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GGG, Kovalev and Cotto: Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's best five fights

Canelo celebrates stoppage of Saunders as he unifies super middleweight division

Canelo could become a five-division world champion by next year after turning his attentions to fighting at cruiserweight...

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is seen as untouchable in boxing.

Having started off as a welterweight at the age of 15, Canelo has gone on to win world titles in four divisions and is now the undisputed champion at super middleweight.
The Mexican dispatched Caleb Plant in the 11th round - as predicted by Planet Sport prior to the fight - and became the first fighter to hold all four major titles at 168lbs.
Ilunga Makabu is set to be his next opponent at cruiserweight for the WBC world title on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2022. To celebrate his greatness in the ring, we pick out his five best wins so far...

Sergey Kovalev - November 2019

Canelo stepped up two weight divisions to face the 36-year-old Koralev in Las Legas.

It was a fight which did not really take off until the latter rounds. Canelo had shown plenty of menace against his older opponent, but had not managed to close the distance enough early on to make his power shots count.

Kovalev landed a few of his right hands in the ninth as he looked to take the Mexican the distance. Canelo though had other ideas and in the 11th round he produced a brutal knockout.
Canelo had landed 37% of his punches thrown when a chopping right hand buzzed his opponent. With a minute of the penultimate round to go he followed up with a left hook, before landing a punishing right hand on the chin of the Russian.
It left Kovalev crumpled up on the ropes and no hope of getting up. The referee waved off the contest immediately and Canelo became the light heavyweight champion of the world.
The victory for Canelo meant he had won world titles in four weight divisions and he did so against a man who was fighting his 16th consecutive world title fight.

Genady Golovkin rematch - September 2018

Alvarez inflicted a first career defeat on Gennady Golovkin in their Las Vegas rematch. It was the Mexican's first fight since serving a six-month drugs ban.
After a split-draw in their first fight in September 2017, the second scrap proved just as close.
It proved to be a high-class slugging contest in which both men fought in the centre of the ring. Neither man gave an inch and the scorecards saw Canelo (115-113, 114-114, 115-113) victorious.
Canelo claimed a brutal final two rounds to take the fight away from the Kazakhstan fighter.
Canelo's mother was pictured praying at ringside after a ninth round which both men landed heavy shots. And Golovkin clearly got the better of Canelo in the 10th when he landed a left hook which shook the Mexican to his boots. He was clearly stunned but recovered quickly and saw the round out.
According to the stats, Golovkin threw and landed more punches, but Canelo landed at a higher percentage.
Golovkin came on strong in the second half of the fight, landing 70 power shots over the last six rounds after only 46 in the first half of the fight. He took the 11th round on the cards, but Canelo stepped up in the final round and took the fight away from Golovkin in what was an enthralling contest.

Amir Khan - May 2016

Amir Khan later revealed Canelo's punches were like "being hit with a baseball bat" after being brutally knocked out by him in 2016.

Khan, 29, had jumped two weight divisions to challenge Canelo and was attempting to complete one of the biggest shocks abroad by a British boxer.

And the Brit was ahead in the contest with his superior speed and movement frustrating Canelo until the sixth round.

Khan's more flashy combinations were scoring but were not hurting his opponent. The fight changed in the fifth when a left-right combination hurt Khan.
But when Khan switched off for a split second in the sixth he was tagged by his visibly bigger opponent.
Khan was flummoxed by Canelo fainting the jab and he landed a thunderous right hand on the jaw of Khan which knocked him out.
Canelo was quickly on his knees checking his opponent and Khan eventually got to his feet, and later referred to the "monster punch" which had floored him.

Miguel Cotto - November 2015

Canelo beat Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto on a unanimous points decision in Las Vegas to win the WBC world middleweight title.
Alvarez's quicker hands and harder punching power were the difference in the bout. The pair showed respect for each other from the off, but Canelo stunned his opponent in the third round with a sweet right hook.
Cotto took the next round with some smart combinations, but it was Canelo's power which was evident as the fight progressed.
It was a shoot-out which Canelo was noticeably getting the better off and he tried to get Cotto out of there in the final round. Despite being ahead on the cards, Canelo pushed for the stoppage.
A body shot hurt Cotto and that signaled an onslaught from Canelo, but Cotto's conditioning was superb and with a granite-like chin he survived to hear the bell.
There was no doubting the winner though with the scorecards heavily favouring Canelo (119-109, 118-110 and 117-11).

Floyd Mayweather Junior - September 2013

Canelo's match-up with Floyd Mayweather produced his only loss to date.

The 36-year-old Mayweather proved as slick and elusive as ever as he skillfully avoided Canelo's power shots.

The unbeaten American looked as quick as when beating Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas seven years earlier.

Mayweather continually caught Canelo with countering combinations. He also picked off the younger man with single shots at range. And in the ninth he landed a lead right hand on the jaw of Canelo, which would have floored most rivals.

Canelo though stood firm and landed a solid right of his own in the 10th, but Mayweather had shown that a size difference could be negated.

Canelo tried in vain to rough up Mayweather and work the body, but the American was still fresh and smart and he danced around Canelo as the final bell rang.
Somehow, judge C.J. Ross saw the bout as a 114-114 draw. So the result was a majority decision with the other judges scoring the fight 116-112 and 117-111 in Mayweather's favour.

Read more: Is Johnny Fisher Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn's new heavyweight draw?

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