Saul Alvarez stops Jose Miguel Cotto in 9th

LAS VEGAS - Touted as the next great Mexican welterweight, Saul Alvarez didn't disappoint anyone.

Alvarez (32-0-1, 24 KOs) scored a 9th-round TKO over Jose Miguel Cotto (31-2-1, 23 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout. For anyone asking the obvious question, yes, Cotto is the brother of Miguel Cotto.

The fight was stopped at the 2:51 mark of the ninth round.

"It was just a matter of time," Alvarez said.

Alvarez peppered Cotto with straight rights all night. He scored a knockdown late in the second round. In defense of Cotto, he showed he had a decent chin. Alvarez' knockdown wasn't a devastating one as Cotto bounced right back up to receive the standing eight count.

Punchstat numbers back up Alvarez' victory. He landed 194 power shots, compared to just 91 for Cotto. The ninth round was a real show for Alvarez as he connected on 38 of 62 power shots thrown.

"This is the first time Cotto has been stopped because he's never faced anyone as tough as me," said Alvarez.

Alvarez showed a decent chin of his own as Cotto nailed him with several straight rights. Many of those shots came in the first round, but Alvarez shook it off.

"The first round was a little scare, but I gained my confidence as the rounds went on," Alvarez said.