Boxing superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will look to become an undisputed champion for the first time when he takes on the undefeated Caleb Plant in a highly anticipated super middleweight clash on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Alvarez, 31, is the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world and holds the WBO, WBA and WBC super middleweight titles. He hasn't lost in eight years and has dominated opponents across four divisions in that time. He's yet to hold all four major belts in a single division, but he'll get a chance to do just that when he takes on Plant, the IBF super middleweight champion, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
While there's plenty on the line in terms of legacy, this fight is also going to be a personal one. Alvarez and Plant got into a physical exchange at a press conference for this fight back in September, with the latter suffering a cut under his eye.
The surprise outburst from the typically stoic Alvarez helped set the stage for one of the biggest fights of 2021. Here's how to watch.
Alvarez vs. Plant Fight Info
When: Saturday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Where: Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
Live stream: Showtime PPV ($79.99)
Odds: Alvarez -1000 (wager $1,000 to win $100), Plant (wager $100 to win $600)
Odds via DraftKings
Plant, 29, is a heavy underdog in what is far and away the toughest challenge of his career. This isn't because he's an unworthy challenger; instead, the lopsided odds have more to do with how dominant Alvarez has been in his prime years.
The Mexican superstar hasn't been in danger of losing a fight since his epic duels with Gennadiy Golovkin in 2017 and 2018. He's bounced around weight classes over the past few years, defeating the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev and, most recently, Billy Joe Saunders.
With a seemingly indestructible chin at his disposal, Alvarez has become a confident, hellacious pressure fighter. He walks down his opponents and batters them with combinations to the head and body. He has excellent timing and counters well. On the defensive end, he displays excellent head movement and footwork. And when he does take a hard punch, Alvarez is often in position to roll with the shot so it does less damage.
Alvarez has already accomplished so much in his career, but those looking for him to finally topple off his pedestal may have to wait. He's determined to become an undisputed champion in what will be his 60th career fight.
"That's the goal, to be an all-time great," Alvarez said, per SkySports.com. "I'm so proud of trying to achieve that.
"I'm never going to stop until I try my best to be one of the all-time greats."
Plant's accomplishments pale in comparison to Alvarez, but he can start to change that on Saturday. The Tennessee native is a skilled boxer in his own right, with some key physical advantages. He's several inches taller (6'1" to 5'8"), has a longer reach (74" to 70.5") and has much less wear and tear as a professional (122 rounds to 425).
He also has incredibly fast hands for his size and a great sense of the ring, traits that served him well in his dominant win over Caleb Truax in January, a fight that saw Plant win every round on all three judges' scorecards.
It's those skills and confidence that have Plant believing he can deliver a major upset on Saturday.
"There’s only one thing that’s better than proving people right and that’s proving people wrong," Plant said, per SportingNews.com's Andreas Hale. "But I’m not just here to prove the critics wrong. I’m here to prove myself right, and that’s something that I’ve been doing my entire life."
While he's undeniably talented, Plant's fatal flaw may be his relative lack of power. He's only stopped 12 of the 21 fighters he's faced in his career. Alvarez has absorbed big swings from the likes of Kovalev and Golovkin, so there's little reason to believe that Plant is going to stun him. He'll have to rely on his speed and evasiveness, but that's going to be difficult to do for 12 rounds.
Plant has a good shot at jumping out to an early lead on the cards if he boxes smartly, but Alvarez should be able to eventually get to the body, slow Plant down and win over the judges.
Prediction: Alvarez wins by unanimous decision
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Canelo Alvarez will look to add another super-middleweight world title to his collection on Saturday when he takes on the undefeated Billy Joe Saunders in a highly anticipated unification fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs), a four-division world champion, has settled in at 168 pounds and appears intent on unifying the division. He holds the WBA and WBC belts, and this will be his third straight fight at super middleweight after bouts against Sergey Kovalev at light heavyweight and Daniel Jacobs at middleweight.
The 30-year-old is the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, according to The Ring, and he has shown he can do it all over the past few years, winning fights with power, sharp counterpunching, elite footwork and dazzling head movement.
Is Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) going to solve the riddle? He's a slick southpaw who can stand up to heavy hitters, like he did against David Lemieux in 2017. He's also coming off a dominant performance over Martin Murray last year. But it will take a razor-sharp performance for the WBO world titleholder to upset Alvarez and become the man to beat at super middleweight.
