♪♪ ♪♪ Lennon:
I-I-It's Showtime! [ Crowd cheering ] Ranallo: It's a big fight
with a big-fight atmosphere! ♪♪ ♪♪ It is beautiful.
It is brutal. It is boxing at its best. ♪♪ What a fight! ♪♪ -- <font color="#FFFF00">Captions by VITAC </font><font color="#FFFFFF">--</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> Ranallo:
In the 37-year history of the super middleweight division, there has never been
an undisputed king. It's about pride. It's about legacy. It's about history. Canelo Alvarez
versus Caleb Plant for all the marbles at 168. [ Bell dings ] [ Cheers and applause ] Lennon:
Alright, fans, here we go with the main event
of the evening, 12 rounds of boxing
for the undisputed super middleweight championship
of the world. And now, ladies and gentlemen
in attendance and boxing fans joining us
from around the world, live from the MGM Grand
in Las Vegas... i-i-i-i-it's showtime! [ Bell dings ] [ Cheers and applause ] Introducing to you first
the IBF titleholder on my right. Fighting out of the red corner, wearing white trunks
with gray trim, fighting out of
Las Vegas, Nevada, by way of Nashville, Tennessee. He weighed in
at a ready 167 pounds. He is undefeated
in his campaign in the ring with a record
of 21 wins, no losses, 12 wins coming
by way of knockout, determined to capture the undisputed
world championship tonight in his fourth defense
of his title. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the reigning,
the defending, the undefeated IBF
super middleweight champion of the world, introducing
"Sweethands" Caleb Plant! Caleb! Let's go, CP! And his opponent
across the ring, fighting out of the blue corner, wearing gold trunks
with white trim, proudly representing
his hometown -- <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>el orgulloso guerrero</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>de Guadalajara,
Jalisco, México.</i></font> He weighed in right
at the limit of 168 pounds, having faced 20 world champions
in his illustrious career. His record stands
at 56 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws, with 38 wins
coming by way of knockout. Tonight, in his 20th
world-title appearance, ladies and gentlemen, here is
the renowned boxing sensation, an acclaimed
pound-for-pound great, the four-division world champion
and the current unified WDC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight
champion of the world, introducing... SaÚl Canelo Alvarez! [ Bell dings ] Whoo! And the referee in charge, now to give instructions,
Russell Mora. Mora: Center ring! Okay, gentlemen, we went over
the rules in the dressing room. I want to remind you --
protect yourself at all times,
obey my commands. God bless you both. Touch up. Ranallo:
Will we see a Canelo coronation or will
Caleb "Sweethands" Plant enjoy the sweetest victory
by planting his flag atop the super middleweight
division's summit? Let's make history! [ Cheers and applause ] [ Bell dings ] Bernstein: Just a reminder
that Canelo Alvarez -- and we've talked about it --
is not a quick starter. So if Caleb Plant is going
to make something happen, he needs to do it in these early
rounds and get things started, and he's the one
that's punching early. Mares: Yes, he definitely
wants to back into these early rounds,
like you mentioned. Canelo is not a fast starter,
and this is where it shows, if Plant fed off this energy
these people brought or is he going to
come up short and he's not going to be
able to let his hands go? But Plant so far
doing a good job. Canelo said, and I quote,
"I hope he has a good chin because he's going to need it." [ Crowd chanting in Spanish ] There is no question about this
crowd being into this fight. And, see,
that's Canelo, poised... This crowd would register
on the Richter scale. Yeah, true. There's that jab
from Plant. Again, known for his jab,
known for his quickness, known for his footwork. And Canelo has had issues
with slick boxers in the past. Yeah, Erislandy Lara
certainly did well against him. Austin Trout. Austin Trout had
good moments that... Floyd "Money" Mayweather. -Yep.
-His only loss. -Okay, stop!
-14-0-1 since that defeat. But, of course, most
of those good boxers ended up
losing against him. And Caleb Plant, using his jab,
trying to make that the... There's that chopping
right hand by Canelo. See, and Plant, he tends
to leave that left hand down. You see that jab?
He's got to jab fast, bring it right back up,
and he brings it back down. And Canelo, you know,
he showed with the right hand. Canelo off
to a quick start, much quicker than maybe
people anticipated, putting the pressure
on Plant early. And for Plant, he needs
to establish that jab and really does need
to use the real estate. Okay, stop!
Let go, let go. Mares: Use that jab
as a setup punch, use that jab to get out. I mean, the jab is key
against Canelo tonight. Plant has 12 knockouts
out of his 21 wins, dropped José Uzcátegui twice
en route to upsetting Uzcátegui and becoming
a 168-pound belt holder. Plant has utilized
his jab well early, and that's what kept him
functioning well in this first round,
and as we point out, you know, this is --
These are not the rounds Canelo normally
gets a lot done in. But Canelo going
to the body here in round 1 and having some success,
as we are just getting started. Mora: Time! ♪ No friends in the industry ♪ ♪♪ Take a look at what these men
need to do to win here tonight. For Canelo, go downstairs early.
