The Boxing Diary

Views and Opinions

Monday, November 8, 2021

Views and Opinion: Canelo vs Plant

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez knocked out Caleb Plant in the 11th round to unify the 168-pound division. He became the first undisputed four-belt super middleweight world champion in boxing history on Saturday night.

Plant's downfall started when Canelo landed a left hook to the head followed by a right and then a left uppercut that forced him to touch his gloves on the canvas. Plant stood right away running towards the corner wobbly. Canelo, a brutal punisher who carried his power even in the championship rounds finished Plant with a leaping left hook and chase him with finishing blows to the head.

In the first half of the fight, I observed that Plant has no match with Canelo's power. Although Plant had a boxing style that posed problems for Canelo earlier in his career, he seemed to be not so polished with his execution. I noticed also that he seemed to wait too much before mounting his offense. In most sequences, he waited for Canelo to be in position before he initiates his combinations. There were rounds that Plant threw combinations and then move away. That was very effective, but he was not able to execute the same with consistency. This must be because of the tremendous pressure Canelo imposed. 

With the above observations, I thought it was just a matter of time for Canelo's hook or an uppercut to find its homerun. Canelo seemed not bothered with Plant's power. He confidently walked down Plant and fired shots after shots on what is available to hit with Plant on the "Philly Shell" defensive stance. Canelo also made good investments to the body that later on paid as Plant head started to fall expecting a body shot and the hooks to the head started to connect at will. 

What would be next for Canelo? Will he move up to 175 again? 


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