Canelo vs Plant LIVE: Result and latest reaction to undisputed world title fight
The Mexican finished the fight in the 11th round to become the sport’s first undisputed world super-middleweight champion
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Canelo Alvarez became the first undisputed four-belt super middleweight world champion in boxing history Saturday night, stopping Caleb Plant in the 11th round with two dramatic knockdowns.
Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) added Plant’s IBF title to his own WBC, WBA and WBO belts with a steady tactical performance culminating in a brilliant display of his vaunted power to finish the previously unbeaten Plant at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The Mexican superstar generally recognized as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world became the sixth man to be a four-belt champion, and he joined junior welterweight Josh Taylor as the only current undisputed champs of their weight class.
After stopping three of his previous four opponents, Alvarez had to grind through a difficult matchup with the tenacious Plant (21-1), who usually moved backward and worked behind his jab to stay away from Canelo‘s power.
Alvarez remained persistent and racked up a volume of quality punches — and in the opening seconds of the 11th round, he sent Plant crashing to the canvas with a vicious combination followed by an uppercut while Plant tried to duck away.
Plant got up unsteadily, and Alvarez dropped him again with two big right hands, forcing referee Russell Mora to end it.
Plant is a sturdy champion and an inspirational athlete who overcame numerous personal tragedies to earn a shot at the pound-for-pound champ, but the Tennessee native found out just how big the gap remains between Canelo and his contemporaries.
Alvarez is the first Mexican fighter to reign undisputed atop a division, and every flag-waving fan in the vehemently pro-Canelo sellout crowd of 16,586 seemed aware of the achievement. The champion, a Guadalajara native, spoke frequently before the fight of his determination to achieve the feat both for himself and for Mexico.
Alvarez extended the most successful active career in boxing with his eighth consecutive victory in just over three years. He hasn’t lost in 16 fights since dropping a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather in 2013, with only a draw against Gennady Golovkin blemishing his record.
Alvarez and Plant had no personal animus until September, when Alvarez took offense to an insult from Plant during a news conference in Beverly Hills to promote the bout. Alvarez and Plant briefly scrapped, leaving Plant with a cut on his face and a new avenue of motivation.
Plant opened the biggest bout of his career with a solid game plan, tapping Alvarez with a solid jab and moving away from his opponent’s superior power, frequently using a shoulder roll to avoid trouble. Alvarez steadily walked down Plant and did damage in the fourth, backing him against the ropes and letting combinations fly.
Alvarez showed little fear of Plant’s punches, and he got even less heedful as the bout progressed. Alvarez gradually landed more effectively in the middle rounds, moving Plant backward and even daring the cautious Plant to hit him in the seventh.
Boxing gets frequent, deserved criticism as an institution for the promoter rivalries and fractious sanctioning bodies that prevent the best fighters from meeting each other far too often. But Alvarez used his star power to join an elite club by winning all four major belts.
Only five men had ever achieved four-belt undisputed champion status since the feat became possible with the WBO’s advent: middleweights Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor, junior welterweights Terence Crawford and Taylor, and cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk.
Taylor achieved the feat in May by beating Jose Ramirez. His first simultaneous defense of all four belts is scheduled for February in Glasgow against Jack Catterall.
In the co-main event, super middleweight veteran Anthony Dirrell earned his first win in nearly three years by stopping Marcos Hernandez in the opening moments of the fourth round with a vicious uppercut. The 37-year-old Dirrell celebrated with a standing backflip.
Calzaghe: ‘I’d have beaten Canelo!'
“He’s improving all the time, one thing i’m really surprised with, I thought he’d struggle at super-middleweight, but he seems to be improving,” the Welshman told BT Sport Box Office.
“The punching power, I just hope Plant can raise his game.
“Of course I could have beaten him, I’d have loved to have had that fight.
“He beat me to unifying with all four belts.”
Canelo vs Plant predictions
Here are some predictions for the big fight from Devin Haney, Oscar Valdez, Paulie Malignaggi, Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor and Eddie Hearn.
Sure, a few of these names are publicly in either fighter’s camp, but gather these views ahead of the fight with a pinch of salt.
Canelo vs Plant expected to go off on time
Tonight is a big night for fights in general, but don’t expect a super late night as Canelo waits for Usman vs Covington to conclude at UFC 268 - as was the case when Canelo fought Kovalev.
With Las Vegas currently seven hours behind the UK, we can expect the main event to start any time after 4am...
Mike Tyson predicts dominant Canelo win over Plant
“Caleb Plant ain’t lasting the distance,” said Tyson on his podcast Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.
“He’s going to get clocked. He’s going to get so f****d up. With two human beings, anything is possible, but I think this guy [Canelo] is going to f*****g kill him.
“He’s your friend? You’re going to his funeral. Wait ‘till Alvarez starts hitting that motherf*****g body.”
Plant relishing ‘underdog’ status against Canelo
“The oddsmakers can have me as an underdog. I’ve been an underdog my whole life, and I’ve been proving them wrong my whole life. Those are just numbers. They’ve been wrong before and they’re wrong now,” Plant said.
“I’m going to be right in his face. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder, but that’s something I’ve carried with me my whole life. That’s I’m here. I like being the underdog, I like being here. I like people booing and I like people rooting against me.”
STEVE BUNCE: Canelo and Plant walk the hard road to the bright lights of Las Vegas
In Las Vegas the neon greets the people with pictures of lobsters the size of lambs, magicians with plastic faces and fighters with lightning eyes.
This Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the now sacred green fighting beast on the Strip, two men from a very different world to the Las Vegas one they dominate, will fight and share a hundred million dollars.
Caleb Plant is from central Tennessee and started to fight in a ring without ropes, dancing and dreaming on a bare floor with taped lines for the imaginary square. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fought to survive his Mexican childhood, to avoid hawking tissues on filthy busses and turned professional at just 15. And, yes, they always dreamed of the bright-light city.
Plant bio and record
- Nationality: American
- Born: July 8, 1992
- Height: 6’1”
- Reach: 74”
- Total Fights: 21
- Record: 21-0 (12 KOs)
Canelo record and bio
- Nationality: Mexican
- Date of Birth: July 18, 1990
- Height: 5’8”
- Reach: 70.5”
- Total Fights: 59
- Record: 56-1-2 (38 KOs)
Eddie Hearn: Canelo Alvarez will stop Caleb Plant inside nine rounds
Eddie Hearn has claimed that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will stop Caleb Plant inside nine rounds when the rivals go head-to-head this Saturday.
Canelo puts his WBA, WBC and WBO titles on the line, while Plant’s IBF belt is up for grabs in the super middleweight unification bout.
The build-up between the two has become personal in recent weeks, with undefeated American Plant mentioning the 2018 incident in which his Mexican opponent tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol.
Canelo Alvarez will stop Caleb Plant inside nine rounds, Eddie Hearn claims
‘He says inside eight, I just give myself one more just in case’
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments