Rene Alvarado shocks and stops Andrew Cancio

Rene Alvarado has lost eight fights in his career. One of them was to WBA super featherweight champion Andrew Cancio four years ago. Alvarado entered Saturday nights rematch with Cancio the underdog, something that Cancio is familiar with.

Alvarado (32-8, 21 KOs) exited the ring the new champion by stopping Cancio after seven rounds before a stunned crowd at Fantasy Springs Casino Resort in Indio, CA. Saturday night.

The fight started quickly. Alvarado found Cancio (21-5-2, 16 KOs) a number of shots in the opening stanza. He kept up aggressiveness and volume throughout. Cancio had wanted to box, but seemed resign to a firefight with Alvarado. Problem was he couldn’t slow down the new champion.

Cancio was bleeding from a cut near his left eye in round three. Alvarado was teeing off as Cancio countered with solid bodyshots. But he was taking three to land one. Alvarado, who entered the fight a 4-1 underdog, continued to pound Cancio in round seven. After the heat was over, referee Raul Caiz decided enough was enough and waved the fight off.

The loss was a stunning one for Cancio who had pulled his career out of the scrap heat by stopping heavily favored Andrew Machado twice in the span of six months.

New champion Alvarado was ecstatic.

“It’s a feeling very hard to describe,” said Alvarado. “It’s something I’ve wanted ever since I started my career. “It was a plan to start dominating from the very beginning of the fight. That was the plan, by Sergio Gonzalez my trainer and my corner including my brother, who’s also a world champion with me now.”

Cancio was reflective.

“We felt great throughout camp, and I just couldn’t get off. I fought a hell of a fight tonight. I was two steps behind him. There’s nothing I can say. He fought his fight tonight and he got his revenge in the rematch. I kept trying, but tonight was his night."