Canelo Alvarez became the first super middleweight boxer to hold all of boxing's world championships with his win over Caleb Plant.
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The mindstate of considering yourself the best is often seen as something that can be the difference between success and failure in elite sport. Yet it is safe to say that Canelo Alvarez took self-confidence to a whole different level.
Prior to his undisputed super middleweight championship match against Caleb Plant, Alvarez did something that – depending on one’s outlook – was either extremely brave or extremely stupid. Possibly both.
He got custom jackets for both himself and trainer Eddy Reynoso. They caught the eye for the way in which they were designed. But the most notable part of the jacket were the words emblazoned behind them.
“Undisputed super middleweight champion 2021”, said the jacket. It is worth reminding you that this happened before the fight.
Yet by the end of the match, no one could say it was not true. Alvarez had soundly beaten Plant, securing an 11th round TKO. In the process, he became the first-ever super middleweight to hold the major titles of all four bodies that sanction boxing bouts.
As things stand, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is the first man in history to hold the WBA (Super), WBO, WBC, IBF and The Ring championship belts. He is currently ranked as the best boxer, pound for pound, in the world.
And one gets the feeling that he still has more to accomplish.
Alvarez, it must be noted, only returned to the super middleweight category a year earlier. In November 2020, he announced a match against WBA (Super) and The Ring super middleweight champion Callum Smith.
Smith, it must be noted, was undefeated at the time. Yet Alvarez won their bout in December via unanimous decision with scores of 119–109, 119–109, 117–111.
The result saw the Mexican pick up three belts; besides the two he won off Smith, the vacant WBC middleweight title was also on the line. And it was the WBC title that he would defend in his next bout.
His second super middleweight bout saw him take on a match in which he was an overwhelming favourite. That’s because he was defending his WBC title against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim.
Yildirim, it must be noted, had missed out on nearly two years of in-ring action at that point. The match, mandatory as it was, was a mismatch. And so it proved; Alvarez won via third-round corner stoppage.
His next match was a big one, as he took on Billy Joe Saunders, at the time the reigning WBO middleweight champion. Alvarez would beat him via an eighth-round corner stoppage. Now holding four belts, he set his sights on Caleb Plant – the IBF middleweight champion.
The bout between Plant and Alvarez went 11 rounds, but as it went on, it became clear the Mexican was the favourite. Sure enough, he would land a precise left-hook on Plant in the penultimate round, leaving the American staggering.
Alvarez slightly pushed the shaken fighter backwards, but only to unleash a thunderous uppercut. Amazingly, he got up but only ate more punches before going down for good.
In just 11 months, Alvarez was now the top dog of the super middleweight division.
Canelo Alvarez already announced his intentions to take a break from the sport. Understandably, he wants to shift away from the rigours of hardcore training before his May comeback.
However, when that comeback does happen, it seems unlikely to be in the super middleweight division.
The man most reckon he will face is Russia’s Artur Beterbiev, the defending IBF and WBC light-heavyweight champion. It’s a bout that WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman believes could happen.
Asked if the WBC would welcome Canelo moving up a division, Sulaiman told Sky Sports: “Yes. Beterbiev makes a mandatory defence in December and will be open to do anything he wants to do.
“It would be a tremendous match. Beterbiev is undefeated, he is a heavy, heavy puncher. He would be a very strong threat to Canelo’s legacy. But Canelo wants to keep going further and further so let’s see.”
However, Canelo himself was non-committal when asked about the possibility of the bout.
“I love challenges and whatever comes my way I’ll be ready for it,” he said after his match against Plant. “I’m looking for the best fights but it’s always important to defend your titles. But I really don’t have a timescale for sitting down with my team and thinking about it.
“Right now I’m just enjoying the moment. It was a truly historic night and I’m so proud to be part of it. At the moment I just want to enjoy this victory because it is really meaningful. We will then have time to think about the future.”
One thing is for sure: no matter which division Canelo turns up in, he will be a very hard man to beat.