He started to do that. He wants to get
to the body early to stop the movement
of Plant. No lull periods.
Sometimes Canelo kind of will give
some rounds away. Nobody in boxing throws
the double left hook better than
Canelo Alvarez. He hurts you in the body
and then the head. As for Caleb Plant, we saw
the jab a lot in round number 1. He'll keep using it. He's got to throw
his combinations and then move --
pivot and move. And the most important thing
for him is, do not get caught
on the ropes. There were moments
there in round 1 where Canelo
tried to do that. ♪♪ Mora: Seconds out! ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] Ranallo:
This is Canelo Alvarez's 60th professional fight. 20th championship bout -- 17-1-1, with six knockouts in widely recognized
title fights. For Caleb Plant,
his 22nd professional bout, looking to remain undefeated
and become undisputed. In round number 1,
Plant threw 24 jabs and landed 6. Six jabs is what he normally
lands in a round. Ohh, there's a left hook
that lands for Canelo. And the uppercuts on the inside
by Canelo. I like how Plant is changing
the speed on the jab. You want to change it up
all the time. You have to leave
Canelo thinking. Canelo said the jab is one
of the easiest punches to take away,
and he will work diligently to take away Plant's jab. Canelo is closing the distance
quicker than we thought, but... -Yes, he is.
-Plant landed the left hook. In six of
his last nine fights, Plant had scored a knockdown
with the left hook. I'm not suggesting
he's going to knock Canelo down or even hurt him
with that punch. Canelo's got a great chin. But Plant needs to use
that check left hook. There's a right hand
that lands for Canelo, backing up Plant. Plant with the jab, able to
reset in the center of the ring. And, again,
these are rounds where Canelo usually,
you know, is slow. Yeah, it's like Mayweather.
Collects that data. Collects that data. And then starts
to wear you down, although he's going
to the body and then upstairs
with a left hook. And right uppercut
by Plant. Punches that Canelo
is known for -- the body shots,
the hits to the head. Oh, there was
a left hook upstairs and a left hook
delivered by Canelo, so maybe the action gonna
pick up earlier than expected. -Yeah.
-And you can see already Canelo taking away the jab from
Plant because he's the one... Well, I don't know.
He managed to get a few of those jabs in there, as Canelo goes downstairs with
a right, left hand upstairs. Yeah, I think the jab
is still working for Plant. That doesn't mean
he's going to -- it's going to continue
to work the whole fight, but Canelo's looking for that
left hook to the body and -- -And he landed it.
-Yeah. 45 seconds left
here in the second round. Three punches with
that left hand by Plant. Blinding jab by Canelo before going downstairs
with the right, right, left. Canelo is trying to
pinpoint that left hook, and he's getting closer
to doing that. As the moments
Plant finds himself on the ropes,
he catches two punches, you know, three punches, but he is able to
come back with his own. Yeah, he's showing his poise
early in this fight. There's another right hand and a right uppercut,
left hand by Canelo. And, again, everything
that Canelo throws, even if it doesn't land, will draw a huge response
from this partisan crowd. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! ♪♪ [ Speaking Spanish ] Interpreter: Sit down. Just relax. you followed
the game plan. It's fine. Get a little air here.
We're good. ♪♪ Nice and calm. okay? You receive when you try to
go in, so just be careful. Okay. He's starting
to go in a little bit. That's when you got to move in
and feint a little bit and come with the counterpunch. And keep moving.
But don't get desperate. This rhythm, he's not
going to be able to withstand. [ Speaking Spanish ] Big deep breath. [ Whistle blows ] Mares: Get that mouthpiece in!
Mouthpiece in! Seconds out! Let's go!
