But the most significant test in Alvarez's dominant run comes on Saturday when he puts his WBA (super), WBC, and WBO super-middleweight titles at stake against IBF titlist Caleb Plant from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with the winner becoming the first in the four-belt era to be called undisputed champion.
Not many are giving Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) much of a chance to win. According to BetMGM, the native of Tennessee is a 6-1 underdog to pull off the upset. The prevailing thought has been Plant has never fought under the most intense lights and possesses a weak caliber of opposition compared to Alvarez. However, there is a man who believes Plant can do the unthinkable and make history.
When he moved from South Dakota to Nashville, Justin Gamber met Plant and his father, Richie, and saw them at a gym run by Christy Halbert. The Plant's had come to the gym to give it a look and sat down with Gamber. Caleb and Gamber instantly connected, and the rest they say is history.
"The first thing I'll say is I've always been dedicated to boxing," Gamber tells DAZN News. "I’m a dedicated coach. I was in the gym every day, and Caleb and his dad were there. They've always been dedicated, worked hard, and knew they were in the gym every day. So just being around them every day, we just got closer and closer. Eventually, I started teaching. We called it a competitive, amateur, classic competitive class for competitive boxers, and Caleb started taking my class. His dad was still his coach at that time, but he took my class, and he won National Golden Gloves when he was taking that class.
"Caleb and his dad had a gym. Eventually (we) sat down, and they started coming to her gym. We just got closer, and eventually, we ended up working together, and here we are at the fight of our lives."
It's easy for a trainer to make a statement feeling like their guy is going to win. Of course, they should say that. You have to give your charge the confidence to succeed. But Gamber has been there for Plant through all of the ups and downs, most notably the tragic passing of Plant's daughter Alia and then the win over Jose Uzcategui to win the IBF belt in honor of her.
Listening to Gamber talk about Plant and the person he's become since they linked up in Nashville and the bond they share outside the gym makes him deep down inside of his soul that the 29-year-old Plant is going to be the one to knock Alvarez off the top of the proverbial mountain and become the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
"I believe in myself as a trainer," Gamber said. "I believe that I can do things in the corner that maybe some of the previous coaches couldn't or haven’t. Just the combination of everything we do, we win. When we've been together, he's never lost. I haven't lost in a long time as a coach since 2012 with Caleb and other fighters. (So) about 50 fights ago. We know how to win. We just need to be on top of our game on fight night on this one, and I believe in my heart that we will and leave with all the belts."
The Canelo vs. Plant fight will not air on DAZN. However, The DAZN Boxing Show will be in Las Vegas during fight week for live episodes, exclusive interviews and more.
Also, the DAZN News website will bring you all the live text updates and results from Canelo-Plant at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night.