Saturday afternoon saw Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) defeat Christian Mbilli (29-1-1, 24 KOs) by unanimous decision over 12 rounds. For all the talk of Canelo being washed after his dismantling at the hands of Terence “Bud” Crawford last year, Canelo looked quick, efficient, and energized on both offense and defense from beginning to end.

Some major differences in his performance included a low lead hand stance as his primary, with the high guard as a secondary; a return to the head movement that was once touted as among the best in boxing; and the most consistent and effective jab we’ve seen from him in close to a decade. He also threw a hell of a lot of feints and changed up the velocity of his punches rather than throwing everything hard as he has tended to do. This not only helped him conserve energy, but it also deterred Mbilli’s aggressiveness. In a fight that many expected to be a war, Canelo focused on pure boxing and high-level defense to slow the action down and prevent Mbilli from launching an all-out attack in the pocket.

In the early rounds, Canelo played a little rope-a-dope, laying against the ropes while slipping, ducking, and blocking the younger fighter’s shots. When the action made its way back to the center of the ring, Canelo popped Mbilli with sharp, well-timed jabs at mid-range. After four rounds, Mbilli had slowed enough for Canelo to begin finding big, clean counters in exchanges. Six rounds in, Canelo started circling more rather than going to the ropes. At times, he would touch the ropes with his back to bait Mbilli in, and then flurry with rapid combinations as Mbilli stepped in thinking Canelo was going back on defense.

From the seventh round on, it was a basic boxing clinic, with Canelo showing that he can still box his ass off when he isn’t in love with his power. The eleventh and twelfth rounds were competitive as Mbilli tried to finish strong, yet Canelo consistently landed the bigger, cleaner shots, even wobbling Mbilli toward the close of round 12.

Mbilli simply was never able to mount a consistent attack because Canelo had an answer for everything he attempted. Against Terence Crawford, Canelo simply sought to overpower what he perceived as a naturally smaller man, but Crawford was able to blunt everything coming from Canelo with sophisticated defense and control at midrange. When Canelo went back to the drawing board with his team, he must have been kicking himself for never attempting to establish the jab, failing to use his head movement, and allowing Crawford to maintain foot control all night.

When Mayweather dominated Canelo over 12 rounds with superior defense and intelligent punch selection, the takeaway was that brute force isn’t enough to topple the fighters at the top. Somewhere during his 168 lb undisputed run, he lost sight of that and locked into a seek-and-destroy mindset. It seems like the Crawford loss may have initiated a similar reboot, which could carry Canelo into a final run at undisputed before retirement.

One point of concern Saturday night took place outside of the ring, with the commentary team missing as much as Christian Mbilli was. Notably, Todd Grisham seemed intent on dragging Canelo. At one point, he implied that Canelo got the benefit of the doubt against Daniel Jacobs, which was actually a clear and decisive win for Canelo. He also mentioned a fight between Canelo and Derevyanchenko, which does not exist. In the opening rounds, when Mbilli would miss six or seven punch combinations, the commentary team would praise the guy who missed rather than the guy who made him miss.

In round eight, after multiple fouls, when Mbilli drove a palm into the back of Canelo’s head, the referee separated the two and walked Mbilli to the center of the ring. He clearly had Mbilli’s glove in hand, preparing to take a point, when Canelo tapped his shoulder to complain about the fouls as fighters often do. When the referee proceeded to dock the point, Grisham erupted into an accusation that Canelo had forced the referee to penalize Mbilli. The ref was clearly already preparing to take the point, but furthermore, Canelo has zero power to force a referee’s hand. What Canelo apparently stated was that if he was fouled again, he would kick his opponent. He didn’t use his name or influence to sway any decision-making; he simply made a statement out of anger.

Of course, many viewers who aren’t familiar with the intricacies of the sport rely on the commentary team to provide an accurate analysis of the fight. Much of the post-fight narrative following Saturday’s bout has been centered around the perception that Canelo had the referee in his pocket and that the fight was a robbery, simply because the commentators seemed to favor ineffective aggression over defensive prowess.

Outside of whatever bias he has against Alvarez, there wasn’t much technical analysis from Grisham. Sergio Mora, though he has experience as a fighter and sometimes points out strategies or techniques, is often unable to articulate what he sees clearly. Grisham frequently views fights as a casual fan might: “Throw punches = good. Not throw punches = bad. Move forward = good. Block punches = getting hit.” DAZN would do well to bring on an individual who truly understands the nuances of the sport and can convey them effectively to the common fan.

One thing that hasn’t been prevalent in the aftermath of the fight is anyone accusing Canelo of “running,” even though he more or less did to Mbilli what Crawford did to him. People who accuse boxers of running because they do not sit and slug it out at close range are generally uninformed or unwilling to give credit to certain styles of fighters like Crawford, Foster, or Mayweather. Canelo rarely sat still for exchanges, yet he is (rightfully) being praised for his high defensive IQ. Now, what could that double standard possibly be about?

So, what impressions did Saturday’s main event leave on us?

First, Canelo didn’t learn any new tricks; he simply brushed the dust off his old tool bag and returned to the basics. The jab was tweaked, but overall, the head movement, feints, and punch variety are elements fans have been asking him to bring back for years.

Secondly, DAZN needs to step up its commentary game. The broadcast should accommodate the casual viewer while remaining educated and informed enough for die-hard boxing fans. You simply cannot skimp on commentator quality at this level of production.

Lastly, Canelo’s future. Alvarez remains a polarizing figure. But love him or hate him, it is hard to deny that he has been boxing’s biggest star since Mayweather retired. What might his plans be moving forward, and how will the boxing world react? Given the promotional tagline of “Return of the King,” it seems reasonable to assume he will once again seek to become the undisputed champion of the 168 lb division before retiring. Ideally, he would collect all the belts and gain one more signature victory, though that is a steep path for a 36-year-old.

Wherever the future leads him, he has carried the sport at several key points in his career. He is a reminder that greatness and perfection are not one and the same, and are often at odds. Steadfast determination and a true, honest love for boxing have defined Canelo’s persona inside and outside the ring. Despite falling short against generational greats, he remains an example of how passionate dedication to a dream can endure long after achieving everything you set out for.