Canelo Alvarez nears historic achievement with an eye toward even more gold and bigger challenges

The Mexican superstar continues his evolution despite fighting well above his natural weight class

The refusal of four-division champion Canelo Alvarez to rest on the laurels of the success he has already achieved as boxing's simultaneous pound-for-pound king and biggest global draw has made putting any potential limitations in front of him a difficult thing.

Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) has come a long way throughout a 16-year pro career that began as a teenager in his native Mexico and saw him become a viable pay-per-view star by the age of 23. But as Alvarez, now 31, prepares to make history once more on Saturday in hopes of crowning the first undisputed champion in super middleweight history, it's worth taking a moment to realize just how remarkable Alvarez's evolution has been.  

The reigning WBA, WBO and WBC champion at 168 pounds welcomes IBF titleholder Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) this weekend inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The fact that Alvarez is such a monster betting favorite isn't as much of a surprise as what this fight could represent in the fighter's overall career arc: a full unification of an entire division in less than one year and a final stop before potentially attempting to do the same at 175 pounds.