He then defended his belt three times against Mike Lee in July 2019, Vincent Feigenbutz in February 2020 and Caleb Truax last January. The deal -- negotiated by Alvarez's reigning trainer of the year, Eddy Reynoso -- would have marked Alvarez's return to pay-per-view, a platform he has headlined on nine times since his fight with Shane Mosley in 2012. Those bouts included a megafight with Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and a pair of matchups with his bitter rival, Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 knockouts) added Saunders’ WBO belt to his WBA and WBC straps in his third fight in less than five months, and second in Texas. In an exclusive interview with The Ring, Alvarez spoke about his plans to stay at 168 pounds and collect all of the titles there. Alvarez, who gave in to Saunders' demand for a larger ring during fight week amid threats he would quit, didn't seem surprised by Saunders' decision to stay on his stool after Round 8. Alvarez had previously called him out publicly for making a number of excuses leading up to the fight.
The first undisputed Super Middleweight champion of the four-belt era will be crowned inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, tonight (Sat., Nov. 6, 2021) when Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez attempts to add undefeated Caleb Plant’s IBF title to his sizable trophy case. “You know who he wants to fight, he told me who he wants to fight, Caleb Plant. Mexican pro Canelo was favourite, having rampaged his way through the 168lb band, beating Rocky Fielding, Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev, Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim and Billy Jo Saunders, who succumbed to an 8th round TKO in May. Before that he defeated Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Avni Yildirim and Callum Smith to become the first in history undisputed super middleweight champion. The only missing belt for Alvarez now in the 168-pound division is Caleb Plant’s IBF strap. “It’s difficult to explain,” Alvarez said when asked about the crowd.
With pandemic restrictions on attendance long gone in Texas, the festive crowd at 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium was the biggest to date for a sporting event in the pandemic. 73,126 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, pocketed $8 million. ARLINGTON, Texas - Canelo Alvarez jumped into his trainer’s arms while Billy Joe Saunders slumped in his corner with a towel draped over his head. The cruiserweight champion said Alvarez will be welcome in his division after unifying the super middleweight championships. Ortiz has the necessary skills and will soon have the fanbase to demand a fight against one of the best in the division. What's at stake: Davis returns to his more natural 135-pound division after a TKO of Mario Barrios in a 140-pound bout. It came a little more than a month after baseball’s Texas Rangers had their home opener in the first full pro sports stadium since the COVID-19 shutdown early last year, right next door at Globe Life Field. The wildly popular Mexican fighter joined the folk singers and dancers during his ring walk, after emerging from the Cowboys’ locker room, which made sense for what amounted to a home fight for the redhead. Alvarez set up another victory in his latest Cinco de Mayo bout with a staggering right hand in the middle of the eighth round, sending 73,126 already-screaming fans at the home of the Dallas Cowboys into a frenzy as we waved his arms to encourage the noise while the round continued.
This is Alvarez second fight at 175 pounds. Two current champions were in attendance in heavyweight Tyson Fury, a vocal supporter during fight week of his fellow Brit Saunders, and welterweight Errol Spence Jr., who lives in the Dallas area. Following the Mexican’s May victory over WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, leaving just Plant’s IBF belt in the way of Canelo becoming the division’s undisputed champion. Defeating Plant in the ring would add the IBF title to his collection. Plant (21-0, 12 KO) handily outclassed Jose Uzcategui for the IBF belt in 2019 and has since defended it three times, most recently shutting out Caleb Truax in January. His most recent defense came against Caleb Truax on January 30, 2021. The win took Plant's record to 21-0, with 12 KOs. Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant recently came to blows at a press conference in Los Angeles. Benavidez has never lost a title in the ring, and represents perhaps an even greater challenge than the three champions Alvarez has already dethroned.