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sports Dialuna 8 november 2021

Álvarez stops Plant to become undisputed 168-pound champ

(AP) — With a destructive a grueling 11-month span, and an inspirational athlete
barrage of power punches Canelo is the sixth man to who overcame numerous
in the waning minutes of be a four-belt champion. He personal tragedies to earn a
a difficult fight, Canelo joined junior welterweight shot at the pound-for-pound
Álvarez added another Josh Taylor as the only cur- champ, but the Tennessee
achievement to his over- rent undisputed champs of native found out just how
flowing list of boxing ac- their weight class. big the gap remains between
complishments. Canelo and his contempo-
“I’m proud to be one of the raries.
The Mexican pound-for- six,” Álvarez said through a
pound superstar is the un- translator before dedicating Álvarez landed more than
disputed super middleweight the win to his Mexican fans. 32% of his 361 punches,
champion of the world. while Plant connected on just
After stopping three of his 23% of his 441 shots, which
Álvarez became the first previous four opponents, Ál- included 232 jabs — more
four-belt world champion at varez had to grind through than twice as many as Cane-
168 pounds in boxing history a challenging matchup with lo. Álvarez excelled in power and he expects to figure out damage in the fourth, back-
Saturday night, stopping Ca- the tenacious Plant (21-1), punches, landing 40% of 251 his next move by January ing him against the ropes and
leb Plant in the 11th with two who usually moved back- power shots while wearing when he was rested and re- letting combinations fly.
dramatic knockdowns. ward and worked behind his down Plant. charged.
jab to stay away from Cane- Álvarez showed little fear of
Álvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) lo’s power. Álvarez is the first Mexican “The training sessions, try- Plant’s punches, and he got
added Plant’s IBF title to his fighter to reign undisputed ing to make weight, that’s even less heedful as the bout
own WBC, WBA and WBO Álvarez remained persistent atop a division, and every flag- when you feel the tiredness progressed. Álvarez gradually
belts with a steady tactical and racked up a volume of waving fan in the vehemently of it all,” Álvarez said. “Right landed more effectively in
performance culminating in quality punches — and in the pro-Canelo sellout crowd of now, I feel great. My body is the middle rounds, moving
a display of his vaunted pow- opening seconds of the 11th, 16,586 seemed aware of the responding splendidly. Now Plant backward and even dar-
er to finish the previously he sent Plant crashing to the achievement. The champion, I just need some time to rest ing the cautious Plant to hit
unbeaten Plant at the MGM canvas with a vicious combi- a Guadalajara native, spoke and to prepare for the next him in the seventh.
Grand Garden Arena. nation followed by an upper- frequently before the fight of challenge.”
cut while Plant tried to duck his determination to achieve Boxing gets frequent, de-
“It was truly a historic night, away. the feat both for himself and Álvarez and Plant had no per- served criticism as an institu-
and I’m so proud to be a part for Mexico. sonal animus until Septem- tion for the promoter rival-
of it,” Álvarez said. “This fight itself was exactly ber, when Álvarez took of- ries and fractious sanctioning
as I envisioned it,” Álvarez Álvarez extended the most fense to an insult from Plant bodies that prevent the best
Canelo is generally recog- said. “The first few rounds, successful active career in during a news conference in fighters from meeting each
nized as the top fighter in the they were tough, but then boxing with his eighth con- Beverly Hills to promote the other far too often. But Ál-
world regardless of weight it turned out just how we secutive victory in just over bout. Álvarez and Plant brief- varez used his star power to
class. After battering the expected. We were able to three years. He hasn’t lost ly scrapped, leaving Plant join an elite club by winning
bigger Plant with dozens of execute our game plan, and in 16 fights since dropping with a cut on his face and a all four major belts.
punches that finally accumu- we’re really happy with how a majority decision to Floyd new avenue of motivation.
lated to leave Plant crumpled it turned out.” Mayweather in 2013, with Only five men had ever
on the canvas, Álvarez had only a draw against Gennady Plant opened the biggest achieved four-belt undis-
complete dominance at 168 Plant got up unsteadily, and Golovkin blemishing his re- bout of his career with a solid puted champion status since
pounds — just as he planned Álvarez dropped him again cord. game plan, tapping Álvarez the feat became possible with
when he came out of the with two big right hands, with a solid jab and moving the WBO’s advent: middle-
pandemic break with a goal forcing referee Russell Mora After this uncommonly busy away from his opponent’s weights Bernard Hopkins
to win every super middle- to end it at 1:05 of the 11th 11-month stretch, Canelo superior power, frequently and Jermain Taylor, junior
weight belt. round. had no immediate announce- using a shoulder roll to avoid welterweights Terence Craw-
ment about his future. He is trouble. Álvarez steadily ford and Taylor, and cruiser-
After winning four fights in Plant is a sturdy champion taking the rest of the year off, walked down Plant and did weight Oleksandr Usyk.

NBA to players, coaches, refs: Booster shots are recommended

(AP) — The NBA told its The league and the National those who received the Pfizer Some teams already have
players, coaches and ref- Basketball Players Associa- and Moderna vaccine at least been planning for players to In some cases, those who are
erees on Sunday that they tion — working jointly based six months ago. receive booster shots when vaccinated but elect to not
should receive booster on guidance from the NBA’s available. A small number of receive a booster would be
shots against the coro- public health and infec- The league recommenda- previously vaccinated NBA subjected to game-day test-
navirus, with particular tious disease experts — said tions, which were obtained by players have tested positive ing again starting Dec. 1, the
urgency for those who those who received Johnson The Associated Press, called this season for COVID-19 NBA said. That Dec. 1 date
received the single-dose & Johnson shots more than for those who got Johnson & and entered the league’s varies depending on when
Johnson & Johnson vac- two months ago should get a Johnson vaccines originally health and safety protocols. the person was originally vac-
cine. booster. The booster recom- to seek a Pfizer or Moderna cinated and what type of vac-
mendation also was made for booster. Those who got Pfiz- Among those sidelined of cine they received.
er or Moderna may simply late: Philadelphia’s Tobias
get whatever booster is avail- Harris, who had symptoms, About 97% of NBA players
able, the league said. 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. were believed to be vacci-
nated when the season start-
Data used to make the league’s “He’s doing OK but not ed last month. In the U.S.,
determinations showed that great, honestly. ... It hit him nearly 60% of the popula-
antibody levels for Pfizer and for sure,” Rivers said last tion — more than 193 mil-
Moderna recipients wane af- week. “A lot of guys have lion people — are fully vacci-
ter six months, and after two had this and they are mad, nated. More than 21 million
months for Johnson & John- like ‘What the hell, I’m fine.’ have received a booster dose,
son recipients. Tobias is not in that category and those numbers are soar-
right now, I can tell you that.” ing each day.