Canelo Knocks Out Caleb Plant To Become Boxing's First Ever Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion

The coronation is complete.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez reigns supreme.

The Mexican fan favourite has defeated Caleb Plant with an 11th round knockout to become the first ever undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super middleweight champion.

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With the momentum swinging in Canelo's favour, he ended up securing two huge knockdowns in the later rounds, at which point the referee decided he had seen enough.

The courageous defeat brings an end to Plant's undefeated streak, while Canelo further cemented himself as boxing's pound-for-pound king.

It was always going to be a technical fight, but Plant looked slick in the opening rounds.

The American's jab seemed to be causing Canelo all sorts of issues and he was managing to avoid some of the big body shots coming his direction.

But given Canelo's experience, the Mexican was always going to take control - which he ultimately did.

As time went on, Canelo began to take the bout by the scruff of the neck as he marched forward with combos which Plant simply couldn't see coming.

His devastating left hooks, which Plant had managed to avoid in the opening rounds, were finally finding their target.

Importantly for Canelo, though, his impeccable defence meant Plant was chasing shadows.

The scorecards were in the Mexican's favour heading into the 11th round, meaning if Plant stood any chance of a last-gasp win then he'd have to land a knockout blow.

But if truth be told, he didn't come close.

Smelling that a knockout was in sight, Canelo piled on the pressure and landed a barrage of clean blows that sent the American falling into the ropes and crashing to the canvas.

"It hasn't been easy to get to this point," Canelo said in his in-ring interview.

"With your support, my family and my team, we got very far. This is for everybody, especially for Mexico.

"I have respect for Caleb Plant. He is a very difficult fighter and has a lot of ability. I definitely respect him.

"We are men at the end [of the day]. He wanted to still fight and compete but, of course, there is no shame. He told me he's sorry about the motherf**ker incident and he didn't mean it like that. I told him everything is OK and to keep going."

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The victory puts the 31-year-old in the history books, becoming the first ever undisputed super middleweight champ.

Prior to the first bell, Canelo invited some pressure by calling the fight against Plant the most important of his decorated boxing career.

And when it mattered most, he came out on top.

Topics: Boxing News, Boxing, Caleb Plant, Canelo, Knockout, Australia, Canelo Alvarez

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry