Dmitry Bivol won in a unanimous decision over Canelo Alvarez to retain his WBA light heavyweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Using his height and longer reach to his advantage, the Kyrgyz-born Russian landed the cleaner and harder shots against Alvarez in a clinical display.

All three judges handed down scores of 115-113 in Bivol's favour despite what was largely a non-competitive fight.

Alvarez confirmed he would exercise his rematch clause and Bivol took no issue, believing the win solidifies his status in the division.

"No problem," Bivol said via translator post-fight. "I took this fight because I just wanted to get the opportunity and I appreciate this opportunity.

"I didn't fight for anything except getting the fight.

"I'm ready for the rematch, I just want to make sure that I can be treated like the champion now."

Bivol moved to 20-0 with his ninth consecutive title defence, while it marks the second official defeat of Alvarez's career in his return to light heavyweight following 2013's majority-decision loss to Floyd Mayweather.

Dmitry Bivol accepts he may not win any popularity contests in Las Vegas on Saturday night, but the Russian believes he can triumph in the ring against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

The WBA light heavyweight belt will be on the line at the T-Mobile Arena when the fighters, both 31, go head to head in Sin City.

Mexican superstar Canelo (57-1-2) can expect strong support, while Bivol may find it in short supply.

This is a fight that some feel should not be happening, with Wladimir Klitschko having told the BBC in March that Bivol should be "forbidden from fighting in America", due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Klitschko's brother, Vitali, is mayor of Kyiv.

The WBC, IBF and IBO have said they will not sanction fights that feature boxers from Russia or Belarus, but the WBA is not taking the same stance.

Even without that factor hanging over the fight, Bivol would reasonably expect Canelo to have comfortably the greater support this weekend, given his status as a regular Vegas venue filler.

Bivol (19-0) is a 31-year-old who aligns himself just as closely to Kyrgyzstan as he does to Russia, and he is the belt holder.

While Canelo is dominant at super middleweight, stepping up from the 168lbs division to 175lbs brings with it its own challenges. He is targeting undisputed champion status in the division.

Canelo told Stats Perform: "I feel good, I feel great. Like always, I trained 100 per cent. I'm ready for Saturday.

"I feel I am at my best in 168lbs. But I'm always around 180lbs in my normal life. So I feel good. It's a challenge for me, but in this period I would love to be undisputed in 175lbs too."

Bivol will be taking on a fighter widely regarded as the pound-for-pound number one, so to beat Canelo would be the ultimate scalp.

"I don't think about whether I will be the best or something else, I just have to beat him," Bivol told Stats Perform. "I just believe in my skills, and we will see what will happens after, and then we will think about who's the best."

Should he prevail, Bivol will give greater thought about where that puts him in boxing's current pantheon.

"Of course it means I can be the best and I've realised my potential," he said. "That's what it means. We will be glad, but I don't think about the result now. I'm only thinking about the fight and not the result."

Canelo is expected to tackle Gennady Golovkin later in the year, completing a trilogy.

His status is such that Bivol is admiring of the Mexican, albeit determined to send him to the canvas. 

"He's the most popular of my opponents, I can 100 per cent say, this is one of the most known opponents," Bivol said.

BIvol is braced for the rare experience of not being a fight favourite on Saturday night, and said: "It's motivated me, and it's a new challenge for me."

Gennadiy Golovkin says a third fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez remains "possible" but no progress has been made over a potential trilogy.

Golovkin and Canelo's first battle ended in a split-decision draw in September 2017 before the Mexican superstar contentiously won the rematch on points 12 months later.

There has been plenty of talk about a third fight, but it has not yet come to fruition.

Canelo is set to chase a title in a fifth weight class after the WBC approved his request to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu for the cruiserweight championship.

The 31-year-old made history with a brutal 11th-round knockout of Caleb Plant in their blockbuster unification showdown on November 6 – becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion.

Golovkin's next assignment is a fight with Ryota Murata in Japan on December 29.

The 39-year-old Kazakh middleweight icon believes another fight with Canelo could happen, but is not on the cards as it stands.

He told Sky Sports: "This fight is possible. Theoretically nothing has changed.

"There are certain questions which have been posed. They are still open, they remain unanswered.

"We have been discussing it but haven't moved towards this fight for quite some time. You are interested because he beat all the UK fighters! But it is of no concern to me."