Here's a look at the odds for the fight.
Alvarez vs. Saunders Fight Info
When: Saturday, May 8 at 8 p.m. ET (11 p.m. ET for main event)
Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Live stream: DAZN
Odds (via DraftKings): Alvarez -770 (bet $770 to win $100), Saunders +450
Alvarez has solidified himself as a heavy favorite going into this matchup. He's taken on the likes of Kovalev, Jacobs, Amir Khan, Gennady Golovkin, and the Smith brothers, coming out on top each time. Lesser opponents like Rocky Fielding and, most recently, Avni Yildirim, were finished off early and easily. It's going to be very tough to bet against him winning this one outright.
If you're favoring the Mexican but want a better payout, then look at the bets for over-under on rounds and the manner of victory. According to DraftKings, over 10.5 rounds is at -152, while under 10.5 is +115.
Saunders represents a different challenge than most of Alvarez's opponents, and this could extend the fight deep into the night. He's a southpaw in his prime at 31 years old. Alvarez hasn't fought a southpaw since James Kirkland in September 2015 and Erislandy Lara directly prior to that in 2014. Alvarez knocked out Kirkland in the third round and won a split decision against Lara.
Saunders is a much better fighter thank Kirkland, especially on the defensive end. Former world champion Andre Ward believes the Briton might even be better than his opponent in this category, via ESPN.com:
"Both Alvarez and Saunders have good defense. Alvarez's best defense is from the waist up—good head movement and timing to avoid incoming punches. Saunders likes to use his legs, distance and range to avoid punches.
"When I think about Alvarez, the first thing that jumps out to me is his offensive prowess, not his defense. When I think of Saunders and his style, the first thought I have is about his movement and ability to make opponent's hit air."
With good defense, hand speed, a size advantage and a southpaw stance Alvarez hasn't seen in a professional ring in awhile, Saunders could well trouble him the same way Lara did at times. He may even be ahead after a few rounds. It seems likely he's angling to stick and move and make Alvarez chase him, considering Tuesday's blow-up over the ring size.
According to ESPN.com's Ben Baby, Saunders' camp wanted a 22-foot ring instead of a 20-foot ring. This didn't sit well with his opponent.
"It's not the only excuse he's had," Alvarez said through an interpreter, per Baby. "He's had plenty of excuses. I'm just going to go in there and do what I have to do."
Even if Saunders doesn't get the ring size he wants, Alvarez might have trouble finishing him early. Going over 10.5 rounds seems like a good betting opportunity. Alvarez went to the judges' cards against Callum Smith, Jacobs and Golovkin both times.
For those looking to put money on Alvarez winning by stoppage, currently -110 on DraftKings, its entirely possible he gets that late in the match too. He didn't stop Kovalev until the 11th round of their matchup in 2019. There's a decent chance betting the over on 10.5 rounds works out even if Saunders doesn't reach the final bell (and, of course, if you like Saunders to win, go ahead and bet the over because Alvarez's chin will almost certainly hold up).
As a counterpoint, Kovalev is naturally a much bigger man than Alvarez and his skull-rattling power kept the Mexican honest for long stretches of the fight.
Saunders, for all his talents, is not a heavy hitter. If he can't frustrate Alvarez with speed and command of the ring, he won't be able to deter his opponent from walking him down and hauling off with his power punches.
Chris Eubank Jr., who lost to Saunders in 2014, thinks Alvarez will get the KO, per DAZN Boxing:
Alvarez does not like to play with his food. If he solves the British fighter's game plan early, he will try to end things quickly. It all comes down to how much you believe in Saunders' dedication, which has ebbed and flowed throughout his career, and his ability to frustrate Alvarez.
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Canelo Alvarez defended his WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring super middleweight titles with a victory over Avni Yildirim on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Alvarez dominated the fight and took complete control in the third round, delivering some brutal body punches before knocking Yildirim down with a right hand following a setup jab.
Yildirim survived the third round, but his corner threw in the towel before the fourth got underway.
It was a relatively easy fight for Alvarez, and boxing writer Dan Rafael offered his take.
Mike Coppinger of The Athletic called it a "one-sided beating" through two rounds before Round 3 even got underway.
Yildirim was the mandatory WBC challenger for Alvarez, who will now look forward to unifying all the super middleweight belts.
