MMA Fighting has Canelo vs. Saunders results live for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders fight card at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday night.
When the main event begins, around 11 p.m. ET, check out our Canelo vs. Saunders live blog for round-by-round updates. Prior to the main event, we’ll have live updates and results on all the undercard fights below.
Check out the Canelo vs. Saunders undercard live blog for the pay-per-view portion that begins at 8 p.m. ET.
Main Event
Canelo Alvarez Knocks Out Billy Joe Saunders | Round-by-round updates
Early undercard action
Marc Castro def. Irving Macias Castillo via fourth-round TKO (2:04)
Keyshawn Davis def. Jose Antonio Meza via unanimous decision (60-54 x3)
Christian Alan Gomez Duran def. Xavier Wilson via second-round TKO (2:19)
Kelvin Davis def. Jan Marsalek via unanimous decision (38-37 x3)
Main card
Frank Sanchez vs. Nagy Aguilera
Round 1: Sanchez jabs to the body and scores with a right cross. Big right hand lands for Sanchez, Aguilera is cornered. Aguilera jabs his way off of the ropes. Right hand glances off of Aguilera’s shoulder. Exchange of jabs. Aguilera bounces a counter right off Sanchez’s forehead. Sanchez getting busy with the jab. Not much output from Aguilera, but he’s staying out of danger.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Sanchez.
Round 2: Aguilera hits a right to the body from distance. Sanchez keeping that jab in Aguilera’s face. Both fighters flashing their jabs. Sanchez continues to walk Aguilera down. Aguilera clinches up with Sanchez. Sanchez is catching Aguilera in close. Aguilera can’t avoid the jab. Sanchez closes the round with an overhand right that catches the side of Aguilera’s head.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Sanchez. Overall, 20-18 Sanchez.
Round 3: Sanchez rifling that jab in. Looping overhand right by Sanchez, Aguilera claims that it hit him at the back of his head. Referee tells them to keep fighting, Sanchez blasts Aguilera with a couple of good punches. Aguilera comes out firing, visibly frustrated. He’s coming forward now for the first time in this fight. Sanchez clinching and countering well. Aguilera again complains about a right hand hitting the back of his head. Dirty boxing from Aguilera in the clinch.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Sanchez. Overall, 30-27 Sanchez.
Round 4: Aguilera staying aggressive. Sanchez’s right hand is getting around Aguilera’s guard. He lands a hard one on the top of Aguilera’s head, Aguilera smiling his way through it. Clean jab catches an advancing Aguilera. Off of a break, Aguilera scores with a good jab. Sanchez with a counter right along the ropes. Check left hook lands for Sanchez, then a straight left. Aguilera keeping his gloves high as Sanchez ups the output.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Sanchez. Overall, 40-36 Sanchez.
Round 5: Sanchez goes to the body with a couple of right hands, he’s targeted the head for the most part in this fight. Aguilera sneaks in a left hand up top. Sanchez throws the right and the ref gives him a reminder to avoid the back of the head. Right hand by Sanchez, he blocks an Aguilera counter. Aguilera scores with the jab. He backs up to the ropes and takes a jab from Sanchez. Aguilera keeps ducking in and tying up Sanchez. Sanchez keeping Aguilera right at the end of that jab. Good flurry by Sanchez before the bell.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Sanchez. Overall, 50-45 Sanchez.
Round 6: Aguilera starts off another round with aggression, but Sanchez just takes his time getting out of the way. Sanchez slips a right and lands with his own. Sanchez gets the better of a jab exchange. Body-head combo for Sanchez. Another overhand right lands and Aguilera complains about a back-of-the-head shot before stumbling to the ropes and dropping to the mat. He tries to stand and stumbles. Aguilera is laying on his back and shouting as a physician checks on him. The replay seems to show that the punch was more of a grazing shot. The crowd jeers at the replay. He’s back up, but still holding the back of his head and still protesting where Sanchez has been locating his punches. It looks like the fight is being called off, the referee indicates to the judges to score the round up until the pause in action. Aguilera letting everybody have it.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Sanchez. Overall, 60-54 Sanchez.
Official result: Frank Sanchez def. Nagy Aguilera via technical decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
Kieron Conway vs. Souleymane Cissokho
Round 1: Conway slips in a jab to start the fight. Cissokho answers with a quick combination. Right hand gets through for Cissokho. Cissokho to the body. He’s showing fast hands. Cissokho sticking jabs to the body. Conway hasn’t found the range. Body-body-head-head finish for Cissokho.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho.
