Canelo Alvarez v Caleb Plant preview: Undisputed status awaits the winner of blockbuster bout

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez seeks to complete his assault on the super-middleweight division with victory over Caleb Plant, who holds the last remaining belt in the weight class, the IBF, with Canelo currently in possession of the WBA (Super), WBC, and WBO versions.

For the first time in the four-belt era, an undisputed champion will be crowned at super-middleweight on Saturday night, and just the fifth time across all weight classes in the men’s division.

Read on for our preview of a landmark occasion in boxing history.

Bad blood

Often known for a cool, calm, and collected approach to his fights, Canelo has been noticeably agitated in the build-up to this fight, with certain comments made by Plant seemingly getting under the skin of the pound-for-pound number one.

The fight itself has drawn much interest from the wider sporting community after a video from the same press conference went viral with Plant launching a right-hook at Canelo when the two faced-off – Canelo ducked it and fired back a left-hook of his own, which has caught the imagination of the public after Plant’s face seemed to swell in the hours following the altercation.

Canelo has stated that there is now ‘extra motivation’ in this fight and that it’s ‘personal’ between him and Plant, a dangerous prospect given what happened in the Mexican’s last bout against Billy Joe Saunders, who himself is no stranger to a taunt in the lead-up to a fight.

And it was the travelling Englishman who was punished when the two met earlier this year; a vicious uppercut from Canelo in the eighth round fractured Saunders’ orbital bone and he was forced to retire on his stool before coming out for the ninth.

Will Canelo look to inflict a similar pattern of violence against Plant this weekend?

Canelo the heavy favourite

It’s been over eight years and 15 consecutive fights since Canelo lost in a professional boxing ring, and that defeat was to arguably the greatest fighter of all-time in Floyd Mayweather.

That said, it’s no surprise that Canelo finds himself a 1/10 favourite to win this bout despite the magnitude of the occasion, with his opponent 13/2 to get the win and the draw priced at 22/1.

Canelo has produced a stoppage in four of his last six fights, and William Hill have enhanced a victory for the Mexican between Rounds 1-6 from 5/2 to 3/1.

A Canelo victory by KO TKO or DQ at any stage during the fight is 1/2, with Plant priced as high as 18/1 to do the same, while the decision prices for both fighters are 21/10 and 11/1 respectively.

Check out all the latest boxing betting odds at William Hill