By Matt Lieberman: Caleb Plant says people may be surprised how easy it will be for him to defeat superstar Canelo Alvarez on November 6th when the two super middleweight champions meet for the undisputed championship at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
IBF super middleweight champion Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) has already sized WBA/WBC/WBO 168-lb champion Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) up, and he doesn’t see him having enough talent to beat him.
Plant has the Mayweather-lite style that could give Canelo fits, particularly if he outworks and out-boxes him.
Canelo’s punch output has gotten horribly bad since he moved up to 168, and that’s something that can’t change. Also, Canelo can be outboxed, as we saw in his last fight against Billy Joe Saunders.
Many boxing fans have the perception that Plant is just there for his $10 million pay-check against Canelo, and he knows he can’t win.
In other words, Plant is viewed as another one of the poor 168-lb paper champions that Canelo has been cherry-picking to pad his resume by beating a weak paper champion.
Canelo’s victories over 168 belt-holders:
- Rocky Fielding
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Callum Smith
They all looked marginal talents, and it was troubling to see how easy it was for Canelo to relieve them of their titles.
Plant in uncharted watersÂ
The oddsmakers will likely have Canelo as a HUGE favorite in this fight, and they would be basing that off his significant advantage with his experience.
There’s no question that Plant is a superb fighter, but he hasn’t proven himself against A-level opposition during his career. When Plant had the chance to fight David Benavidez, he passed up on the fight, saying he wanted to rest his hand.
Many boxing fans believe Plant ducked Benavidez for fear that he would have lost his golden ticket [IBF 168-lb title] to get him the Canelo payday.
Plant, 28, is looking forward to beating Canelo to become the undisputed champion at 168, as it’s something that he values.
Canelo obviously feels that Plant is someone that he can beat because he could have chosen David Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, Jermall Charlo, or Artur Beterbeiv and received more praise from the boxing public.
Those are guys that many fans believe would beat Canelo, so he would be showing extreme bravery in facing them.
Plant ready to beat Canelo
“This is an opportunity I’ve been wanting and asking for, but it was able to come through, and I’m happy about it,” said Caleb Plant about his November 6th fight against Canelo. “I’m totally locked in and focused, and I’m ready to become undisputed.
“You can’t control what people say, and you can’t control the narrative either,” Plant continued. “You guys knew I wasn’t ducking or hiding.
“Whether you believe I’m going to win the fight or not, you know the type of mentality that I have and how much work I’ve put in and how much I’ve sacrificed to get here. I’m happy it [Canelo] was able to come back around.
“I like my chances in any fight. If y’all didn’t believe I could win, you wouldn’t have the cameras in front of my face right now. And you guys have made plenty of predictions before, and you guys have been wrong. Do you know how many times I’ve been wrong? None.
“Ever since I first started boxing in my first tournament, people keep telling me what I can’t be, I don’t belong in this fight, and I’m never going to become a world champion.
“It seems like the more people say I couldn’t, the more I believe in myself. At this point, every time someone says I can’t do it, I feel like I’ve even more right. So, I’m just ready for the fight [with Canelo],” Plant said.
The only name that jumps out at you when looking at Plant’s seven-year professional resume is Jose Uzcategui, a former IBF super middleweight champion.
Plant’s other opposition has been fringe-level fighters or guys that didn’t deserve the high ranking the International Boxing Federation gave them.
The best wins on Plant’s resume:
- Caleb Truax
- Jose Uzcategui
- Rogelio Medina
- Vincent Feigenbutz
Alvarez isn’t better than me, says Caleb
“It would mean everything,” said Plant when asked what it would mean to him to become the first undisputed. “When I first started this journey, it wasn’t just to be a part. It was to be on the cover.
“I’m not doing this for the money. If I were doing this for the money, then I would have jumped into a five-week camp with four weeks of training like Callum Smith did [for his fight with Canelo last December].
“I’m not in this for the money. I really want my name in those history books, and that’s why I’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much. I want to be in those history books, and that’s why I’m doing this.
“He’s a great fighter, he’s been around for a long time, and he’s accomplished a lot,” Plant said about Canelo Alvarez.
“In his first 30 fights, I was probably fighting better competition than he was in the amateurs. I’m a Golden Gloves champion and an Olympic alternate.