Alvarez has a fight lined up with WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders on May 8 and a bout with IBF champion Caleb Plant will go down sometime in fall 2021, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.
The 30-year-old entered Saturday with a 54-1-2 record, with his only loss coming against retired and undefeated former world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
His draws occurred against Jorge Juarez and Gennady Golovkin, and he avenged the latter with a majority-decision win over the man known as Triple G in a rematch.
Thirty-six of his wins had come by way of knockout, and he entered Saturday on a 13-fight undefeated streak.
Alvarez has won boxing titles in four weight classes: light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight. His latest super middleweight honors came after defeating Callum Smith last December via unanimous decision.
Alvarez had previously won the WBO light heavyweight title after beating Sergey Kovalev via 11th-round knockout in November 2019 but relinquished the title to move back down to super middleweight. His next fight was against Smith.
BoxRec ranks him as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
The 29-year-old Yildirim was 21-2 lifetime with 12 wins by way of knockout entering Saturday.
His last fight ended with some controversy, as he fell to Anthony Dirrell via technical split decision in February 2019.
Dirrell suffered a cut over his eye due to an accidental seventh-round headbutt that got so bad the fight was stopped following 10 rounds. It then went to the judges, and the scorecards varied considerably. One had it 98-92 for Yildirim, while the other two posted 96-94 results. With that, Dirrell won the vacant WBC super middleweight title.
Yildirim has fought at the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions during his career. The Turkish fighter won his first 16 bouts before falling to Chris Eubank Jr. by third-round knockout. He then won five straight fights before the loss to Dirrell two years ago.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has settled into a comfortable rhythm of fighting twice a year, usually on Cinco de Mayo weekend and then again sometime in late fall or early winter. That pattern has been disrupted by the pandemic and mandatory challenger requirements, so the sport's biggest star finds himself fighting a little more than two months after his previous bout.
Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) is set to defend his WBA and WBC world super middleweight titles against Avni Yildirim on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. He's coming off a comfortable unanimous-decision win over Callum Smith on Dec. 19. Despite the quick turnaround, Alvarez is expected to make light work of Yildirim, the mandatory challenger for his WBC belt.
Yilidirim (21-2, 12 KOs) is a massive underdog, hovering in the range of Buster Douglas when he shocked Mike Tyson in 1990. A win for him would be a historic upset, but it's highly unlikely this will be anything other than a tune-up fight for Alvarez as he looks to unify the titles at 168 pounds.
Alvarez vs. Yildirim Fight Info
When: Saturday, Feb. 27 at approx. 10 p.m. ET (per DAZN, main card starts 7 p.m. ET)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami
Live stream: DAZN (subscription required)
Odds: Alvarez -10,000 (bet $10,000 to win $100), Yildirim + 1,200 (via DraftKings)
While Alvarez is coming off short rest, Yildirim has had plenty of time to work on his craft since his most recent bout.
Yildirim was last in the ring in February 2019, when he lost a technical decision to Anthony Dirrell. It was just the second defeat of his career but a solid showing, as at least one judge had him up on the cards when the fight was cut short in the 10th round because of a cut on Dirrell.
Yildirim's only other defeat was in 2017, when he was knocked out by Chris Eubank Jr. All of his wins have come against middling opposition.
So despite the long layoff and the lack of a signature win, Yildirim has a career-making opportunity against Alvarez. The Turk has a chance to represent his country in a sport wherein it has had little success. To make the impossible happen, he will need to elevate his game. According to ESPN's Arda Orcal, Alvarez is familiar with Yildirim's version of pressure fighting:
"Yildirim said that the similarity in styles between him and Golovkin was one of the main reasons he was asked to join Canelo's training camp, and that both fighters had a good rapport at the time. 'But we are opponents now,' he stressed.
"Yildirim is nicknamed 'Mr. Robot,' a nod to his come-forward style in the ring. With the dynamic challenges presented by Alvarez, Yildirim has enlisted the services of world-class trainer Joel Diaz."
If Yildirim pulls off the upset, go ahead and call Diaz a miracle worker. A fighter who had "no defense whatsoever," as Diaz told Orcal, is a recipe for disaster against most top-tier opposition, but especially Alvarez.
