Canelo Alvarez goes on a rampage in a punishing victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Canelo Alvarez elevated himself to the pride of Mexico and the face of boxing Saturday in a thorough destruction of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Relying on the benefits of his intense training and flashing the machismo the sport’s most passionate fans thirst for, Alvarez delivered an onslaught of heavy punches to the son of his boxing hero, then announced he was taking on unbeaten three-belt middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 16.

“Golovkin, you are next, where are you?� Alvarez said, his wish granted as Golovkin entered the ring, with both men agreeing the coming bout would be the greatest challenge for each in their careers.

Chavez Jr. was not that, losing every round as judges awarded Alvarez 120-108 scores on all three scorecards.

With 20,510 watching at T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez (49-1-1) left no question who stands as Mexican boxing king, leaving Chavez (50-3-1) black and blue under both eyes and unwilling to exchange with a fighter who clearly outclassed him in skill.

In the end, Alvarez simply held aloft the mighty right hand that inflicted so much damage, and was seconds later greeted by Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., the former three-division world champion who was visibly impressed, if not heartbroken, by the showing.

“Tonight, I showed I can move, I can box, I can do all those things,� Alvarez said after out-landing Chavez 228-71 in punches. “I showcased myself.�

At introduction, fans in the arena, sold out nine days after tickets went on sale, roared at Alvarez’s festive wearing of a Mexican poncho into the ring as all Las Vegas closed-circuit venues were also sold out by the time the pay-per-view card began.

Chavez, 31, was seeking to redeem himself from spotty showings since he stood as a middleweight champion in 2012.

It was clear the inattention had a heavy toll as Alvarez’s extreme focus in the interim turned the long-anticipated showdown into a blowout.

“It was the speed and distance,� Chavez said.

Alvarez opened the first by showing the speed and movement he intended to ride, snapping a crisp jab to Chavez’s forehead.

Alvarez’s sophistication shined in the second round with a combination to the gut and face and then he ratcheted his aggression in the third with hard shots to the face that bloodied Chavez’s nose.

The fourth widened the disparity to new expanses as Alvarez crushed Chavez with power punches that rocked the head of the legend’s son, adding insult to injury with jarring right uppercuts that overwhelmed Chavez landing his best right so far.

The harder punches finally caused the heavier Chavez to back up in the fifth round. Alvarez continued with a punch to the body, a clean jab and a straight punch to the nose.

After the sixth round, Chavez Sr. was barking desperate pleas toward his son’s corner to no avail as Alvarez went to a new tactic of coming off the ropes to blast his countryman as Chavez began swelling heavily under the left eye in the seventh round.

Alvarez didn’t bother to rest on his stool after the seventh round and again found Chavez with ease in the eighth, with pounding rights furthering the damage.

“I don’t rest in my sparring. I didn’t want to rest tonight,� he said.

Chavez also showed swelling under the right eye before the ninth round and Alvarez landed more effective blows while again standing in his corner, right in front of an inspecting Golovkin, as Chavez’s cut man worked diligently trying to patch damage that Alvarez took pleasure in worsening each round.

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