Alvarez vs. Lopez: Canelo's Dominance Proves He Is Future of Boxing

By dominating Josesito Lopez on Saturday night,  Saul "Canelo" Alvarez proved what many had already felt: He is on the fast track to being the world's best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.

Alvarez, who successfully defended his WBC light middleweight title for the fifth time, sent Lopez to the canvas three times in the first four rounds, and he landed some nice shots in the fifth, which led to the ref stopping the fight. 

Alvarez's (41-0-1, 30 KOs) opponent was not an elite fighter by any stretch of the imagination, but Lopez (30-5) is coming off of an upset victory over Victor Ortiz in which he broke Ortiz's jaw.

Obviously, Lopez brought experience and power to this fight, but it made perfect sense that Canelo was a big favorite. 

Still, given his status as the overwhelming favorite, Alvarez's performance was impressive. he landed 52 percent of his 269 total punches. That included 64 percent of his 162 power shots.

Lopez, who is not going to be blamed for not trying, was actually the busier fighter. He was just a lot less efficient as he connected on just 32 percent of his punches.

Alvarez was not fazed in this fight. He stuck on his game plan and showed good footwork, fabulous defense and a deep arsenal of punches, and there is certainly no doubting his power. 

Canelo, 22, earned his first knockout in this fight by left hooks to the body. 

Canelo has a ways to go before he starts getting props for the title of pound-for-pound best over Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, but his time is coming, and it might be coming soon. 

Alvarez has more than proven he has the talent to earn a fight with either of the two legends, and he is starting to prove his drawing power. He was the big reason the MGM Grand Garden was sold out for this card despite the fact that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez were fighting on the same night and in the same area. 

Either with the inevitable retirement of Mayweather or Pacquiao, or Canelo straight up beating them, it is only a matter of time before Alvarez is the king of boxing.