What Golovkin is certain of is that he will not be moving into a different weight division.

"I don't want to entertain moving to a different division unless there is an offer on the table," he added.

"Imagine if I moved to 175lbs [light-heavyweight], the number of people calling me out will increase by 30 per cent!

"The army of fighters who self-promote themselves by using my name would only increase in number."

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is set to chase a title in a fifth weight class after the WBC approved his request to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu for the cruiserweight championship.

Canelo etched his name in the history books courtesy of a brutal 11th-round knockout of previously unbeaten IBF holder Caleb Plant in their blockbuster unification showdown on November 6 – the Mexican superstar becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion.

After sweeping the division with his WBC, WBC and WBO belts, plus the IBF crown, Canelo (57-1-2) is looking to make the step up to become a five-division champion.

Canelo has never competed at cruiserweight, but the 31-year-old is now in line to meet Congolese champion Makabu (28-2), who has won nine consecutive fights dating back to 2016.

"I know ... what he has done with the heavyweights he spars with, and that is why we asked for the fight," Reynoso told ESPN Deportes.

"We know that [Makabu] is strong, but Canelo can beat him. ... Many may say that it is crazy, but they also said that it was crazy when Canelo was junior middleweight champion and we were looking for middleweights, super middleweight, light heavyweights.

"I have a lot of confidence in Canelo. He is very strong and has many qualities, and I know that he is going to win that fight."

Manny Pacquiao hailed Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez as the "pound-for-pound king" after the Mexican beat Caleb Plant to become the first undisputed world super middleweight champion.

Canelo knocked out previously unbeaten IBF champion Plant in the 11th round of their blockbuster showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday to cement his place in the record books.

The 31-year-old added Plant's belt to the WBA Super, WBC an WBO titles he already held, a clean sweep that has never before been achieved by a Mexican boxer.

He is just the sixth fighter since the WBO began sanctioning world title bouts in 1988 to hold all four of the belts.

Pacquiao won world titles across eight weight classes during his career and was among those to salute Canelo, who is now 57-1-2 on the back of a largely one-sided contest.

"Congratulations to the pound-for-pound king, Canelo, on making boxing history as the first undisputed super middleweight champion ever," Pacquiao posted on Twitter. 

"Plant put up a great fight but Canelo is just too good. Boxing is in great hands."

Canelo went on the offensive from the off at MGM Grand and wore down Plant before brutally stopping his opponent with one minute and five seconds of the 11th round remaining.

It was Canelo's third stoppage win of 2021 as he further cemented his status as a boxing great.

WBC Interim world lightweight champion Joseph Diaz said: "What a fight, Canelo always closes! Respect to both fighters. 

"Plant put on a great fight. We're witnessing true greatness what Canelo is doing in his career." 

Plant more than held his own in the early rounds and was embraced in the ring by Canelo at the end of the fight.

That was in stark contrast to two months ago when the pair were involved in a physical altercation during a media conference to announce the fight.

Canelo revealed at the time the scuffle was down to a comment made by Plant regarding his mother, but he is nevertheless full of respect for his opponent.

"We don't have to take anything away from Caleb Plant. He's a great fighter and he made a great effort tonight," he said at his post-fight news conference.

"But in the end we came out with the win. That's all that matters really. So even though we had that frustration in the first five rounds the second half of the fight was ideal.

"He told me afterwards that he wanted to keep fighting and he also wanted to apologise to me and he didn't mean what he said about my mum. He was truly sorry about that. 

"I told him: 'Look, it's OK. It's water under the bridge.' I told him he was a great man and also that some day I hope he will have a great family as well. 

"I can only wish the best for him. In the fight we have to hurt each other but, in the end, we're all human and we want the best for each other."

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez revelled in his history-making performance after becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion at the expense of Caleb Plant.

Canelo etched his name in the history books courtesy of his brutal 11th-round knockout of previously unbeaten IBF champion Plant in their blockbuster unification showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The aggressor, Canelo sniffed blood in the penultimate round after flooring Plant (21-1) and the Mexican superstar hunted down his opponent before landing the killer blow to sweep the division with his WBA, WBC and WBO belts, plus the IBF crown.

Canelo, 31, is the first Mexican to achieve the feat and sixth fighter since the WBO began sanctioning world title bouts in 1988 to hold all four boxing belts.

