By Dan Ambrose: Caleb Plant isn’t worried about Canelo Alvarez’s warning to him that he’s going to break his jaw on November 6th. Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) says Canelo is going to have to prove it in the ring because his words aren’t scaring him.
Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) looked highly upset during the press conference on September 21st when Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) called him a drug cheat.
The Mexican star looked like he wanted to tear Plant apart on the spot, and sure enough, he could cut him under his right eye during a scuffle on the stage.
Although Canelo said at the time that he was upset with him calling him a “mother f****,” it appears that what may have set him off was being called a drug cheat. During the face-off, Canelo gave Plant a huge shove that sent him across the stage.
The last opponent for Canelo that angered him, Billy Joe Saunders, suffered a fractured orbital bone during his fight with him on May 8th.
Whether the injury was due to Canelo being angry with Saunders is debatable. It was the kind of shot that Canelo would throw normally in a fight.
Plant daring Canelo to back up his words
“Those are just words,” said Caleb Plant to Fighthype in reacting to Canelo saying he’s going to break his jaw for the things he said about him. “He’s going to have to do it on November 6th. He’s going to have to back that up.
“It all plays a part, everything is connected,” said Plant when asked how his speed and athleticism will play a part in his fight with Canelo on November 6th.
“There’s a lot of factors to win a fight and those are just two of them. He knows it, you know it, and that’s why you’re asking me,” said Plant about Canelo knowing he’s fighting a more athletic, quicker fighter.
“Everybody hits hard at this stage,” Plant said when asked about his thoughts on Canelo’s power. “Again, that’s just one factor. So, everybody hits hard at this level,” said Plant.
If Canelo tries to go out of his way to load up on his shots to break Plant’s jaw, he could get hurt. Plant is too skilled for Canelo to be overswinging trying to hurt him. Canelo needs to keep his composure and fight smart.
Canelo is the biggest fight of Plant’s career
“Yeah, this is the biggest challenge of my career, but every other great fighter before he has been in this position where they stepped up and fought someone who that they a lot of people felt like that they were an underdog against, and they came out on top and then they’re the big dogs. It’s not like it hasn’t been done before.
“I studied all the fighters. He’s [Canelo] just another guy in my way, another opponent, but I’ve studied a lot of fighters. I respect the sport, and I got a lot of respect for the sport. I studied this sport inside and out.
“I’m not here by accident. I’m here on purpose, and it comes from my diligence and training, studying, and my discipline,” said Plant.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Canelo reacts to Plant’s boxing ability on November 6th because this is the best pure boxer he’ll have faced since Floyd Mayweather Jr. Canelo lost that fight to Mayweather in a one-sided fashion in 2013.
Erislandy Lara gave Canelo a lot of problems in 2014, but he didn’t show enough offense for him to win. Plant can do the same things that Lara and Mayweather did, but he’s capable of a lot more on offense.