John Locher/Associated Press

Miguel Cotto (40-5) is no Floyd Mayweather Jr. At a ring-worn 35 years old, his best days are now cherished memories. But, as active boxing legends go, he isn't half bad.

His name, reputation and accomplishments carry weight. And 25-year-old Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (46-1-1) battered him from pillar to post Saturday night in Las Vegas to walk away with the WBC and Ring Magazine middleweight championships by unanimous decision (117-111, 119-109, 118-110).

"It's an emotion I just can't put into words," Alvarez said after the fight. "Much respect to Miguel Cotto. I will always admire him. He's a great champion. But now it's my era."

By the Numbers: Cotto vs. Canelo Fighter Punches Landed/Thrown Pct. Power Shots Landed/Thrown Pct. Miguel Cotto 129/629 21% 75/255 29% Canelo Alvarez 155/484 32% 118/298 40% Compubox

The Mexican superstar couldn't have asked for a better launching pad to catapult him into the American mainstream. The tense action kept the crowd's attention for 12 rounds, each man throwing punches like they meant it and not like they were part of a Broadway stage production. It never bordered on the kind of war many fans dreamed of, but it got the job done, as Yahoo's Kevin Iole explained:

The bout wasn’t the classic that many fans were hoping to see. Cotto primarily stuck with his jab and circled the ring, looking for openings and attempting to avoid the younger man’s power. Alvarez didn’t do a great job of cutting off the ring, and he threw far too few jabs, but he was the one all night landing the clean, hard blows.

For casual fans used to Mayweather's specific brand of nonviolent combat, it was likely a welcome sight. While Mayweather remains retired for the time being, his shadow hangs over the sport—a stain that will take some time to scrub out. His 2013 victory over Canelo lingers in the memory.

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

The usual pattern in boxing is simple—the young lion destroys the old lion and assumes his position at the head of the pack.

In the case of Mayweather-Alvarez, the old lion devoured his young rival and walked away into the sunset. As Canelo stakes his claim for boxing primacy, that's a hard image to forget. It means comparisons are inevitable. It means Canelo has to win the battle for hearts and minds.

Fights like this one are a good start. Not only did Canelo win, but he did so without taking a single backward step, either in the ring or after the bout when asked about the other fighter attempting to fill Mayweather's vacancy—Gennady "GGG" Golovkin.

"I'll put the gloves on right now and fight him," Canelo said. "I respect he's a great champion. I know him. He's a friend of mine. But right now I'll put the gloves on against him."

Reactions like that make you believe there's hope for the young champion, that he can grow into his role and make people forget Mayweather in time. Gone are the days when the best boxer in the world would spend years manufacturing reasons not to fight his top rival.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Recent history shows Canelo could get away with not fighting Golovkin. Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao both spent years as boxing attractions while steadfastly refusing to step into the ring against each other. Canelo is a different kind of fighter.

"He doesn't need GGG. But that's why he connects with boxing fans," HBO commentator Max Kellerman said after the fight. "It's not about what he needs. He wants to take risks. He wants to fight the best."

The true test of Canelo's ability to rule boxing will come in competition. And it will likely come against Golovkin in an as-yet unscheduled bout. Both want to be boxing's next kingpin. What better way to take the throne than to earn it the old fashioned way—in the ring.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.