Seconds out! Let's go! Ranallo: Canelo Alvarez's
trainer has been with him his entire career. [ Bell dings ] Eddy Reynoso celebrating
his 45th birthday tonight, hoping it is
an extra-special night. And he says the experience
and heart of Canelo are keys, as Plant begins
to establish the jab and get more aggressive,
going to the body. Bernstein: One of the things
Reynoso said that was interesting
was feinting, and that is something Canelo can
do well, to attack after that. Mares: Now, from the jab
from Caleb, even though most of
those punches are landing -- they're going
to Canelo's gloves -- but he's keeping
Canelo at bay. He's keeping him at the distance
where Plant wants to be. Canelo says this is the most
important fight of his life. At the end of his career,
he wants to be considered one of the all-time greats,
period, full stop, while Plant said
if it wasn't for boxing, he would be dead or in jail. Boxing saved him. You know, Canelo lands
47% of his power punches, which is everything
other than the jab, and tonight, so far, early
he's landing 45%. So when he throws those punches,
he's doing well. And one thing
about Canelo -- has had difficulty
cutting off the ring in many fights
we've seen, Abner. Yes. Canelo, you know,
he's a pressure fighter. He works the body
really good. I think that's what helps him,
you know, corner the fighters and eventually
get them tired, but, yes, not the best fighter
to cut off the ring. But then when he does
finally get to you, he gets the job done. Yeah, again, it's because
of the body work, the body -- There's a jab
that landed for Plant as they mix things up
on the inside. Just past the halfway point
of round number 3. Canelo continues
to put on the pressure, walking down Plant. High guard.
And that lead left hook. Jab parried by Canelo. The left hook lands downstairs
by Canelo. And goes upstairs
with the left hook. A reminder that that cut
underneath the eye that Plant had from the
press-conference encounter -- We'll keep an eye on that.
And it has not been active yet. And Plant said Canelo
made it more personal by doing what he did,
but once the bell rings, Abner, you got to
put those emotions aside. So much at stake
in this historic matchup. Most definitely,
and Plant mentioned, "Hey, most of the fighters
that Canelo has faced, you know, come already mentally defeated
prior to the fight. Not me." And he's just
showing it tonight. He showed it
at the press conference. He's a confident man. Canelo continues to lead
with the left hook. Jab by Plant. Canelo still able
to go downstairs. Yeah, the left hook
to the body -- Canelo has found
a home for that, but these are very close
and competitive rounds, as we expected
the early rounds to be. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! ♪♪ ♪♪ Ranallo:
Canelo or Plant looking to become just the sixth
male undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Bernard Hopkins was the first, Josh Taylor
being the most recent. That's an excellent group
of fighters. And we said earlier, you know,
Eddy Reynoso and Canelo feel this is
an important thing for them. It's not just something
to market a fight. Canelo looking to do it, unify all the belts
in less than a year. Jermain Taylor did it
in one night when he beat Bernard Hopkins. Yeah, exactly. That was a big night
for him. [ Whistle blows ] From a sold-out MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Mauro Ranallo, Al Bernstein,
Abner Mares at ringside, joined by Brian Custer
and Jim Gray. This is round number 4
to determine the first-ever
undisputed champion at 168. Plant busy with the jab
and going back downstairs. You know, the Caleb Plant
of a couple years ago would not set down on these
punches like he's doing now. He has gotten much better
at that. Right hand is low, though.
Has to be careful of that left hook
from Canelo. This is going to be
an interesting round because this is the round
where Canelo usually steps it up
a little bit more. Absolutely. And you listen to pundits,
and they would say that it would be
the onus on Plant to establish and win those early
rounds because of his technique because Canelo does take a while
to get started. Low output, high accuracy,
but once he figures you out, he breaks you down
and then defeats you. You know,
it's interesting. Plant is doing a little more
feinting now than Canelo, and we heard Eddy Reynoso
asking Canelo to feint. From a purely
activity standpoint, Plant has thrown 147 punches
to only 79 by Canelo. Not shocking, again,
for early in the fight. And yet Canelo's punches
are landing! [ Crowd cheering ] Plant trying
some gamesmanship, but, you know,
the little cut under the eye has shown a little bit
of wear and tear now. Oh, rips a left hook again.
And, Abner, again, it's that low output,
high accuracy. Canelo might not throw
a lot of punches, but he lands repeatedly. Yeah, and
he makes them count. Every single punch
that he throws is with bad intentions,
to the body. You know, he's breaking
you down, to the head. You know he's got
the one KO power. Again, Canelo, not --
He doesn't throw much, but everything accuracy, and it's man-to-man
to get... The interesting thing is, Plant is staying in the pocket
with him a little longer than I would have thought
he might early in this fight. Plant said he would bring
the fight to Canelo. Which, again,
looking at his style and how he's been successful and knowing the credentials
of Canelo... But you're right. Standing
right there in the pocket. Absorbs another body shot
from the pound-for-pound king before delivering a right hand
to the body of his own. Yeah, he's got to be
careful with that. But the investment being made
by Canelo to the body could reap huge dividends
sooner or later, Abner. Yeah, exactly,
because of, you know, the power
that Canelo carries, you know every punch is, you
know, meaningful and powerful. So Plant has to be careful
with that. If you're going to
catch a punch -- just like that -- you got to
come back with your own. Caleb Plant confident but then gets tagged
with a right hand, but yet doesn't seem to be
bothered by the moment, Al, very focused, sticking to
the jab and going downstairs. Good stuff through four rounds. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! ♪♪ ♪♪ Well, Caleb Plant
doesn't really want to be on the ropes too much,
and yet, though Canelo has done some very good work there,
not everything landing. And Plant is showing some pretty
good defensive skills here when he's on the ropes. A couple of those punches
getting in, but not perfectly, and he shows
a little bravado after that. Later on in the round,
Canelo able to be a little bit more effective
when he has Plant on the ropes. There's a beautiful
left hook. And the left hook of Canelo
has gotten there sometimes, but that one was really
an excellent shot. ♪♪ Comedian Dave Chappelle --
big fight fan. Constellation of stars
in attendance. [ Crowd cheering ] [ Indistinct shouting ] And, of course,
the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Alvarez, against the undefeated
Caleb Plant. And Plant plants himself
in the center of the ring and looks to establish
his bread-and-butter jab. Plant not being stationary,
changing his speeds, and now we're seeing
a plan that, hey, he's standing right
in the center of the ring, pushing Canelo a little bit
back, not all the way, but, hey, he has him
right there in the center. Plant just threw his
100th jab in this fight, so he's been committed
to that weapon for sure. Meanwhile, Canelo
with the huge advantage in terms of body shots landed, including that left hook
to the liver. Yeah, 21 landing for Canelo.
