LAS VEGAS — When he decided to move up permanently to 168 pounds, Canelo Alvarez had the goal of becoming the undisputed super-middleweight champion. The only thing standing in his way of accomplishing the historic feat was IBF titlist Caleb Plant.
It took a little longer than some expected,, but Canelo battered Plant for the bulk of the fight before dropping him early in the 11th round and then putting him away for good with his ferocious power to stop the native of Tennessee at the 1:05 mark of the round to become the first-ever fighter in the four-belt era to become the undisputed champion. Also, Canelo became the first Mexican fighter to accomplish the feat. DAZN News had it scored 98-92 Canelo at the time of the stoppage.
"It hasn’t been easy to get to this point," Canelo said in his post-fight interview about achieving his goal.
Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) tried to establish the jab at the outset to keep Canelo at a distance so he couldn't come in on the inside. It took Canelo a couple of rounds to figure Plant out and the 31-year-old took control from there.
He exemplified why he's unquestionably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. He mixed up by digging one hard body shot in after another, threw an occasional jab and connecting power shots upstairs.
The punishment took its toll on Plant as the championship rounds were approaching as he was sitting on his stool in between rounds while Canelo stood up and garnered instructions from head trainer Eddy Reynoso.
Going into the 11th round, Plant had no answers to the punishment Canelo was dishing out and was only looking to survive at that point.
A three-punch combination to the body took an effect on Plant as he looked hurt. That slightest bit of weakness showed Canelo the time was now to close the show and send the raucous sellout crowd of 16,586 people inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena home with something to remember.
A left hook wobbled Plant and then a vicious right and left uppercut sent Plant to the canvas for the first time in his career. Plant walked it off by going to his corner and appeared to regain his bearings. Canelo smelled blood in the water. He missed a left hook but he didn't miss with a straight right. The Mexican star followed it up with a left and a straight right to the body to send Plant down one last time. The crowd erupted in jubilation as Canelo ran to the ropes to celebrate.
“Caleb is a good fighter," Canelo said. "I have a lot of respect for Caleb Plant. He was a difficult opponent with a lot of ability and I do respect him. We are both men at the end of the day. He wanted to fight me and still continue. I told him there’s no shame. We had a great fight tonight.
“He was making the fight pretty difficult, but Eddy told me to just stick to the gameplan in the last two rounds. In the end, I got him. That’s the way it had to finish. He was already hurt and I went for the kill.”
Here is what happened at Canelo vs. Plant.
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.