"It signifies so much in the history of Mexico to be an undisputed champion," Canelo said post-fight after improving his professional record to 57-1-2.

"There's only six. It keeps me happy, very motivated to be one of six undisputed champions of the world."

"It hasn't been easy to get to this point, but with your support, my family, my team, we've gotten really far," Canelo said.

"This is for everybody, especially for Mexico."

Canelo added: "He was making things a little difficult, but [trainer] Eddy [Reynoso] told me, 'Let's keep with the game plan in the last two rounds here.

"And in the end, I got him. That's the way it had to finish. He was already hurt, and I went in for the kill."

There was plenty of tension heading into the highly anticipated clash at MGM Grand after the pair were involved in a physical altercation during September's news conference.

Canelo and Plant were more civil in the week leading up to the fight, and the duo shared a warm embrace at the conclusion of their contest.

"My respect to Caleb Plant," said Canelo. "He's a very difficult fighter with a lot of ability. I do respect the fighter.

"We're men at the end. He wanted to continue. I said, 'There's no shame. We had a great fight today'."

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez became the first undisputed super middleweight champion in boxing history after knocking out Caleb Plant in the 11th round of their blockbuster showdown.

All eyes were on Las Vegas for Saturday's unification bout between WBA, WBC and WBO holder Canelo and unbeaten IBF champion Plant.

Canelo (57-1-2) claimed a clean sweep of the division belts after a merciless KO of Plant at MGM Grand, where the Mexican superstar inflicted a first professional defeat on the American.

The aggressor, Canelo had a sniff of blood in the penultimate round after flooring Plant (21-1) and that was all he needed as he hunted down his opponent before landing another knockdown.

Canelo was on the hunt from the very first bell, holding his ground and seeking an opening as Plant fought off the hunter with his jabs.

Working the body was the theme for Canelo, who put Plant under mounting pressure in the second round, though the latter went to work quickly in the third with a jab and hook.

Plant continued to move well but there was no escaping Canelo as he used a combination to lay into the former in the fourth.

A lack of power was problematic for Plant, who did not have enough on his punches to back off Canelo and really hurt him.

While Plant was still throwing punches, Canelo was simply unbothered on the hunt with a hard uppercut.

Canelo rocked Plant in the sixth round, backing him into the ropes before a three-punch combo put the three-belt champion in a powerful and brutal rhythm.

Amid a restless crowd, Canelo wore down Plant as he gave his opponent little room to breathe while maintaining his aggressive approach heading into the 10th round.

It all came to a head in the 11th as Canelo flexed his muscles to write his name in the history books.

Amid a rash of shock results in the ring, it would unquestionably top the lot if Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez were to lose against Caleb Plant on Saturday night.

Yordenis Ugas and Oleksandr Usyk were big underdogs before they scotched victory hopes for Manny Pacquiao and Anthony Joshua, respectively.

But neither was quite the outsider with the bookmakers that undefeated Plant has been made for this Las Vegas showdown, when a first four-belt unification of the super middleweight belts goes on the line.

Mexican superstar Canelo (56-1-2) is boxing's pound-for-pound number one and the holder of the WBA, WBC and WBO titles in the division.

Standing in his way at the MGM Grand will be IBF champion Plant (21-0), a 29-year-old from Tennessee who goes by the nickname 'Sweethands'. Canelo is an overwhelming, practically unbackable, odds-on favourite.

A news conference featuring the fighters in September saw the pair involved in a physical altercation, but that will be tame compared to the battle that lies ahead, with Plant adamant he can be the latest to upend a massive favourite.

Plant said this week: "I've dedicated my life to this sport. We're happy to be here, but we're not happy just to be here; we're here to win those belts and become the first undisputed super middleweight of all time.

"I think he knows he's got someone in front of him who's not just here to hand his belt over, not just here to pick up a cheque, but is here to get those belts. That's exactly what I'm here to do.

"I've been the underdog ... maybe this is the third time in my career. It's a place I like to be. But fighting for the first undisputed super middleweight championship of the world, you don't need much more than that. I'm focused, I'm locked in, I'm ready, I'm relaxed and I'm calm. The way I see this fight turning out is [ring announcer] Jimmy Lennon saying, '..and the new undisputed and still undefeated...'."

