By Dan Ambrose: IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant posted a reaction on social media to Canelo Alvarez’s eighth-round stoppage victory over Billy Joe Saunders last Saturday,
Caleb Plant will be next for Canelo in September in an undisputed super middleweight championship. The only way the fight doesn’t happen is if Plant prices himself out, which is entirely possible.
Fans likely won’t care if the Canelo-Plant fight doesn’t happen because they want to see Canelo fight David Benavidez, Gennadiy Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, and Artur Beterbiev. The 28-year-old-old Plant is much lower on the fans’ wish list than those fighters.
Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) said he’s not going to let his chin get broken, but he didn’t say anything about his orbital bones.
That’s what Canelo broke on Saunders (30-1, 14 KOs) with a huge right uppercut in the eighth round that led to him quitting on his stool after the round.
Although Saunders’ trainer Mark Tibbs says he’s the one that pulled him out due to his caved-in eye socket, it looked like he shook his head to get out of the fight.
Caleb Plant reacts to Canelo’s win over Saunders:
“You can’t break a poor boy’s chin, that’s warriors code ⚔️ There are things I fear, but I put it on my last breath and soul that aren’t one of them,” said Plant.
Well, you can’t say that Caleb Plant fits the profile of a fighter that is “poor” because his net worth is estimated to be $3 million, according to Heightzone.
With that said, there have been plenty of fighters that have come from poor backgrounds that have lost to Canelo.
Plant does have a chance of beating, but it’s not going to be easy. He’s got to make sure that he doesn’t make the mistakes that Saunders did, and he can’t stand in front of him.
Caleb Plant has a chance against Canelo
“Plant, does he need a bit more experience and a bit more time? Maybe or maybe not, but that’s the unification fight, so why not take it while it’s there?” said Carl Froch when asked if Plant is the best fight out there for Canelo.
“You always say he has a chance of winning. we saw Billy Joe Saunders boxing and moving and not getting hit with those big powerful shots that he ended up getting hit with.
“So you always give someone a chance, but then reality sets in and you watch Canelo go to work. Then you watch Canelo get on his front foot and land the power shots, body, and head.
“You begin to see and hear the shots themselves, the devastation of his work. When he puts them together, it’s hard for anyone to beat him, it really is.
“He only lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr, and that’s not a bad loss, and it was a long time ago as well,” said Froch.
It sounds like Froch saw the same thing this writer did when noticing how Canelo was out-boxed by Saunders during stretches last Saturday night.
Canelo was getting hit and not showing the ability to put his shots together in combination form. He looked like he was trying to conserve his strength so that he wouldn’t gas out.
Berlanga impressed with Caleb Plant
“Caleb Plant is an amazing fighter as well,” said Edgar Berlanga to DAZN. “I sparred with him maybe two, three years ago. I had three fights, and it was an amazing sparring session.
“We had six rounds. He’s similar somewhat to Billy Joe. He uses his jab, sticks on the movement, uses his feet a lot, and tries to use the Pernell Whitaker type of style.
“Being in front of Canelo is a different story. Caleb Plant is a wonderful fighter. Obviously, he has the IBF world championship, so he’s definitely a good fighter,” said Berlanga.
“If your serious about the game and you believe in yourself, then you want to get all the belts, all the marbles,” said Froch when asked if Plant will want to fight Canelo. ‘all the marbles. that’s the fight that’s there for him, so why not.’
“I’m telling everyone this and I was in the front row. The way I’m going, I see it happening in two years,’ said Berlanga about a fight between him and Canelo.
“God willing everything goes right, he stays on a winning course, and I stay on a winning course. It’s going to be amazing for the culture. Puerto Rico vs. Mexico there’s nothing better than that,” said Berlanga.
It’s nice that Berlanga rates Plant as a fighter, but even if he didn’t, this guy is a serious threat to Canelo, especially with his high work rate.
As we saw in Canelo’s fight last Saturday, he’s not capable of throwing combinations.
Alvarez loads up on virtually every punch he throws and telegraphs them by waiting until he gets in the best possible position to throw them.
Canelo isn’t capable of throwing punch after punch the way that fighters like Plant, Carlos Gongora, and David Benavidez are capable of doing.
Oscar Valdez doesn’t rate Caleb Plant
“No, the more difficult fight would be someone like Billy Joe Saunders,” said Oscar Valdez to Fighthype when asked if Caleb Plant will be a more difficult fight for Canelo than Billy Joe was.
“Plant is a similar style, but I think Billy Joe Saunders is a better fighter than Plant. I think the one that had the best shot was Billy Joe Saunders.
“And I think for Canelo to have some competition, he’ll have to go up in weight [to light heavyweight] because he’s completely dominating this division,” said Valdez.
If Plant fights smart, stays on the outside and doesn’t lean forward the way Saunder did all night, he’s got a heck of a chance of beating Canelo.
Plant in arguably a slightly better version of Billy Joe Saunders right now and fighting at a higher level.
Saunders isn’t the same fighter he was years ago due to him getting fat in between fights, not staying active, and facing a lot of mediocre opposition.
He’s also aged and isn’t the younger fighter he was seven years ago when he was still performing at a high level.
Fernando Vargas Jr: No one beats Alvarez
“I thought it was a terrific fight by Canelo. He made Saunders eat his words,” said Fernando Vargas Jr to Fighthype.
“It’s very different when you’re in there. Getting those shots to the body that Canelo invested really paid dividends towards the ends of the rounds where you saw Saunders be more lethargic with his punches, and that was a great performance by Canelo.
“I’m very upset,” said Vargas when asked if he’s upset with the way Saunders quit in the eighth. “Coming from Mexican culture, you don’t quit.
“I feel like that’s not a good way to go out, especially all the stuff you [Saunders] were talking, you know? But in boxing, s*** like that happens. I know Canelo is going to continue to improve.
“He’s going to get better. Right now, I don’t see anyone beating him. Caleb Plant is a tougher fight, I like Caleb Plant.
“He’s a good 68. I like [David] Benavidez. Benavidez is really tough, rugged come forward, and will fight with Canelo. Styles make fights and that’s something the boxing fans will be in store for,” said Vargas.
There are fighters at 168 who would beat Canelo like David Benavidez, Edgar Berlanga, Carlos Gongora, and David Morrell. The problem is, Canelo isn’t interested in fighting by of them, so he’s safe.