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Canelo Alvarez defeated Billy Joe Saunders in the eighth round of their highly-anticipated super middleweight showdown. After surviving the Alvarez scare for seven rounds, Saunders was forced to quit on his stool going into the eighth frame.
Realizing that the Brit could have sustained a serious injury, Saunders' trainer refused to let him continue further, according to promoter Eddie Hearn. It was later reported that Saunders could have broke his orbital bone during the fight.
Although Alvarez outscored Saunders on the judges scorecard, the latter was able to give the Mexican a run for his money, until he ate a thunderous upper cut. In the seventh round, Alvarez evaded Saunders' right hook and landed a clean shot to the Brit's cheek that had him momentarily wobbled.
Saunders was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. An orbital bone fracture occurs when there is a crack in one of the bones surrounding the eyeball, which was the case with Saunders.
"I knew it. The truth is I knew it. I think I broke his cheek, and I knew he wasn't going to come out. I went into the corner and told Eddie (Hearn) he isn't coming out," Canelo Alvarez told DAZN's Chris Mannix after the win.
Canelo Alvarez sets his sights on undisputed glory
Canelo Alvarez will now look forward to share the boxing ring with Caleb Plant, the current IBF super middleweight champion. During his post-fight interview, Alvarez called out Pant and said he's ready to face him:
"That's the plan: to go for the belt. I'm coming my friend," said Alvarez.
Alvarez's win over Saunders handed him his third title at super middleweight. The Mexican now has to defeat Plant to achieve undisputed champion status.
Plant is currently 21-0 as a professional boxer. He won the IBF super middleweight title in 2019 after defeating Venezuela's José Uzcátegui. Since then, the American has defended his title on three occasions.
Plant's last fight was against his namesake, Caleb Traux, whom he defeated via unanimous decision.