Only 5 for Plant. And Plant is not by nature
a body puncher. [ Crowd chanting "México!" ] Canelo looking to become the first Mexican
undisputed champion. He is 17-1-1
in title matches, Canelo. That's an
extraordinary record. Mora: No, no, no, no. Hold on.
You gotta get punches up. And Russell Mora
giving a little warning for keeping
his punches up. You can't pull
his head down, okay? You can't pull his head down.
You can't pull his head down. You good? You good?
Let's go. Let's go. Ranallo: Russell Mora
working his second consecutive big-time fight, worked the third match
between Fury and Wilder. Now a furious display
by Plant, feinting there
with the right hand. And Canelo doubling up
with the left hook, right hand to the body,
and another left by Canelo. And I think that's one
of the keys for Canelo, to double
with that left hook. Don't just throw one.
And that's what he's doing. And previous to that,
he timed Plant's jab, right? Like he did right there. He tried to time Plant's jab,
and he comes back in, but he's already inside
trying to work Canelo. Plant is very good
defensively and has proven to be a great
counterpuncher in his career. That right hand a little low,
not tattooed to his chin, and again Canelo coming with
that chopping right hand. But you know what? You know,
I was saying about that. But that's his style.
That's key... Well, against Canelo, he better
maybe think about altering it. It's there for the left hook,
but you're right. The shoulder roll,
he's doing a little bit. Yeah, he really is. Yeah, he's using the shoulder
roll very effectively. Some left hooks are
getting in great for Canelo, but not every one. Final 30 seconds
of the fifth. That left hand
was blocked by Plant. These are interesting -- And again, Canelo just following
him, unable to cut off the ring. But he does get him
ultimately against the ropes. It's just that he's got to
make something happen when he gets him there. [ Stick rapping ] [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! ♪♪ ♪ Y'all gonna
make me lose my mind ♪ Big deep breaths.
Big deep breaths. Bernstein: Russell Mora
would give -- after this, would give Canelo Alvarez
a warning on low blows. His head got pulled down,
and then the punch went low. So that's part of the factor
of a punch going low. Back-and-forth action
during the course of that round, and it was an interesting
and competitive round. That was one of
the left hooks that Canelo Alvarez
was able to get in. He tries to double it,
and Plant, what else, using the jab,
trying to get his right hand in. Did push Alvarez back and just
was enough to stop the action so that Canelo couldn't get
anything additional going. Seconds out! Let's go!
Seconds out! Mora: I gave him a warning.
I gave him a warning. [ Chatter ] Man:
Caleb, make him move! Ranallo: Perhaps some
gamesmanship from Canelo, standing in his corner
between rounds, as we begin round number 6. Bernstein: We saw that the cut
from the press conference getting a little bit
ugly-looking, and that's under the eye,
so we don't expect that to be something right now
that would endanger Plant, but it's showing
a little bit. Hand speed and combinations
from Caleb Plant. You know, every round,
Plant does the same thing. He comes out and right away
throws a bunch of combinations, trying to
establish himself. Canelo rips
a right-left combination. Plant utilizing
head movement, trying to take steam
off the punches from Canelo. Don't hit back there.
