November 07, (THEWILL) – In front of a sellout crowd at the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) became the division’s first undisputed super middleweight champion, defeating Caleb Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) by 11th-round TKO.
Plant was pummelled throughout the bout, with Alvarez repeatedly walking him down and loading up on his big blows. He eventually succumbed to the cumulative damage.
Midway through the 11th round, Alvarez scored a knockdown with a right uppercut, and after a brief comeback by Plant, he finished the fight with a devastating assault of blows near the ropes.
With the victory, Alvarez added the IBF world title to the WBC, WBO, and WBA titles he held prior to the bout. He has won world titles in several weight classes, but this is the first time he has held all four belts in a single division.
It was such an impressive outcome that after the bout, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao congratulated Alvarez on his historic victory over Twitter:
“Congratulations to the pound for pound king, @canelo, on making boxing history as the first undisputed super middleweight champion ever. Plant put up a great fight but Canelo is just too good. Boxing is in great hands.”
Plant relied on his footwork and hand speed to be effective, whereas Alvarez made it his goal to gain control with his pressure and power.
Alvarez did a good job of cutting off the ring and trapping Plant on the ropes early on, neutralising his length and making it difficult for him to produce a hard jab. Alvarez was clearly the superior fighter when fighting at close range.
Plant, on the other hand, was not completely powerless. He made it look easy getting out of tight places, and his speed helped him keep the battle in the ring. In the fourth round, Alvarez hit him with numerous powerful shots, but Plant was able to absorb them.
The 29-year-old hit possibly his finest combo of the night halfway through the fifth, briefly forcing Alvarez to back off from the ring’s centre. After firing those shots, Alvarez quickly recovered. He was convinced that his chin, which had seen him fight the likes of Sergey Kovalev and Gennadiy Golovkin, could take whatever Plant threw at him.
“Canelo” strolled through the seventh and eighth rounds, pounding Plant’s torso with his lead left hand. Plant had some deft defensive techniques and was able to absorb the strikes nicely, but his punches lacked bite. His speed remained a powerful weapon, and he was able to tag his 31-year-old opponent a few times when his technique deteriorated.
Alvarez’s tenacity and determination eventually triumphed. Plant’s energy was depleted by the body punches, and his deft defensive strategies vanished. That provided Alvarez the opportunity to finish the bout in spectacular fashion, proving once again that he is deserving of the title of “No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
