-year-old said: "Jaime Munguia is a great fighter. He's strong, he's smart. But I take my time. I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did. I did really good and I feel proud about it.
"He's strong but I think he's a little slow. I could see every punch. That's why I'm the best. I'm the best fighter right now, for sure."
Munguia was equally magnanimous in defeat, adding: "I came out well. I think at the beginning I was winning some of those rounds.
"It was going well, I let my hands go but he's a fighter with a lot of experience. Unfortunately, he beat me. It definitely hurts."
What next for Canelo?
There will now be clamour for Canelo to go up against David Benavidez, who has long called him out having put together a 28-fight unbeaten run.
Benavidez has recently added Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade to his record, and is currently preparing to face Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
As it stands, though, Canelo's WBA mandatory challenger Edgar Berlanga, another unbeaten big puncher, may be the most likely opponent for September. body check tags ::