Let's go! Mares: Plant might not have
the power to stop Canelo from coming, but he does
have the momentum. He does have
the combinations to really set up points
and win rounds. And great defense. Yeah, his defensive work in
this fight's been pretty good. That was a nice left hook
by Canelo. Blocked. Mora: Stop! Let go. Bernstein: The Canelo jab
has, you know -- He's only thrown 37
in this fight, and I think he would
have liked to be throwing
a little bit more. Stiff jab splits the guard
by Plant. And then there's the jab
from Canelo that lands. Yeah, when he throws it,
it's effective. He doesn't do it enough. Lead right by Canelo. Chopping right hand grazing
off the forehead of Plant. [ Crowd cheering ] You can feel the wheels turning
in Canelo's head right now, and he's getting a little
more done offensively in the latter portion
of this round. Canelo predicted a knockout
before round 8 and just landed
that left hook upstairs. Plant comes back with
a left hand that misses. Under a minute remaining
in the sixth. You know what? I've noticed
something about Canelo. He might not be the best
at cutting off the ring, but he is the best
at putting the pressure. Once he gets in,
he makes you pay for it. And the jab
has made a difference in this round
for Canelo Alvarez. The jab
has helped him a lot, and I think this has been one
of his best rounds in the fight. Canelo predicted a knockout
before round 8, has never scored a KO -- The only round he hasn't
scored a KO is round 7. Feinting now from Canelo. Jab by Plant, pawing,
trying to keep Canelo at bay, trying to keep the pressure
off him, lands that jab. The pressure by Canelo,
and it continues to build as we go to round 7
here in Sin City. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! ♪♪ Ranallo:
Canelo got married in May. There's his wife, Fernanda. And there is Caleb Plant's
significant other, Jordan. Let's go, baby! Let's go, Caleb.
You're doing good. She, of course,
a television boxing reporter. And here is Canelo Alvarez
getting in with -- He uses the uppercut there
to get this straight jab done. And, you know, he landed some
power jabs in that last round, and I think that's one
of the elements of his arsenal right now that he wants
to use a little more. Interpreter:
Throw that right. You throw the right
when he crouches. ♪♪ [ Speaking Spanish ] Without breathing.
Just go. [ Speaking Spanish ] This is where we start
turning it on. Let's go. [ Bell dings ] Ranallo: We are at the halfway
point of this undisputed super middleweight title fight. Caleb Plant was visited
in his camp by Showtime Super Six
tournament winner Andre Ward, one of the best
168-pounders ever, along with the likes
of Joe Calzaghe. So many tremendous fighters have
competed in this weight class. Roy Jones launched his career
against James Toney. And now here's Plant and Canelo
going at it in the first 30 seconds
of the seventh. And I think this weight class
suits Canelo Alvarez. You know, he settled in
at this weight class. It's right where
he probably wants to be. And, yes, Andre Ward did visit
with Caleb Plant, and they -- Plant said that, you know, it wasn't like
a big training thing, but he just came in
to offer his support. Let's bring in our unofficial
scorer, Steve Farhood. Farhood:
Mo, pretty close fight, but I think Canelo
has some momentum now. There have only been two rounds
that I found difficult to score. I gave one to Plant
and one to Canelo. I have Canelo up 58-56, 4 rounds to 2
at the halfway mark. Ranallo: In round 6, Canelo
landed 14 total punches, the most he has landed
in any round, and beginning to build momentum,
as expected. It's now the second half
of the fight. This is when Canelo
really starts to cook. Mares: It's amazing
how he starts to show. It's like --
almost like Canelo knows. Oh, counter right hand
by Plant. Lead left hook upstairs
by Canelo. How Canelo knows that most
of these fighters, you know, he puts -- he applies
the correct pressure, and he knows that by the seventh
round, most of his opponents, he's going to have them
where he wants to. And the Caleb Plant check
left hook that, you know -- He tries to left hook
right there. Early in the fight,
we saw it flashing. It hasn't made its way into
action in the last few rounds. Alvarez kind -- I think kind of
trying to set a trap here. Well, and that's --
We've seen this before. He gives you --
He lulls you into that false sense of security
and then counters effectively, but here imploring Plant
to bring the fight. You can tell that Plant
is not falling for that. Well, he's studied.
He knows Canelo Alvarez. -He definitely is.
-There's a reason. 30 seconds left
in the seventh. -Let's see it.
-Clash of heads. Okay. Watch your head. Canelo Alvarez is concentrating
on getting the right angle to throw
that left hook from. The shoulder roll has been
kind of effective for Plant, and the left hook
hasn't always landed, but he's trying to find
the right angle for that. And now the counter right hand
by Plant that scored. And then there's a left hook
to the body by Canelo. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! [ Crowd cheering ] ♪♪ [ Speaking Spanish ] Here's where we had
the clash of heads. He's again looking for
that angle for the left hook, trying to get to the right,
and their heads came together. Luckily nobody --
Yeah, luckily, no one was cut, but, yeah, that hurt. Canelo got the worst of that.
