Canelo Alvarez adds to legendary resume

LAS VEGAS – Canelo Alvarez will take all of your belts.

Mexican boxing icon Saul “Canelo” Alvarez added another belt to his legendary resume Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena. The redhead from Guadalajara stopped Caleb Plant in the 11th round to take Plant’s IBF belt, becoming the first Mexico native to be an undisputed world champion.

With the IBF title, Canelo Alvarez became the first undisputed Super Middleweight (168-pound) champion in boxing history.

Moreover, Alvarez is only the sixth male undisputed world champion in boxing history in the four-belt era.

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“This means so much for the history of Mexico to become an undisputed champion,” Alvarez told SHOWTIME’s Jim Gray through a translator. “There are only six undisputed champions in history. It keeps me happy and very motivated to be one of the six.”

https://twitter.com/ShowtimeBoxing/status/1457204844444454913?s=20

Alvarez, 31, pounced on Plant in the 11th round as a tiger would on wounded prey.

Canelo Alvarez pounds Plant

He chased the clearly hurt Plant around the ring in the 11th round before a sellout crowd of 16,586 at MGM Grand Garden Arena and a SHOWTIME PPV national audience.

Alvarez delivered powerful blow after powerful blow before securing the TKO at 1:05 of the 11th round.

Plant, a native of Ashland City, Tenn., was game for most of the fight. But he didn’t have enough to stop Canelo Alvarez from securing his fourth belt.

There was no love lost between the two boxers. That much was evident when they exchanged blows during a promotional stop after Plant called Alvarez a motherf—–.

Nonetheless, Alvarez was a gracious victor after referee Russell Mora put an end to the abuse.

For Mexico

Alvarez described Plant as a good fighter and even declared respect for him. He merely isn’t in the same class as the sixth undisputed champion in boxing history.

“It hasn’t been easy to get to this point,” Alvarez told Gray through an interpreter, “but with your support, my family and my team we’ve gotten really far. This is for everybody, especially for Mexico. This is another one for our team. We did it tonight.”