The Mexican superstar is a vicious, calculating counterpuncher. Yildirim doesn't appear to be powerful enough to give Alvarez pause—and there might not be a fighter around who is, considering he's already survived Gennady Golovkin twice—so there shouldn't be anything stopping the champion from waiting for a hole to open up and driving a power shot through it. All he needs is a sliver of daylight to make his opponents pay, whether it's against a speedster like Amir Khan or a mauler like Sergey Kovalev.
Even if Yildirim's defense is patched up, he's going to have trouble establishing any offense of his own. Alvarez's balance, footwork and head movement are some of the best around and have made the likes of Smith and Daniel Jacobs look silly as they end up sparring with oxygen. As long as Alvarez doesn't make a fatal mistake, it's hard to see him needing more than a few rounds to dispatch Yildirim. That said, he's not taking anything for granted.
"I see a strong fighter," Alvarez said, per BoxingScene.com's Keith Idec. "I see a fighter that goes forward, obviously. He has lots of courage. He can be dangerous at any moment because he is a strong fighter. There's no doubt that I am a fighter that has more qualities, obviously. But in boxing, you must always, always be aware."
Assuming Alvarez's takes care of business Saturday, there's plenty more business to come in 2021. According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, Alvarez is considering fighting Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO world super middleweight champion, in May. Iole says Alvarez is also eyeing a fight with Caleb Plant, the undefeated IBF titleholder, sometime in 2021.
If that all comes together, it would be the first time Alvarez has fought more than twice in a calendar year since 2011. Even if Saturday's fight isn't one any boxing fan had on their wishlist, that's a pretty good deal for fight fans.
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Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's goal of taking over the super middleweight division got off to a fine start Saturday night, as the Mexican superstar defeated Callum Smith via unanimous decision at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The judges scored the fight 119-109, 119-109, 117-13 in favor of Alvarez. He deserved every point in what was one of the strongest performances of his career.
The 30-year-old's full complement of skills was on display against Smith, who suffered the first loss of his career. Alvarez's jab was accurate, he mixed up punches to the head and body well and his defensive work kept him from taking much damage. He dominated the bigger man from start to finish.
ESPN's Max Kellerman reacted to the dominant performance:
Smith fought bravely, but it was a systematic dismantling by Canelo. By the time the match ended, the Englishman's face was swollen, his white trunks were spattered with blood and his WBA world title belonged to Alvarez.
This was Alvarez's first fight since beating Sergey Kovalev at light heavyweight in November 2019. Back down to a more comfortable 168 pounds, Alvarez, who also earned the vacant WBC title with the victory, is looking to take over the division.
"I want all the belts. It doesn't matter who is there," Alvarez said after the bout through an interpreter on the DAZN broadcast.
The height and reach disparity presented a unique challenge for Alvarez, but it didn't take long for him to find a rhythm. Smith did well when using his jab to keep Alvarez at a distance, while the latter looked for opportunities to throw hard shots at Smith's torso.
The third round saw Alvarez start to use his head movement more to get out of the way of Smith's punches and inch his way in closer. He was the more accurate fighter, with his tightly coiled shots finding a landing spot at a decent clip. Whenever Smith got trapped on the ropes, Alvarez used it as an opportunity to hammer away at his body.
The Athletic's Mike Coppinger liked what he saw from Canelo early on:
Smith was letting his hands go more than Alvarez, but the Englishman had trouble landing anything significant. He mixed a few uppercuts into his arsenal starting in the fifth round, but they didn't keep Alvarez from stalking him around the ring for very long.
Boxing writer Patrick Connor felt Smith tactics were fine, he just lacked the power to deter his opponent:
DAZN Boxing showed off some of the great defensive work from Alvarez that mitigated Smith's better combinations:
Smith's length, stamina and work rate kept him from getting pummeled in the first half of the fight, but he started to look more ragged in the seventh round. Alvarez looked as comfortable in the seventh frame as he did in the first, and he found it easier to trap Smith against the ropes where he could then load up on his punches.
A brilliant uppercut in the middle of the eighth rocked Smith, who did a good job of returning fire and getting out of trouble. Every time Smith elevated his game, Alvarez seemed to have an answer, whether it was a slick defensive move, changing levels or simply stepping into his power punches.