When it comes to the odds, and all the pre-fight talk, Plant is unmoved by the favouring of Canelo to get the job done.

"People are gonna say what they're gonna say, but they don't get the end say, and I get the end say," Plant said. "I can't focus on what other people have to say about me or what they say I can accomplish. If I had listened to them to begin with, I wouldn't even be here.

"I'm focused on the game-plan and focused on what I've got to do. What people say or odds makers... that has nothing to do with me and that's none of my business.

"By any means necessary, I've gotten here. I've had chances to bow out or step away and to say, 'I'm done, I've had enough', and I haven't, so for Saturday night I just can't wait for the bell to ring. This is history and you're looking at him and his name is Caleb Plant."

When it comes to showtime, Canelo will take some stopping, however.

"We have come a long way to make this happen, and we are just days away from making history," Canelo said.

RECENT HISTORY

Canelo was too strong for Billy Joe Saunders when he fought the British fighter in Arlington, Texas in May, leaving his opponent with a broken eye socket and cheekbone broken in three places. Saunders retired after the eighth round of that tussle, handing over the WBO strap.

Plant has not fought since defeating Caleb Truax on points in January. He took that fight 120-108 on all three scorecards, winning every round. His target after the fight was the winner of Canelo versus Saunders, and now that fight is here.

TALE OF THE TAPE

CANELO ALVAREZ

Age: 31
Height: 5ft 8 (173cm) 
Weight: 168lbs
Reach: 70.5 ins
Professional record: 56-1-2 (38 KOs) 
Major career titles: Reigning WBA, WBC and WBO champion

CALEB PLANT

Age: 29
Height: 6ft 1ins (185cm) 
Weight: 167lbs
Reach: 74 ins
Professional record: 21-0 (12 KOs) 
Major career titles: Holder of IBF belt

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez said he is focused on becoming an all-time great as the Mexican star prepares for his unification showdown with Caleb Plant.

Canelo (56-1-2) will put his WBA, WBC and WBO belts on the line against unbeaten IBF champion Plant (21-0) in Saturday's blockbuster clash in Las Vegas.

Ahead of his historic tilt at the undisputed super middleweight crown, Canelo made clear his intentions in the final news conference before the mouth-watering bout.

"That's the goal, to be an all-time great," Canelo said during Wednesday's news conference, with the winner to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion in the four-belt era. "I'm so proud of trying to achieve that.

"I'm never going to stop until I try my best to be one of the all-time greats. Only one thing goes through my mind, and that's winning.

"That's the only thing I'm concerned about. Everything else is beyond me. The only thing I care about is what's going to happen inside the ring on Saturday night."

Canelo added: "The fact that I can make history this weekend along with Formula One driver Sergio Perez, is very motivating for me. My goal is to make this an unbelievable weekend for Mexico."

The midweek meeting was much more civil than September's news conference after the pair were involved in a physical altercation.

"People are going to say what they're going to say. But I get the final say and I can't wait to prove everything in the ring. I can't focus on what other people say about me. If I listened to the doubters, I wouldn't even be here," American boxer Plant said.

"I've been the underdog before. It's a place I like to be. I like people rooting against me. It gives me extra motivation, but when you're fighting Canelo for undisputed status, you don’t need much more motivation than that.

"Make sure you tune in. This isn't just the biggest fight of the year, but you're tuning in to witness history when I get crowned the undisputed super middleweight champion."

Meanwhile, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is eyeing a sensational boxing clash with Canelo.

Usman – riding a wave of 14 straight victories, the second most in history – flagged the idea ahead of Saturday's UFC 268 in New York, which would be reminiscent of mixed-martial arts star Conor McGregor's boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.

McGregor lost to undefeated five-division world champion Mayweather via a 10th-round TKO.

"I think that's something that [would be] the biggest ever in history," Usman said, speaking ahead of Saturday's UFC 268 in New York. "That's what I'm looking to do. That's something that scares me. That's something that gets me up in the morning. That's something that I might risk leaving my daughter for another 12 weeks for.

"He's a master of his craft," Usman said of Canelo. "He's used to these boxers. He's used to the boxing speed and the boxing movements and things like that. We're different. Sometimes different can be good. What's wrong with giving him a different look? Of course, it's a tall tree to climb, but we saw what happened the last time I was the underdog."