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
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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.
Canelo Alvarez insists Caleb Plant ‘better have a good chin’ after ‘crossing the line’
Canelo Alvarez says Caleb Plant will need a “good chin” on fight night as the rivals’ bout on 6 November has become personal.
Trash talk triggered an altercation at their press conference as Alvarez pushed Plant and punches were thrown after Plant called him a “m**********r”. Alvarez was also labelled a “drugs cheat” by his opponent.
The incident meant Plant “crossed a line”, according to Alvarez.
The Mexican has now said: “I hope he has a good chin because he’s going to need it on fight night. I’m always ready. I just can’t wait. I feel strong and fast.
Canelo Alvarez says Caleb Plant ‘better have a good chin’ after ‘crossing the line’
The build up to the fight has turned personal between the boxers
Carl Froch explains why he would have been ‘too much’ for Canelo Alvarez in his prime
Carl Froch believes he would have beaten Canelo Alvarez had the two ever fought in their prime.
Canelo is aiming to complete is collection of super middleweight belts in Las Vegas on Saturday when he takes on Caleb Plant, and will cement his legacy as undisputed champion and one of the all-time greats of the division. And Froch, himself a former super middleweight champion, says he would have “loved” to fight Canelo.
“Me in my prime at about 34, 35-years-old against Canelo Alvarez, I think I would have been too much for him,” Froch told Pro Boxing Fans. “I beat Lucian Bute in that obliteration and I had the rematch with [Mikkel] Kessler and then two [George] Groves fights, which I wasn’t fully motivated for the first Groves fight, but I was for the second. I was a mature, seasoned, professional world champion. I had suffered defeats, come back and won.
Canelo Alvarez vows to make ‘history’ against Caleb Plant in super middleweight showdown
Canelo Alvarez has vowed to make “history” by defeating Caleb Plant in their super middleweight showdown on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Mexican great is putting his WBA, WBC and WBO titles on the line with Plant’s IBF strap also up for grabs at the MGM Grand.
The winner will become the first undisputed champion in the division’s history.
Canelo, who saw off Billy Joe Saunders back in May, was in confident mood as he touched down in Vegas.
Canelo Alvarez vows to make ‘history’ against Caleb Plant in super middleweight clash
The Mexican great is putting his WBA, WBC and WBO titles on the line with Plant’s IBF strap also up for grabs
For Canelo Alvarez, ‘discipline’ is the only secret to success
Cliches in boxing are as old and worn as the blood-stained canvases on which they were first spoken, but even under the tawdry lights in Las Vegas, they still tend to shine true. Admittedly, when compared to the pantheon of Muhammad Ali quotes and the fictitious bible of Rocky Balboa, Canelo Alvarez’s “No Boxing, No Life” motto is distinctly and succinctly unremarkable, and yet that is somewhat fitting for the dominant superstar of this generation.
When Alvarez faces Caleb Plant in the early hours of Sunday morning at the MGM Grand – 16 years after turning professional and a decade since first becoming a world champion – it will mark another milestone in a career not just of immense success but astonishing longevity. After all, if only a precious few fighters will ever complete the ascent from a dingy gym to boxing’s peak, a far smaller proportion are able to sustain those heights. It’s only natural that, in a brutal sport that bears such grave risks, recognition and wealth should appease the fire that forged the path out of the wilderness.
What makes Alvarez so unique in the modern day is that, although boxing might have offered a form of protection from the bullies in Guadalajara, who taunted his ginger hair, freckles and fair skin, it was never an escape. There is an inclination to see the sport’s protagonists as young men seeking refuge, but the love Alvarez felt when he first stepped in a ring hasn’t diminished. He is one of the world’s wealthiest athletes, aligned with a fleet of designer brands and boasting a motorcade of luxury sportscars. And yet, since suffering the sole defeat of his career against Floyd Mayweather in 2014, he has beaten 14 different opponents and gleaned fragments of skill from each. The version of Alvarez who faces Plant will be the most refined, explosive and deadly the public has ever seen.
For Canelo Alvarez, ‘discipline’ is the only secret to success
Sixteen years after turning professional, Alvarez’s motivation remains undiminished. In a sport that drains the spirit – and even the health – from its competitors, that is the rarest feat
Truax gives Canelo vs Plant prediction
Caleb Truax, who once beat James DeGale and recently fought Caleb Plant in a points defeat in January, has offered up his own views on how the fight will unfold tonight.
Plant defended his IBF title against Truax in January, winning every single round on all three judges’ scorecards in Los Angeles, with the Minnesotan admitting the champion has one of the best jabs he has ever faced, which could be crucial tonight if an upset is to materialise.
Canelo vs Plant: Odds
- Canelo to win: 1/12
- Canelo to win on points: 9/4
- Canelo to win by knockout: 1/2
- Plant to win: 6/1
- Plant to win on points: 10/1
- Plant to win by knockout: 12/1
- Draw: 25/1
Canelo defends himself after Plant insults over PEDs
Canelo then replied: “Don’t make excuses before the fight,” before Plant added: “You’re a cheater. You got suspended for six months.”
Canelo wrapped up the war of words by saying: “Say whatever you say; I’ll see you 6 November.”
The pair then came face-to-face for the first time, with Alvarez pushing Plant away before the American swung a punch, which the Mexican slipped. Canelo then through a short punch of his own before they were pulled apart by security.
Plant riles Canelo over failed drugs test
Canelo and Plant dramatically swung punches at each other after the Mexican was labelled a “drug cheat” in a highly intense first face-off.
Plant said: “You’re going to find out the same time everybody else finds out. And you know when they found out? When it was too late. That’s when they found out, and that’s exactly when you’re going to find out.
“Mark my words, b***h. And you’re a b***h, too,” he then said as he directed his attention towards Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso.
Speaking to Canelo once more, he continued: “What the f*** are you going to do? F*** you. And you’re a drug cheat. So tell me something. Oscar Valdez tests positive for something and not get suspended for six months. But he [Canelo] get test positive for something and gets suspended for six months, and somehow he’s not a drug cheat?”
Canelo vs Plant ring walks: What time will fight start in UK?
Canelo Alvarez attempts to add yet another chapter to his legacy when he faces Caleb Plant in a rare four-belt unification in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Mexican, widely considered boxing’s best current fighter, enters the ring for the 60th time as a professional and is heavily favoured against his unbeaten opponent.
Canelo defeated Billy Joe Saunders in an acrimonious bout earlier this year, landing a vicious uppercut in the eighth round that broke the Briton’s orbital bone.
What time will Canelo Alvarez vs Caleb Plant start in UK?
What time is Canelo vs Plant tonight in the UK?
Canelo Alvarez explains why Caleb Plant fight is ‘personal’
Canelo Alvarez has insisted his upcoming fight with Caleb Plant has taken on a different edge because the American “crossed the line” with some of his comments ahead of Saturday’s bout.
Alvarez will put his WBC, WBA, and WBO titles on the line as the Mexican superstar aims to become the first undisputed champion in the super middleweight division.
But while the contest against IBF holder Plant is historic for those reasons, Alvarez has revealed it has become “personal” as well after the two rivals clashed at a heated press conference to announce the fight in September.
Canelo Alvarez explains why Caleb Plant fight is ‘personal’
The Mexican superstar has explained the heated build-up to Saturday’s clash, which will crown an undisputed super middleweight champion
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