“I know he [Canelo] has more experience than me, but everyone I’ve ever fought had more experience than me. Experience is a factor, but it’s not a determining factor.
“He’s a good fighter, but there’s no way he’s better than me, and I truly believe that in my heart. Just being myself,” Plant said when asked what it’ll take to beat Canelo.
“Being myself is what got me; it’s what got all these cameras in my face right now, and that’s how I’m going to see it out.
“Being myself, and when that bell rings, you’re going to see exactly what I’m talking about,” said Plant.
On paper, Canelo is better than Plant based on having proven himself against better opposition.
That’s how you base it. With that said, Plant has shown the type of talent that could enable him to beat Canelo and make him look bad.
Plant received vaccination
“I don’t know what he had to sign up for,” said Plant when asked if he had to sign up to agree that he would be vaccinated for him to get the fight with Canelo.
“No one put a guy to my head and said, ‘You have to sign this for the vaccination or anything like that.’
“To be honest, not for any political reason, I haven’t been a big fan of the vaccination, but I’m not a big fan of people opposed to getting the vaccination.
“But I feel if you’re healthy, young, and strong like I am, the long term effects [of getting COVID-19], I’m not sure exactly what they are, but I feel like if I got COVID, I could get through it just fine.
“But I did get the vaccination, and I’m vaccinated because I don’t want this moment to slip by. I’ve always sacrificed so much for this sport as I’ve talked about; I’m not going to let something like COVID get in the way of stopping me from attaining my destiny,” Plant said.
It’s good that Plant received his vaccination because it would be disappointing if he became ill and forced out of the Canelo fight.
With Canelo’s pressure on him to start fighting quality opposition once again, he might end up fighting Benavidez and losing. Plant can’t afford to lose out on this opportunity, as might not come around again.
Plant says it could be an easy win
“Like I said, I thought we had a deal, I thought it was going through, and it came back and it blew up, and here we are,” Plant said about his previous talks with Canelo imploding for a September 18th fight.
“I wasn’t discouraged because nothing happens for me just like I want it to or for anybody for that matter.
“There are always going to be bumps ahead, and bumps in the road. I knew it [Canelo fight] was going to happen no matter what.
“I just didn’t know if it was going to come back around this early, but I’m happy it did. I’ve always been the type of guy that performs the best under the brightest lights.
“When there’s a big crowd when the pressure is on, I’ve always stepped up to the plate. So I feel the more people the merrier.
“I’m ready to take it wherever it has to go to get my hand raised,” said Plant when asked if he believes his fight with Canelo will be a ‘Brutal one’ on November 6th. “But don’t be surprised if it’s easier than you think.”
It could be an easy fight for Plant against Canelo if he doesn’t gas out like he did against Uzcategui in 2019.
Plant was getting beaten up in the championship rounds by Uzcategui, and he was fortunate to have escaped the fight without getting knocked out.
Caleb’s mental toughness is the key
“Some of the things I’ve been through in life have helped me develop some mental fortitude that maybe other people haven’t been put under that kind of pressure,” Plant said.
“I was able to stay calm, cool, and collected for those things. Not completely calm and cool, but it helped me develop a mental fortitude that I really think has helped me in my boxing career, and I think it’ll serve me well for the rest of my career.
“For one, my discipline for the sport. Anyone that knows me knows that I stay in shape year-round, my weight is good year-round, and I train year-round.
“I invest a lot in my body, and some of those guys are A-B-C, 1-2-3 fighters. For those of you who have been around for a while, you know what I’m talking about.
“But I’m not an A-B-C, 1-2-3 fighter. I’m not a fighter that has been undisciplined for the sport where I got to come down from 200 lbs.
“My mental fortitude, something we just touched on. A lot of those guys don’t have the same mental fortitude.
“They lost the fight even before the bell has rung. You can’t beat me before the bell has rung,” said Caleb Plant.
The only fight that Plant has had in which he showed mental toughness was against Uzcategui when was getting punched around by him in the championship rounds.
Plant’s other opponents have been too poor to give him credit for mental toughness. I mean, it’s easy to be tough when you’re fighting lower B and C-level opposition who lack the talent to give you problems.