In the aftermath of the bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao's fight, which was hyped as the "Fight of the Century," both pundits and fans all but wrote the epitaph on boxing as a sport. But Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland promised the kind of action that would lure fans' attention back in.

And that's exactly what they did, with an action-packed fight that seemed to explode right after the bell rang. Kirkland immediately bull-rushed Alvarez, and the punches were aplenty from the get-go. Alvarez would show his superior boxing skills when he knocked out Kirkland in the third round via devastating fashion, taking away the bad taste left in the mouths of those who witnessed the lackluster bout last May the 2nd.

"I believe we witnessed Haglaer-Hearns all over again. It was action packed, it was dramatic, and I believe Kirkland had Canelo a bit tired and maybe a bit shaken up," said Alvarez's promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

As noted by fight scribe Kevin Iole, Kirkland (32-1 with 28 knockouts) came into the fight renowned as one of the most aggressive and exciting boxers in the world. He showed that he needed to work on his defense, though, as Alvarez connected at a spectacular rate"”36-63 power shots in the first round, 27-49 in the second, and 16-20 in the third when he finally finished the job.

"I knew James was a strong fighter, but he did surprise me with his aggressiveness in the first and second rounds," Alvare said.

His promoter, though, knew what his fighter would be able to bring.

"I was not surprised because I did see him in the gym and I witnessed him sparring. I was shocked by what I saw. I saw him grow into his man strength. He's a complete fighter. He can box, he can fight, and he's a complete fighter," De La Hoya said.

Adding, "Last week was the past," referring to the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. "Tonight, we witnessed the future."