Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez warned Gennady Golovkin that he didn't fear him after knocking out Liverpool's Liam Smith to win the WBO light-middleweight title in Texas last night.
Mexico's Alvarez claimed his 28-year-old opponent's crown in the ninth round at the AT&T Stadium, Smith failing to beat the count after being dumped to the canvas by a fierce body shot.
Smith was previously unbeaten and had won his last eight fights by knockout - but that record went in his third defence of his title.
Alvarez looked the sharper of the two from the start and although Smith produced a tidy combination with his opponent on the ropes in the fifth, the Briton's prospects were not enhanced by a cut above his right eye.
Smith was in trouble in the second minute of the seventh round when he was dumped to the canvas by two right hooks from the Mexican - and the Briton finished the round on the back foot.
The contest ended two rounds later when Alvarez followed a left hook to the head with a crunching blow into Smith's ribs which sent the Briton to the canvas.
A delighted Alvarez told the crowd: "I told you I would give you a good fight and win the title.
"In the second round I hurt my right hand, so I had to use my left more. I thought he was very strong at the beginning and felt I had to put the body work in.
"You get great fights when matches fit well - I'm a counter-puncher and I very much enjoyed this fight."
The Mexican is now expected to press for a long-awaited fight with WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight champion Golovkin, and he hit back at suggestions he was avoiding the Kazakh.
"About a month ago, we offered him [Golovkin] twice or three times as much to make the fight. I didn't want to say anything because I respect my rivals. He didn't want to accept," said Alvarez.
"I fear no one. I was born for this and even though many people may not like it, I'm the best fighter now...we're ready for him.
"I'm 26 years old and I'm the best at this time, long live Mexico."
Golovkin responded on Instgram by accusing Alvarez of talking "nonsense".
After the defeat, in front of a crowd of more than 51,000, a bloodied Smith said: "My timing was just so off."
"I was slow and had no timing to even make him think twice. He caught the body shots well."