And so did -- Well, Plant, too. They both were stung by it. Those cuts can wear.
They can wear anybody down. The body shots
and taps on your arm. So...
Up top. Make sure that you're doing
your best to tie him up when he cuts in, okay? Alright? You got to come from here. Hey.
I won that round. I know. Hey. Take this hand
and tie him up. Open that left hand up
on the inside. Alright? Keep working, man. ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] Ranallo: Round number 8. Plant just two years younger
than Canelo Alvarez, and yet Alvarez has almost
four times the career rounds and a much more superior level
of competition on his résumé. There's a double left hook
to the body and then upstairs, but Plant is standing guard. He's standing his ground,
Abner. Mares: Yeah, no,
we talked about -- And we talked about
he being -- He would have to
eventually fight. And he is. He's trying, but
again, it's not so much that. It's Canelo already
changing the game plan, sitting down on his punches
now even more. Mora: Stop!
Let go, let go. Let go, Plant! Okay, stop!
Let go, let go. Ranallo:
Gamber talked about the fact that, yeah, Plant has the reach, but it's how you utilize
that advantage. A minute gone
here in the eighth. Bernstein:
We've certainly seen a change
in momentum in this fight. How dramatic it is and how
the judges are seeing it, we don't know,
but Alvarez's, you know, pressure has been better. Alvarez Opening up on Plant.
They clench. Mora: Back up. And it's interesting
how we always mention that a boxer will always
give Canelo pause. It does, but again, Canelo is
a smart man about that, collects data
in the early rounds, and he's showing what -- He feels like he's got
Caleb Plant studied now, walking in a lot easier
than the previous rounds. Ranallo: The bigger they are,
the better Canelo fares. Kovalev gave him a lot
of trouble the first part, but then the eleventh round, Canelo winning
a light heavyweight belt knocking out Sergey Kovalev,
and he's done very well when faced with height
and reach disadvantages. Yeah, in the Callum Smith fight,
he totally dominated. You know, to give Plant his due,
Canelo Alvarez is not dominating this fight like he did
against Callum Smith. Plant has had good moments,
he's had good rounds, but things have,
you know, changed in terms of the momentum
of this fight. But he has proven
that he belongs here, as a belt holder at 168, again, against the biggest star
in the sport, consensus, pound-for-pound King Canelo. Mouse under the right eye
of Canelo -- no surprise,
with the jab of Plant. Mora: Let go. It is amazing to see the amount
of pressure that Canelo puts. Caleb, let go.
Stop! Let go. Ranallo: And that's another
thing. The fight wears on. We've seen in the past
where Caleb Plant has had stamina issues, where Canelo continues
to just keep rolling. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! ♪♪ [ Speaking Spanish ] Interpreter: Okay.
Hold on here. Let's go. Listen to me.
How are you feeling? Okay? [ Speaking Spanish ] Great. I'm feeling great. ♪♪ There's four more rounds left.
That's it. This is for your career.
This is for history. Let's go. You got to do it
with nice intelligence, okay? You're better than him.
You're getting a little desperate
when he holds onto you. Don't worry about that.
Keep with the game plan. Like we did in the gym
these last four rounds, okay? ♪♪ Nice and close, okay? And keep
feinting and keep moving away. Four more rounds. Let's go!
You have this! ♪♪ Mora:
Don't turn sideways, okay? Don't hit back here. Ranallo: Canelo Alvarez
bringing his power with him up in weight,
a four-division champion, was the youngest
154-pound champion. Again, we've mentioned
knocking off Sergey Kovalev for a 175-pound crown,
but he mentioned last year that he wanted to unify
the 168-pound titles and has a chance
to do it here tonight. You know, Plant normally
lands six jabs a round at the very least. He is not doing that
tonight. He's only landed about
30 jabs in this fight. Early he was landing them
at that rate. Then it stopped. Mares: Yeah, he forgot about
his jab completely, but again,
it's the pressure, the relentless pressure
that Canelo is putting that, you know, he makes Plant forget
about the jab, but, yeah. Yeah,
his relentless pressure usually makes
his opponents reckless. And the power punches --
I mean, you can see in that a decided advantage
for Canelo Alvarez, who is landing
a little bit less... Battering the body. ...a little bit less
percentage than normal. Past the opening minute
of the ninth, and the pressure is on. Canelo Alvarez tattooing
the body of Caleb Plant. Plant trying
to establish the jab, goes to the midsection with it. Another jab to the body but then eats
a left hook upstairs. But, again, the pressure
and the punches that Canelo throws,
some of them don't land, but he throws the punches
intentionally to the arms, and what that does
to a fighter, you know, it tenses you up.
