By Dan Ambrose: Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe says Canelo Alvarez CAN’T beat Caleb Plant, and he’s going to be in for a rude awakening when he faces the IBF 168-lb champion on September 11th.
Ellerbe believes that Plant has all the right qualities of offense, defense, and ring IQ to send Canelo, 30, down to his second career defeat. There’s no denying that Plant is one of the most technical thinking fighters in boxing.
We don’t know if his chin can hold up against Canelo and if he has enough pop in his punches to keep the Mexican star from walking him down.
Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) is the closest thing to Floyd Mayweather Jr that Canelo will have faced. He has all the same technical skills as Mayweather but without the blazing speed.
Plant has enough speed to give Canelo fits if he sticks to his game plan and doesn’t do something silly like going to war with him.
WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) needs/wants Plant’s IBF title to become the undisputed champion at 168. At this point, Canelo will likely meet Plant’s asking price of $10 million+ to get a chance to get his hands on his IBF strap.
Ellerbe: Canelo can’t beat Plant
“Canelo is a very good fighter, but things are different now,” said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe to Behind The Gloves. “He was a guy at 147, 154, and he wasn’t a puncher.
“Now, all of a sudden, he’s [Canelo] walking through guys at 168 and 175, so things are different now. He’s a tremendous fighter, though.
“He can’t beat Caleb [Plant] because Caleb has all the wrong things for him, trust and believe that,” Ellerbe continued. “What you guys have only seen is glimpses of Caleb Plant.”
You can’t rule out a victory for Plant if he’s dialed in like he was for his fights against Jose Uzcategui, Mike Lee, and Vincent Feigenbutz. The counter-punching ability that the Laser-like jab that Plant possesses will give Canelo fits.
The 6’1″ Plant has a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage over Canelo, and you’ve got to believe he’ll be using it.
Plant has everything he needs to beat Canelo
“Everybody has risen to the occasion of the opponents that they’ve faced,” said Ellerbe. “But given the opportunity on the big stage against a big name, and styles make fights.
Lately, Canelo has been fighting badly flawed British super middleweight Rocky Fielding, Callum Smith, and Billy Joe Saunders.
Those guys fought like they had no common sense, making mistakes that you’d see from an amateur.
Plant shakes his head when talking about the mistakes Saunders and Callum made in their fights against Canelo.
Saunders and Callum Smith were both shockingly poor for world champions, looking unprepared in terms of coaching. Those guys would be good fighters, but they looked like they weren’t properly trained.
“He [Plant] has everything he needs to beat Canelo, everything. Y’all say he can’t punch, but he can punch. He’s a tremendous boxer, he has great defensive skills, and more importantly, he’s a thinking fighter.
“People always tend to miscalculate those kinds of things, and I think that’s one of his biggest advantages going into the Canelo fight,” said Ellerbe.
The boxing skills, speed, defensive ability, mobility, and the ring IQ of Plant give him an excellent chance of beating Canelo.
