(This story first was published at USA TODAY.)

Canelo Alvarez did not get the knockout he promised.

But he landed brutal punches (and took a few too) in an impressive victory over Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision in the 12-round super middleweight fight.

The fighters had to be separated on multiple occasions and talked trash throughout the fight. Berlanga was warned for head butting at one point and Alvarez seemed to take exception to that and other Berlanga tactics. “I get a little angry – a Mexican man,” Alvarez said. The crowd roared with laughter.

The judges scored it 117-110, 118-109, 118-109.

“I’m the best fighter in the world,” Alvarez said, drawing cheers from the sellout crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Alvarez knocked down Berlanga with a left hook in the third round while defending his super middleweight title.

But Berlanga quickly got back on his feet and survived the onslaught in a 12-round bout.

Alvarez has now gone six fights without a knockout. The last one came in 2021 against Caleb Plant, who Alvarez stopped by TKO in the 11th round.

Saturday’s fight was billed as the latest chapter in the boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico with Alvarez matched up against Berlanga, a native New Yorker whose parents are from Puerto Rico.

“I could’ve did a lot more. But I was in there with a legend, man,” Berlanga said.

Alvarez, 34, improved to 62-2-2. Berlanga, 27, fell to 22-1.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.