Canelo Alvarez will fight Caleb Plant on 6 November to crown the undisputed super-middleweight world champion.
The Mexican, who holds the WBC, WBA and WBO belts, is looking to add the American’s IBF strap in his third fight of 2021 in Las Vegas.
Whoever wins the bout will create history as the first ever undisputed world champion at 168 pounds.
Canelo is currently the closest to that status, matching Joe Calzaghe by collecting three belts, though the Welsh fighter did hold all four titles at the weight class at one stage throughout his legendary unbeaten career.
Canelo said after the fight was officially announced: “This November 6th we’ll put Mexican boxing on top. Going for the missing belt! #Undisputed.”
A four-weight world champion, from light middleweight to light heavyweight, Canelo has risen to the top of the majority of pound-for-pound lists in the sport over the last year.
Canelo, 56-1-2, 38 KOs, was initially scheduled to return to the ring on 18 September in Las Vegas, but talks between the pound-for-pound king and the unbeaten American dragged.
Dmitry Bivol was highlighted as an alternative opponent, with Canelo possibly moving up to 175 pounds for a shot at the Russian’s light heavyweight world title.
But a compromise has been found with Plant, 29, who is represented by the PBC’s Al Haymon.
Canelo, 31, is coming off a devastating winning performance against Billy Joe Saunders, where he broke the Briton’s orbital bone en route to a ninth-round knockout.
It will also be Canelo’s fourth fight inside 12 months, following another masterful performance to befuddle Callum Smith and a routine knockout win over the overmatched Turkish fighter Avni Yildirim.
While Plant, 21-0, 12 KOs, is coming off a points decision in January against compatriot and former world champion Caleb Truax, whose most famous night came in 2017 when he outpointed James DeGale to take the IBF title, before ‘Chunky’ won the rematch four months later.
