By Dan Ambrose: Oleksandr Usyk welcomed Canelo Alvarez to the undisputed club last Saturday night following his eleventh round knockout victory over unbeaten Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant to become the first 4-belt champion at super middleweight.
The unbeaten Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), who now holds the IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight titles, accomplished the feat of becoming undisputed champion at cruiserweight in July 2018 when he defeated Murat Gassiev.
Now the question is, will Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) dare to try and become the undisputed champion at 175? Unlike what Canelo just accomplished in becoming the undisputed champion at 168, it would take real courage for him to try the same thing at 175.
The fact of the matter is, Canelo had it easy in becoming the undisputed champion at 168 because ALL of the champions were essentially the paper variety. To be specific, they were weak and flawed, the whole lot of them.
It’s excellent that Canelo accomplished his goal of becoming the undisputed champion at 168. Still, it’s fair to say that at least half a dozen fighters in the super middleweight division could have done the same thing if they had fought the same poor champions at 168 that Canelo did to become the undisputed champion.
The champions Canelo beat to become undisputed at 168:
- Rocky Fielding
- Callum Plant
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Caleb Plant
Those are not great fighters or even close, and it’s not a big deal that Canelo beat them because, as I said, there are at least six contenders in the 168-lb division that would have destroyed those four paper champions if they were given a chance to fight them.
These contenders would have beaten the champions that Canelo defeated to become undisputed:
- David Benavidez
- David Morrell Jr.
- Carlos Gongora
- Edgar Berlanga
- Aidos Yerbossynuly
- Gabe Rosado
What made Canelo’s victory even sweeter was knocking out Plant (21-1, 12 KOs), who had said some irritating things to and about him during their kickoff press conference last September in Los Angeles.
Canelo overpowered Plant Saturday night, whacking him with hard left hooks at every opportunity throughout the contest. Eventually, Plant was worn down and dropped twice by Canelo in the eleventh round.
You can argue the ONLY reason Plant lasted as long as he did due to his ability to make Canelo miss. We saw a lot of wild swings by Canelo during the fight, primarily due to the Mexican star loading up so frequently.
Congratulations, Welcome to the undisputed club! @Canelo
— Alexander Usyk (@usykaa) November 7, 2021
When Canelo started throwing combinations in the 10th, the fight became easy for him, and he teed off on the 28-year-old ‘Sweethands’ Plant.
Andy Ruiz reacts to Canelo’s win over Plant
“He did exactly what he said he was going to do. He was going to bully him and pressure him,” said Andy Ruiz Jr. to Fighthype on Canelo Alvarez’s win over Caleb Plant last Saturday night.
“Basically, he [Canelo] was a wall where he [Plant] couldn’t do nothing but shout out to Caleb Plant. He took all the shots, almost every shot until the last rounds,” Ruiz continued.
“Because of all the punches on the arms, the kidneys, everything was breaking little by little, but I thought it was going to be over by the seventh round,” said Ruiz Jr when told that Plant had nothing on his jabs, and they were weak.
“For a minute, I got a little nervous because I thought Canelo was getting a little frustrated, a little tired, but I thought he was using nothing but haymakers.
“All these punches were haymakers. Boom, boom, I could hear them, and it was crazy,” said Ruiz.
Teofimo Lopez Sr. wants Canelo vs. GGG 3
“It was crazy. I really didn’t know Caleb Plant could take a shot like that, and it really confused me,” said Teofimo Lopez Sr. to Fighthype in reacting to Canelo’s victory over Plant.
“As a trainer, I had him [Plant] losing by the ninth round by knockout, and I was wrong by two rounds. There’s nobody out there that can beat Canelo. The only one out there who can beat Canelo is GGG, and that didn’t happen.
“Would you guys like to see a trilogy [between Canelo and Golovkin]? I would like to see it,” said Teofimo Sr. “[David] Benavidez is probably the only person that could challenge him [Canelo] because of his style and the way he boxes.
“He’s more of a candidate to have a good chance against Canelo, but nobody else.
“Nah,” said Teofimo Sr. when asked if Jermall Charlo would be a good opponent for Canelo’s next fight. “Canelo has maybe the best chin in boxing, and he’s a tough guy. He’s got good pop, and in this sport, your skills are about having a good pop and style. And Canelo has both.
Canelo beats Benavidez, says Teofimo Sr
“Canelo has all those combinations, and I don’t see him losing to nobody right now,” said Teofimo Sr. “Benavidez, he’ll walk him down, and when he gets tired, he’ll eventually stop him.
“Nah,” said Teofimo Sr. when told that Benavidez has power and speed above Plant. “He [Benavidez] doesn’t have Canelo power; that’s the difference. No, he does not have that.
“He [Benavidez] does have great boxing skills, and I don’t take that away from him. It’s the same s*** that you saw tonight,” said Teofimo Sr. in saying that Benaidez’s power is no better than Plant’s.
“David Benavidez is way better than Caleb Plant, but I think you’ve got to have a hammer to destroy Canelo Alvarez. You’ve got to have a hammer, and there’s nobody out there with that power.
“The last person that could have taken him [Canelo] out was GGG, and he absorbed those punches. I could see it. He [Canelo] was just born to absorb everything, and when you have a fighter like that with a good chin, it’s almost impossible to knock them out.
“You’ve got to win by points; you’ve got to last those 12 rounds. I was next to somebody today, and I said, ‘This s*** isn’t going to last for 12 rounds.’ This guy is not going down, and he absorbed a lot of punches.
“I take my hat off toe Caleb Plant. He did a great job, but the best man won tonight. Wherever my son [Teofimo Jr] lands, you’re going down.
“Yes,” said Teofimo Sr. when asked if Canelo Alvarez is greater than Julio Cesar Chavez. “Julio Cesar Chavez was an amazing technical great fighter, going to the body, but he was never explosive like Canelo.
“Canelo would knock you out with one punch. In the history of Mexican boxing, I think when Canelo gets through with this, he’s going to be the greatest.
“We get to see it, which is special. This is what I love,” said Teofimo Sr.