Round 2: Cissokho mixing up his attacks well. Conway not opening up. Cissokho wins an exchange with a straight right. Cissokho softening up the defenses with his jab. Conway starting to fire back with his left. Conway lands a good jab. He makes Cissokho miss and scores twice to the body. Cissokho staying busy. Jab by Cissokho, Conway misses with an uppercut. Cissokho getting in and out. Left hook for Conway near the close of the round.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 20-18 Cissokho.
Round 3: Cissokho again makes Conway miss as he goes body-head. Solid right from Cissokho lands as Conway wanders into range. Cissokho maintaining distance with his jab. Cissokho in for an exchange, he scores, but Conway hits him with a left. Jab to the body for Cissokho. Conway throwing the jab out now. High-low combo for Cissokho. He hits a right as the round comes to a close.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 30-27 Cissokho.
Round 4: Cissokho’s jab is a problem. He’s firing at will to the head and body. Conway swinging wild. Cissokho is leading the dance in the fourth, making Conway chase him. Cissokho just sticking with the jab and it’s working. He has the right hand of Conway scouted. Or at least he did before getting hit with one near the end of the round. Cissokho goes to the body with a couple of good punches.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 40-36 Cissokho.
Round 5: Conway lands a solid right hand. Cissokho looking to circle now and land his jab. Conway ducks into a straight right. Cissokho racking up points with his body work. Counter right by Cissokho and he dodges back into the center of the ring. Jab pops Conway’s head back. Conway with few answers in the fifth.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 50-45 Cissokho.
Round 6: Conway trying to get his own jab going. He can’t get the better of the jab battle against the rangy Cissokho though. 1-2 lands for Cissokho, then a right down the middle. Constant movement from Cissokho. He hits another Cissokho. Conway can’t cut him off and Cissokho easily rotates off of the ropes. Cissokho puts on the pressure as Conway lands a glancing uppercut to the body.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 60-54 Cissokho.
Round 7: Conway advancing with urgency. He throws, but Cissokho is nowhere to be found. Cissokho gets back into his preferred range and snipes Conway with the jab. Cissokho gets the better of a couple of quick exchanges. Conway catches Cissokho clean doubling up on his jab. Cissokho responds with a combination. Right hand for Conway lands. 1-1-2 by Conway to close the round.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Conway. Overall, 69-64 Cissokho.
Round 8: Conway pressuring. Cissokho as fast as ever, he throws a quick shot to the body. Conway with the jab now. Cissokho misses with an uppercut, Conway lands a good counter. Conway chases Cissokho to the ropes, Cissokho counters and cranks up his offense. Conway slowing down near the end of round eight.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 79-73 Cissokho.
Round 9: Conway goes to the body and fires a couple of uppercuts. It looks like one of them got through, Cissokho crumples to his knees. Standing 10-count and he makes it back up. It’s unclear if the punch may have also caught his eye. Conway not letting up as the action resumes, he’s hunting for the finish now and he flurries with power punches. Conway just eats a couple of jabs right on the chin. Cissokho to the body, Conway throws answers with a couple of hooks to Cissokho’s body. We’ll go to the 10th round after that scare for Cissokho.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-8, Conway. Overall, 87-83 Cissokho.
Round 10: Cissokho back to controlling the range. Conway jabs his way in. Cissokho to the body, Conway clips him with a left hook. Cissokho sticking to the body, then he lands a jab up top. Cissokho with an uppercut and he blasts Conway with a lightning right. Jab for Conway. Cissokho running away with this round.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Cissokho. Overall, 97-92 Cissokho.
Official result: Souleymane Cissokho def. Kieron Conway via split decision (92-97, 96-93, 95-94)
Elwin Soto vs. Katsunari Takayama
Round 1: Fast start with Takayama circling, Soto backs him up with a left hook. Takayama going to the body early. Soto busier in the first minute. Soto goes head-body. 1-2 by Soto rocks Takayama. Soto advances, but not carelessly. Takayama appears to have recovered. He’s sticking and moving with his jab. Soto keeping his defense tight as Takayama attacks the body. Soto head-hunting. He lands another rapid 1-2 to the head. Right hand for Soto. Takayama is eating those rights. Big punches by Soto have Takayama stumbling to close the round, but he makes it out of there.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Soto.
