CANELO ALVAREZ and Caleb Plant will fight it out to crown the first-ever undisputed super-middleweight champion.
Canelo will put his WBC, WBA and WBO belts on the line over the weekend in Las Vegas, while Plant offers up his IBF strap and unbeaten record.
And if the prospect of having all four world titles on the line was not enough, their brawl in the pre-fight press conference ramped up the intrigue some more.
It seems to be a celebration of excellence whenever Canelo steps foot in the ring, but Plant is the next man to have his say in that.
Here, SunSport breaks down how the rivals compare ahead of of the mega-unification bout.
SPEED
Canelo is one of the most destructive combination punchers in the sport, letting fly with beautiful shots in numbers.
But his speed is not always eye-catching, as he instead focuses more on accuracy and timing.
It means Plant may well have the edge in the pure pace of his shots, as the American does tend to put them together nicely.
He sets up his attacks behind his jab, closes the distance and then throws scoring combinations.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
POWER
There is only one winner here, and that is Canelo.
The Mexican has devastating power, which has seen him score 38 knockouts in his 56 wins.
Specifically his left hooks and right hands do the most damage, and it is not hard to see why when you watch his training videos on the heavy bag.
Plant comes into the fight knowing Canelo’s last opponent Billy Joe Saunders was left with FOUR face fractures after a brutal uppercut in round eight.
But the underdog does have 12 KOs of his own in 21 wins, although he has more stoppages than one-punch finishes.
EXPERIENCE
Not many other fighters can claim to have more experience than Canelo, who amazingly turned professional at just 15.
At 31, while somehow still improving, he is a 59-fight veteran who has won titles from light-middleweight up to light-heavyweight.
He has also shared the ring with some of the best in his era, including Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin and Sergey Kovalev.
And his only blemish – as a 23-year-old in 2013 – against Mayweather proved a turning point in his career, as he seemed to adapt and improve his style thereafter.
Plant, 29, is also yet to face an opponent of world class standard, despite an impressive win against Jose Uzcategui to win the title in his coming out party.
RECORD
On the surface, one may look at Plant’s undefeated 21-0 record and take confidence that he does not know how to lose.
But when you look at the names on Canelo’s resume, it is hard to compare it with anyone else’s.
And having beaten the best from 154-168lb, there is not a style Alvarez is yet to come across.
Plant will look at the fact Canelo was beaten by a slick operator in Mayweather, a style he has similarly displayed in his career.
But Saunders was another to have had a good reputation for the sweet science, and he returned home with a busted eye.
PHYSIQUE
Plant carries in a height and reach advantage, standing 6ft 1in compared to 5ft 9in Canelo, and has an almost four inch reach advantage.
But Alvarez has fought as high as 175lb, when in November 2019 he knocked out Sergey Kovalev to win the WBO title.
He has also given away height and reach before and had no problem marching down 6ft 3in Callum Smith in December 2020 to dominate over 12 rounds.
But Plant will need to use every bit of his length to keep Canelo on the end of his jab and avoid the distance being closed down.
Alvarez is also a master at educated pressure, blocking and slipping shots as he walks forward, also leaning his head in as a bait to then counter off.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
