Fernando Diaz capped the Canelo-Plant prelims with a vicious fifth-round KO of Jan Salvatierra.
Diaz (10-1-1, 3 KOs) connected with a left hook that floored Salvatierra (7-1, 3 KOs), who attempted to beat the count only to fall down a second time. The bout was waved off at 2:16 of Round 5.
The junior bantamweight from Riverside, California, handed Salvatierra, a Mexico native, his first pro loss in what was a competitive battle until the finish.
Joselito Velazquez remained undefeated with an eight-round shutout unanimous decision over Gilberto Mendoza. All three judges saw the fight identically: 80-72.
Velazquez (14-0-1) was effective with his attack to the body in a fight that featured little action. The 112-pounder Mexican was fighting for the first since May, when he suffered the lone blemish on his record (a draw).
Jose Antonio Meza survived a first-round knockdown to score a major upset in a 130-pound bout. All three judges scored the fight the same: 76-75.
Meza (8-6, 2 KOs) boxed from the outside after he was nearly stopped in Round 1. The 25-year-old Mexican had lost three of his last four bouts. Jose Gomez (12-1, 5 KOs) was fighting for the first time since November 2019. And now, he’s suffered his first pro defeat.
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Former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy scored a second-round knockout of Gustavo Vittori in a junior welterweight bout, as he looks to climb the ranks and get a second shot at a title in a third weight class.
The 36-year-old Cuban fighter, who held world titles at 130 and 135 and unsuccessfully challenged for a world title at 140, handled the Argentine journeyman with ease in a total mismatch to kick off the Canelo-Plant prelims.
Barthelemy (29-1-1, 14 KOs) hasn’t boxed in a notable bout since a lackluster draw with Robert Easter Jr. in April 2019, a Showtime main event. Vittori (25-10-1, 12 KOs) has now lost eight of his past 13 fights.