Round 2: Soto with great head movement. Takayama only able to land pitter-patter shots to the body. Hard left hook backs Takayama up. Soto really hunting for that KO. Straight right hurts Takayama. Soto’s power has been too much for Takayama so far. Takayama rattles off punches to Soto’s body, but again is backed up by a power shot. Soto to the body now. Uppercuts from Soto. Takayama’s activity isn’t doing much to deter Soto. Soto with a left hook to the body as Takayama comes in. He bounces a right off Takayama’s head. Good right lands for Takayama. They trade body shots and Takayama pumps his jab into Soto’s face. A couple of hard rights at the end score for Soto. Entertaining scrap through two rounds!
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Soto. Overall, 20-18 Soto.
Round 3: Takayama trying to stick and move, but Soto is landing with accurate counters. Hard 1-2 by Soto lands. He rips a right hook to Takayama’s body. Takayama still staying busy, high output from him if nothing else. Loud body shot lands for Soto, then a left hook. Takayama sneaks in a right over the top. Soto with a couple of hard body punches. Takayama content to chip away at the body in close. Takayama makes Soto miss a couple of times and pokes way at his larger opponent.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Soto. Overall, 30-27 Soto.
Round 4: Takayama takes an overhand right from Soto. Takayama throwing a lot but, Soto blocking much of the offense. Left hook scores for Soto. Soto to the body now, he’s letting Takayama fire away and keeps connecting with a right hook. Takayama with an uppercut, non-stop pressure. Takayama landing some good shots now. Left hand counter by Soto. Takayama determined to score to the body.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Takayama. Overall, 39-37 Soto.
Round 5: Takayama starting to style a bit, he wants to throw Soto off of his game. Soto just keeping the gloves up and letting Takayama bounce punches off of them. Left hook for Soto, then a right land right on the button. Soto ramping it up in the fourth and he’s landing clean punches to Takayama’s chin. Soto rips the body. 1-2 to Takayama’s head. Left uppercut by Soto, then a right. Takayama is iron. Soto adding the jab to his attack now. Takayama as busy as ever, but huge deficit in power punches this round.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Soto. Overall, 49-46 Soto.
Round 6: Takayama with the fancy footwork. The crowd is into it and Soto chuckles. Takayama comes out firing in the sixth. Soto’s left hook keeps Takayama at bay again. Takayama eats a right. Soto with a check left hook. They trade body punches. Soto just landing that right hand every time he throws it. Combinations from Soto now. Takayama constantly pumping the jab. Takayama just pouring it on now, but he can’t get out of the way of Soto’s power. Soto clips him with an uppercut before the round bell.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Soto. Overall, 59-55 Soto.
Round 7: Takayama making this fight as scrappy as possible. Soto triples up on the jab. A right hand gets around Takayama’s defenses. A right, then a left back Takayama up, but only for a moment before he gets right back in there. Clean left hook for Soto. Right down the middle for Soto. Soto hits a left hook to the chin. Takayama sticking and moving, but he eats a right hand for his troubles. Takayama to the body once more.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Takayama. Overall, 68-65 Soto.
Round 8: Soto catching Takayama with the right when he comes in. Soto more evasive than in the past couple of rounds. They trade jabs. Body-head combo on point for Soto. Soto with the counter jabs. Soto matching Takayama’s pace in the eighth. Takayama swinging wild as he eats jabs. Takayama continues to pepper the body, then hits an overhand right. Soto with head movement and a sharp left.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Soto. Overall, 78-74 Soto.
Round 9: Takayama definitely throwing with a little less discipline to begin the ninth. Soto content to counter, not falling for Takayama’s feints and tricks. Soto bounces a couple of hooks off of Takayama’s head. Left hook on the chin for Soto. Takayama to the body, Soto answers with the 1-2. They are just throwing in the pocket, Takayama focusing on the body, Soto with counters to the head. Another left hook lands on Takayama’s chin. Takayama just absorbs the damage as he marches forward with body punches. Out of nowhere, the referee stops the fight! Whaaaaaat???
Takayama takes the center of the ring and the crowd roars as he starts shadowboxing. He was taking a lot of hits in that round, but no more so than in the others. Strange stoppage, for sure.
Official result: Elwin Soto def. Katsunari Takayama via TKO (referee stoppage) at 2:44 of Round 9