It bruises you up really bad. You can't even
throw your hands. First counter right there
by Plant. He hasn't been able
to do that very much in the last three
or four rounds. Now Canelo is cutting off that
ring and keeping Caleb Plant there in the corner,
putting on the pressure. Plant, though, firing back. Left hook lands downstairs
for Canelo. But there's a right hand
delivered by Plant on the brink. This could be one
of the few rounds in which Canelo Alvarez has
thrown more punches than Plant. Yes, Plant not moving
as fast, as good as he was in
the first couple of rounds. Mora: Let go, Caleb.
Okay, stop! Let go. The body work, the pressure,
the relentless body work and pressure
is playing -- And there Caleb Plant
with a burst of activity. Those were some of the nicest
combinations he's thrown
in the recent rounds. And there was
a nice body combination, but a nice jab counter
by Plant. [ Bell dings ] Mora: Time! Plant had a better round
than the last round. I don't think this round -- I'm not saying he won it,
but he did better. Ranallo: "Iron" Mike Tyson
in attendance. He was a former undisputed
heavyweight champion. On a night where we will crown
the first-ever undisputed 168-pound champ. [ Crowd cheering ] ♪♪ Canelo <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>just </i>missing
with that right hand.</font> I'm surprised the avid golfer
didn't yell, "Fore!" with a swing like that. That wind, I think, affected some of the folks
in the first row. And later on in the round,
Caleb Plant did do some good
combination work. Now, not -- In fact, most of
those are blocked by Canelo. A right hand did get in, though,
and that punch was effective. Canelo just walking away
and resetting. [ Bell dings ] Ranallo:
Round number 10. Getting into the deep waters. Plant is 3-0
in 12-rounders. Canelo is 13-1-1, and so
a lot more experience for him. And the one fight
you talked about Plant having trouble in later
rounds was against Uzcátegui. In the recent fights
he's gone 12, he's had better stamina,
but... Canelo has corralled Plant
in the corner. Plant trying to escape.
Canelo clenching. Mora: No holding. Plant tried to do something
early on in the round, which was push Canelo back. Canelo is not the best fighter
moving back on his back foot, but, again, it's just so hard
to keep Canelo away. And yet Plant
standing his ground but continues to absorb
a barrage of body blows, trying to keep Canelo at bay
with the jab. And, you know, the thing
about Canelo Alvarez that's impressive is
he commits to the body and stays committed. -Stop!
-And he has in this fight. Let's bring in our unofficial
scorer, Steve Farhood. Mora: Okay, stop!
Let go. Farhood:
I have Canelo winning the last
six rounds in this fight. I think he's gained control. Plant's left hand doesn't seem
as effective as it was earlier. Canelo's power shots
against Plant's left hand. I've given those rounds
to Canelo. And the output,
the punch output of Plant has decreased
in these recent rounds, and Canelo Alvarez has,
in the last several rounds, thrown more than him,
which is, you know, different than
the early part of the fight. Mmm. It's those body shots
that Canelo throws. Yeah, he's so good
and committed to that. Ranallo: Being compared
to Julio Cesar Chavez, who's ringside doing
Spanish commentary. Of course, he was known
for his ferocious body work. And earlier this year,
in fact, to the summer, Julio Cesar Chavez in Mexico symbolically passed the torch
to Canelo as the great Mexican fighter
of his time. Of course,
Canelo could go down not only as
the greatest Mexican fighter, but one of the all-time greats. And putting on the pressure
here in round 10! In this round, he has found
a home for those body shots and some more of the left
hooks Canelo Alvarez has. And he has thrown 20-some
more punches than Plant. So that's important because
that activity is different. Plant, in the
championship rounds, will try to do whatever it takes
to try to solve Canelo, to try to alleviate
the pressure... [ Bell dings ] Time! ...if it's possible. ♪♪ Well, we talked about
how effective Canelo Alvarez is
to the body. And Plant trying to use the jab
and going downstairs himself, and he landed some
good shots to the body. But it was Canelo. There he goes downstairs
with the right hand, excellent body shot, and you could feel the impact
that had on Plant. And then later on in the round,
Alvarez again going downstairs. And Plant trying to do
his work downstairs. And then the uppercut
by Canelo. So Canelo Alvarez doing
some good work on the inside after Plant
did good work, as well. Imagine if you owned
the copyright to the uppercut. You'd be making
a lot of money tonight. Oh, my. Would you ever. Alright. We are headed into
the championship rounds of this historic contest
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Caleb Plant looking to remain
unbeaten and become undisputed, but he is going to have to try
to get past the pressure and the attack of Canelo. Yeah, one might ask,
what does Plant have to do now, you know,
to keep Canelo away? But now
it's almost impossible. You let Canelo land
vicious shots to the body, and Plant is not --
Ooh, he just got hurt. Oh, and Plant goes down for
the first time in his career! High drama in round 11! Mora:
Five, six, seven, eight! Come here. Put your hands up. You want to fight? Yeah. Okay. [ Crowd cheering ] Ranallo:
The coronation is complete! All hail King Canelo! Viva Mexico's
first undisputed champion! [ Crowd cheering ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Good job. You are a great fighter. [ Speaking indistinctly ]
I wanted to keep fighting. I know.
