By Huck Allen: Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant says he’d like to fight Jermall Charlo next if he comes up to 168, and he doesn’t care if it’s on pay-per-view. The former IBF super middleweight champion Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) states that he would have his hand raised against the unbeaten Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) if he wants to face him next.
Charlo, 31, has done a lot of talking about fighting various well-known fighters like Plant, David Benavidez, and Gennadiy Golovkin, but he’s failed to back up his tough words.
Plant, 29, wants to keep the “momentum” going with his career after losing to boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez last November 6th.
Caleb had Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) nearly tied in knots before he caught him with a big shot in the tenth and wound up dropping him twice.
The referee Russell Mora halted the fight after the second knockdown of the round, which Plant wasn’t happy about. Plant wants to get back in the ring and show that he’s one of the elites. Facing Jermall would be the ideal fight for him to prove that.
Jermall Charlo fight interests Plant
“As far as the money, putting it up, putting it where it’s supposed to be, investing it and looking at these multi-family units and residential units,” said Caleb Plant to Fighthype when asked what he’s going with the huge $10 million purse he received for his November 6th fight against Canelo Alvarez.
“That’s what I encourage these young fighters to do with their money. I’ve done a lot earlier in my career, but I still have a lot left that I want to accomplish,” Plant said.
“I love that fight,” said Plant when asked if he’d like to fight Jermall Charlo. “I don’t know what he was saying. And I was zoned in and focused, but yeah, that’s a fight that I would love to have,” said Plant in reacting to comments Jermall made when he was fighting Canelo.
“It don’t matter to me, I don’t know about that,” said Plant when asked if a fight between him and the unbeaten Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) is a pay-per-view fight.
“That’s a fight that I want and we’ll make it happen. Whenever, whatever and whoever,” Plant said when asked if he’ll fight Charlo next. “That’s where I’m at.”
There’s no question that a fight between Plant and Jermall Charlo would be a Showtime PPV worthy fight, and it would likely bring in a lot of buys, especially if it were to happen next.
Plant must take advantage of the spotlight on him from his recent fight against Canelo to keep the focus on him by facing a high-level fighter like Charlo, Golovkin, David Benavidez, or Demetrius Andrade, if not a rematch with Canelo.
Plant confident of beating Jermall
“I didn’t watch it [Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel] but saw highlights. It was a good fight and a competitive fight. Both were getting hit with a lot of big shots.
“I’d get my hand raised, no doubt,” Plant said when asked how he sees a fight between him and Jermall. “It don’t matter.
“I was focused on what’s in front of me, that’s what I was focused on,” said Plant when asked what was going through his mind when Jermall walked up on him before his fight with Canelo.
“He didn’t say anything disrespectful. He knows what’s up, he knows I was zoned in and focused,” Plant said.
The Charlo that we saw against Juan Macias Montiel, Matt Korobov, and Sergiy Derevyanchenko would lose to Plant. Charlo looks like he’s starting to lose focus due to all the money he’s made in his career.
Plant reacts to Anthony Dirrell
“Yeah, he has a lot to say about him. If he don’t like he, he should do something about it,” said Plant in reacting to Anthony Dirrell having a lot to say about him. “It’s easy to talk about it. We can figure it out.
“He felt like he deserved the Canelo fight, but his last two fights, he fought middleweights. One of them [Kyrone Davis].
“He made out good in his last fight [Marcos Hernandez], but everyone knows how good of a fight I put up with Canelo. They know how well I did. If he wants to prove that he’s worthy for that fight, then beat me,” Plant said.
Fighting the 37-year-old former two-time WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell isn’t a big enough fight for Plant to excite the boxing public.
Dirrell is past it at this stage in his career, having fought to a recent draw against Kyrone Davis, lost to Benavidez, and struggled against Avni Yildirim.
Unless Plant is forced to fight Dirrell as part of a title eliminator, he’s better off focusing on the more relevant fighter that the boxing public wants to see him fight.
Caleb is ready to fight again
“I don’t want to lose momentum,” said Plant. “I know I put up a great showing [against Canelo] and I want to get right back to work and keep the momentum going, keep fighting big names.
“Anywhere, anyplace, anytime, anybody,” said Plant when asked if he would be agreeable to fight Jermall in his home state of Texas.
“He’s got good patience and good poise. That’s probably the two biggest things that I would take away from that, and that comes from experience,” said Plant when asked what are the things that make Canelo so good.
“I think I showed everybody that I belong at that level. Keep smoothing those edges and a little more experience. I can go with anybody. I know I proved that.
“Just taking those experiences with me,” said Plant when asked what will be better about Caleb Plant next time he’s in the ring.
“You don’t get into much more hostile territory than that at the MGM. It holds 18,000.
“Everybody but a thousand people were screaming and booing, but the crowd didn’t really get to me or both me. Just being better and better in those scenarios moving forward,” said Plant.
It would be good to see Plant back inside the ring in the first quarter of 2022 against an elite fighter like Jermall, GGG, David Morrell Jr., or Andrade.
