In a remarkable career filled with accomplishments Canelo Alvarez topped himself on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The Mexican superstar, a four-division titleholder, knocked out Caleb Plant in the 11th round to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion and only the sixth undisputed champ in the four-title era.
In the process, he might’ve climbed higher on the list of all-time greats.
“It means so much in the history of Mexico to be undisputed champion,” he said. “We’re only six. I’m happy to be only one of six in the world.”
All hail the king 👑@Canelo TKO's Caleb Plant in the 11th round 😳#CaneloPlant pic.twitter.com/y5mXvWafr7
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) November 7, 2021
It wasn’t easy for Alvarez, who spent the first half of the fight following an elusive Plant around the ring and landing punches only in spurts. Meanwhile, Plant landed his jab fairly consistently and enough power shots to be competitive.
However, Alvarez ultimately closed the distance — in part because Plant didn’t have the power to dissuade him — and he began to inflict more and more damage.
By the 10th round, the punishment seemed to have taken much of the steam out of Plant, who wasn’t throwing as many punches as he had earlier in the fight and whose movement seemed more labored. And Alvarez wasn’t slowing down one iota.
Then, in the 11th, Alvarez finally landed the punch everyone was waiting for, a left hook that turned out to be the beginning of the end for the brave Tennessean. That shot was followed by a hard right and short left, which sent Plant to the canvas on all fours.
He was able to get up but he was easy prey. Alvarez landed a right hand amid a flurry of punches and Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) went down again. This time it was clear he couldn’t continue, prompting referee Russell Mora to stop the fight as the pro-Alvarez crowd roared its approval.
The official time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 5 seconds of Round 11 of the scheduled 12-round fight.
At that moment, a beaming Alvarez (57-2-1, 39 KOs) jumped onto the ropes in a corner of the ring and raised his fist to acknowledge the spectators. And then a member of his team put a gold crown on his head to illustrate his accomplishment.
And why not? He and trainer Eddy Reynoso began speaking years ago about one day becoming an undisputed champion, which, again, is rare in the four-belt era. It meant a lot to Alvarez and his team.
He is, without question, king of both the super middleweight division and, in the eyes of most, the ruler of the sport. Indeed, the legend of Canelo Alvarez continues to grow.
What’s next for the 31-year-old icon? He didn’t want to get into that after the fight, saying he wanted take a break after a long training camp. And you can bet they’ll be a huge celebration, perhaps something resembling a coronation.
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