The ninth saw Alvarez visibly hurt a bloodied, bruised Smith. Actress Rosie Perez was impressed with Smith's ability to withstand the punishment:
DAZN's Andreas Hale commented on the beating Smith was taking:
DAZN Boxing provided a glimpse of the advanced techniques Alvarez was showing off late in the fight:
Smith survived to the final bell, but he paid an incredible price for it. He's likely going to need some significant time off or a tune-up fight if he wants to work his way back into contention.
The win puts Alvarez in prime position to get back to his typical two-fights-a-year schedule in 2021. There's been chatter surrounding a potential third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin, who dominated Kamil Szeremeta in a middleweight title fight Friday night.
Alvarez could also continue with his stated goal of unifying the 168-pound division, which would mean the likes of Caleb Plant or Billy Joe Saunders would face the daunting task of taking down boxing's biggest star.
Boxing's calendar is overstuffed to end the year, with many great fighters finally getting a chance to get back into the ring after months of pandemic-related delays.
Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua and even Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have all given fans something to celebrate as 2020 comes to a close, but the best bout could be yet to come as Canelo Alvarez returns to action in a super-middleweight title contest against Callum Smith on Saturday.
Contract disputes with Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN have helped keep Alvarez sidelined for nearly all of 2020, but he will be fighting on the streaming service anyway in order to take on Smith.
The Mexican (53-1-2, 36 KOs) has bounced around divisions in recent years, finding success everywhere he goes, and he is looking to buckle down and unify the titles at the super-middleweight ranks.
The undefeated Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) is hoping to make the third defense of his WBA "super" world title, which he earned with a win over George Groves in September 2018. The vacant WBC world title is also up for grabs on Saturday night.
Alvarez vs. Smith Fight Info
When: Saturday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET (main event at 11 p.m. ET, per SportingNews.com)
Where: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Live stream: DAZN (US and UK, subscription required)
Odds: Alvarez -670, Smith +400 (via Draftkings Sportsbook)
Right off the bat, the obvious difference between these two fighters is size and length. Here's what they looked like standing side-by-side in their first meeting, via Matchroom Boxing:
If numbers are your thing, BoxRec lists Smith at 6'3" with a 78-inch reach, while Alvarez is listed at 5'8" with a 70.5-inch reach.
The British fighter will have a huge advantage if he can establish the jab early on and keep Alvarez fighting at a distance.
TalkSport's Adam Catterall noted it's a significant risk in a title fight but praised Alvarez for not shying away from the challenge:
Smith, who is coming off a decision win over John Ryder last November, has also made it clear that he doesn't think his opponent belongs at 168 pounds, per ESPN.com's Nick Parkinson:
"In my opinion, no, he's not a super middleweight. Yes, he's been there before, fought [Sergey] Kovalev, but if you look at the champions at super middleweight, they are all big lads. There's only so much size your ability can make up for. We saw it with [Vasiliy] Lomachenko [against Teofimo Lopez]. I believe that will be the case for Canelo against me, I will be too big for him. But I'm not just a big lump, I've got skills and ability, too; I've shown I belong at a world level. If I can use the size and ability, I've got the beating of Canelo at 168 pounds."
Doubt Alvarez at your own peril. Smith may be much taller and longer than his opponent, but there are levels in boxing, and few are on the same plane as four-division champion from Guadalajara, Mexico. His all-around game has served him well in big wins over Kovalev, Danny Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin in recent years.
He's proved to be a master at keeping his head moving while remaining coiled up and in position to counter punch. If Smith takes a big swing and whiffs, Alvarez can use his speed and accuracy to go right to the body.
Targeting the midsection worked well for him in his previous fight at super middleweight, a third-round stoppage win over Rocky Fielding, via DAZN Boxing:
Working the body also happened to deliver Alvarez a stoppage win over Smith's older brother, Liam, in 2016.
Smith, who, like Alvarez, is in his prime at 30 years old, will be hoping he can pose a unique challenge to the Mexican superstar. It's going to take a sharp, focused and measured performance, as Alvarez has shown his chin can withstand incredible power going up against the likes of Kovalev and Golovkin.
Smith, who has a solid KO record with 19 stoppages, may find his best path to victory is on the scorecard. The Liverpool, England native can certainly make things awkward for Alvarez with his length and may hold up well in the closer exchanges being the more natural fit at 168 pounds.
The possibility of a big upset is there, but don't count on it. Look for Alvarez to shrug off some potentially troublesome early rounds and break down the champion en route to a late stoppage victory.
Prediction: Alvarez via late-round TKO