Hey. Come on. You are a great fighter.
Don't be sad. Don't be ashamed. You are a good fighter, man.
And I'm sorry for everything. But I know today
you are a man. [ Speaking indistinctly ]
I'm sorry for everything, okay? [ Chatter ] [ Plant speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ I wanted to keep fighting. ♪♪ Ranallo:
Two champions embracing, letting bygones be bygones, as Canelo Alvarez solidifies his place in history, the pound-for-pound king. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Cojones, corazón, campeón.
Canelo!</i></font> Bernstein: Yeah, a tremendous
performance by him. You know, I've been
doing boxing for 41 years, and moments like he just shared
with Caleb Plant, the emotion of them,
still astonishes me and makes me understand
what a great sport this is. Respect is earned
in the ring, Abner. Mares:
One hundred percent. Canelo putting --
People that doubted him, people that still
doubt him to this day, I just don't see why. He proves it up in the ring. He showed it tonight
against one of the best in this weight class,
a champion in Caleb Plant. He put the knockout. It was a script
that we've seen before in Canelo Alvarez's fights, where it takes him a little
while to figure it out. He starts to put the pressure on
and often gets late stoppages. Just like this crowd, Canelo's career
has reached its crescendo. [ Crowd cheering ] All hail the king
at super middleweight and the king of boxing! ♪♪ We'll revisit the success
that that man had in the eleventh round. It was a left hook
that started the problems. You know, he --
All night he's been looking for that one perfect
left hook. The uppercut then got
Caleb Plant in more trouble. That was
the first knockdown. And he'd been looking
all night for that left hook
to land perfectly. That one did. Yeah, and the reason
he couldn't get it in is the way that Plant stands --
That stance that he has, he usually does
the rolling of the shoulder, but he got caught flush
with that left hand. He followed it up with an
uppercut, and it hurt Caleb. Yeah, and that was the first
knockdown for Plant, and he was able to get up
from that but was shaky at best. And yet another look
at that knockdown. You know, Canelo Alvarez
cranks up those left hooks, and he'll keep throwing them until the one that he really
wants will land perfectly, and that's exactly
what happened. It took him until the eleventh
to land the perfect one, even though
he'd landed others, and this one,
it did in Caleb Plant, as -- First time he had never been
knocked down in his career. And it was the power of Alvarez
late in the fight that did it. And then --
Yeah, Canelo... He was in awful
trouble here. Canelo is one of
the few fighters that can carry his punch
all the way to 11, 12 rounds. A lot of fighters fade. And especially when you're
a pressure fighter, you know? But Canelo, you know,
is just a beast. He's the monster when it comes
to being a pressure fighter. And, you know, he mixed in
the jab during this sequence. And we talked about
the Canelo Alvarez jab being there sometimes
but not always tonight. But when he used it,
he was so effective. This is the second
knockdown. The right hand was there, and those right hands
were very powerful. Then he threw that -- He kept throwing
that straight jab in there, and the body caught was
the final coup de grâce. ♪♪ And Caleb Plant,
who fought valiantly and at times well
in this fight, just could not sustain
against this kind of pressure. ♪♪ And the straight right hand. Yeah, at that point he
was already too much hurt. He goes down. I mean, like you mentioned,
he fought a really good fight. He tried
to keep Canelo away. ♪♪ Ranallo:
In less than one year, Canelo Alvarez has unified all four 168-pound belts. King Canelo rules supreme. ♪♪ Happy moment for the family
and his wife and, you know --
and for this whole crowd. Bernard Hopkins,
Jermain Taylor, Terence Crawford,
Oleksandr Usyk, Josh Taylor, and now Canelo Alvarez. The sixth male
undisputed champion in the four-belt era, the first Mexican-born
undisputed champion. And as we look at the numbers,
the key numbers -- 41% of the power punches
landed. And those 53 body punches
helped wear down Caleb Plant. ♪♪ Let's make it official now
with Jimmy Lennon Jr. ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] Lennon: Ladies and gentlemen,
we have the time 1:05 in round number 11. Our referee in charge, Russell Mora,
stops the contest. He is the winner by way
of technical knockout. He is now boxing's
first-ever undisputed super middleweight champion
of the world. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>El orgulloso guerrero</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>de Guadalajara,
Jalisco, México!</i></font> SaÚl Canelo Alvarez! [ Crowd cheering ]
