Canelo Alvarez was at his brutal best when he knocked out Caleb Plant to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
The boxing superstar battered Callum Smith to win the WBA and WBC titles before adding a third 168lb belt to his collection by breaking Billy Joe Saunders’ face in May 2021.
Canelo and Plant traded blows at their first press conferenceCredit: GETTY
And six months later, he got the chance to complete his collection and became the first Mexican undisputed champion in boxing history, when he fought IBF titleholder Plant.
After being cut by Canelo during a fiery press conference, ‘Sweethands’ wasn’t about to let his world title go without putting up one almighty fight.
The bout began with some positive early signs for Plant as his jab troubled Canelo early on, but it wasn’t long before the tide started to turn against him.
Alvarez began closing the distance as he consistently cut off the ring and hammered Plant with hooks to head and body before landing a perfect punch in round 11.
Canelo caught Plant on the chin with a left hook that put the American on seriously wobbly legs and made him susceptible to a right uppercut that caused a knockdown.
Plant struggled to get back to his feet and beat the ten-count, but he was allowed to fight on for a few more seconds before being floored again by a series of right hands.
This time, the fight was waved off and Canelo was crowned undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super-middleweight champion of the world.
Canelo expressed his desire to repeat his four-belt feat at light-heavyweight before suffering a unanimous decision defeat to WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol in May 2022.
Canelo floored Plant twice when they fought in the ringCredit: Getty
And made history with the KOCredit: Getty
The 33-year-old has bounced back from the shocking loss with wins over Gennady Golovkin, John Ryder and Jermell Charlo ahead of his 65th professional boxing bout.
Canelo recently announced his next fight will take place on May 4 in Las Vegas, but refused to reveal anything about his opponent, other than the fact he is American.
Welterweight king Terence Crawford, who has been relentlessly calling out Canelo in recent months, has been ruled out due to the vast size difference between the pair.
“No,” Canelo said when asked if he would fight Crawford.
Canelo is the only undisputed champion to ever come from MexicoCredit: Sean Michael Ham/TGB
“They criticised me because I fought [Jermell] Charlo who gained weight, who is bigger than me, because I’m a small fighter for these weights, and because he gained weight, but they didn’t criticise him when I went up in weight.
“So now if you imagine Crawford as a welterweight. 168lbs, I have everything to lose and nothing to gain because if I win, they’ll say, ‘Oh, he was too small, and everything!”
Super-middleweight contender David Benavidez (28-0) has also been snubbed by Canelo in recent days, according to his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz.
Jermall Charlo, the twin brother of Canelo’s most recent opponent, appears to be the frontrunner to face him next – but he’s been giving fans mixed messages on social media.
Thankfully, it won’t be long before the world knows Canelo’s next opponent.