Boxing picks: Canelo vs Plant betting odds and predictions
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Jack Green makes his prediction as Canelo Alvarez looks to become the undisputed super middleweight champion against Caleb Plant in Las Vegas.
Canelo vs Plant odds
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez can become the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world on Saturday night when he takes on Caleb Plant in Las Vegas.
Alvarez – a four-weight world champion – last boxed in May, when he stopped Billy Joe Saunders in the eighth round to add the WBO super middleweight belt to his WBA, WBC and The Ring titles.
The Mexican is now unbeaten in 15 fights (with one draw) since he suffered the first and only loss of his career against Floyd Mayweather back in September 2013.
Pound-for-pound, he’s the consensus No. 1 fighter in the world and represents a massive test for Plant, the undefeated IBF champion.
Plant won his world title against Jose Uzcategui back in January 2019, and he’s since defended the belt successfully on three occasions, most recently beating Caleb Truax by unanimous decision last January to move to 21-0.
The American proved he’s a world-level fighter with that performance, winning 120-108 on all three judges’ scorecards, but he enters this meeting with Alvarez as a +625 underdog in the boxing odds.
Canelo, meanwhile, is the heavy favorite at -1000 to add the final super middleweight title to his collection.
Canelo vs Plant prediction
Plant deserves respect for how impressive he’s been since he became a world champion, and particularly for the ease with which he dominated Truax, a former world champion who beat James DeGale back in 2017.
Unfortunately for the American, though, it’s hard to see a path to victory for him against the seemingly unstoppable Alvarez.
Canelo has been in supreme form since he earned a win and a (controversial) draw from his back-to-back super fights against Gennady Golovkin between 2017 and 2018.
He’s seen off Rocky Fielding and Avni Yildirim with third-round knockouts, beaten a trio of quality world champions in Saunders, Callum Smith and Daniel Jacobs, and even stepped all the way up to light heavyweight to take Sergey Kovalev’s IBF world title.
With elite speed, accuracy, footwork and power, Canelo has a set of skills that nobody at super middleweight or any other division can match.
Plant is an excellent technical boxer who uses his quick jab from the outside to keep his opponent at range. He’s a great counter puncher, luring in more aggressive fighters before living up to his ‘Sweethands’ nickname with fast combinations.
Canelo’s fight IQ is on a different level to anyone that Plant has faced so far, though. He showed against Saunders what he can do to a world-level counter puncher with fast hands, overcoming a strong start by the Brit to land a devastating uppercut that broke an orbital bone in Saunders’ right eye and ended the fight.
It would be no surprise if Plant starts well on Saturday night, but eventually Canelo’s power and accuracy will tell.
A late stoppage is the likeliest outcome, with Canelo to win in rounds 7-12 and 10-12 both looking like strong plays.
