Boxing
'They are our targets!' - Melikuziev targets Canelo and Plant after Fulghum victory
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Bektemir Melikuziev will hope to move for a bout with Caleb Plant as Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez continues to prepare for his highly anticipated blockbuster with Terence Crawford.
The former defeated Darius Fulghum by unanimous decision in Las Vegas on Friday, scoring an impressive final round knockdown to cement his victory on the scorecards.
In handing a first career loss to his opponent, the Uzbek fighter cemented his place as WBA mandatory challenger at super-middleweight, futher underlining his credentials.
Canelo currently holds the full belt, while Plant - who fights this weekend against Jose Armando Resendiz - is the interim champion, and nominally first in line for the Mexican.
But both men are in Melikuziev's crosshairs and he admits that he wants a fight with a champion in his immediate future after moving to a 16-1 professional record.
"We’re here to fight the champions,” he stated after he secured victory in Nevada. "It doesn’t matter who, but we are here to win the world title.
"Right now, Canelo and Plant are the champs, so they are our targets. Our goal has always been the same, we’re here to fight anybody."
Fulghum, who had been in the process of amassing an impressive record of his own, moves to 14-1 now with his defeat and will consider his options after a narrow loss.
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