Can Caleb Plant Shock The World?
By: Sean Crose
The fight might not be signed yet, but there are very strong indications that Canelo Alvarez, the biggest and perhaps best fighter operating today, will be facing fellow super middleweight titlist Caleb Plant next as he continues along his incredible hot streak. After getting past two intensely close and controversial middleweight title bouts with Gennady Golovkin, Canelo has moved on to best the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev, Callum Smith, and Billy Joe Saunders. Now all that stands between the red haired star and the undisputed supermiddleweight championship is one Caleb Plant, the IBF's divisional titlist.
The 29 year old Plant has never lost in his 21 fight career, and no one would go so far as to say the man isn't a highly skilled fighter. Canelo, however, appears to be in his prime, an almost frightening combination of power and skill that rank him among the best in the business. What's more, Canelo's only loss came eight years ago when he was a young man in his early 20s facing the one and only Floyd Mayweather in an all out superfight. The popular Mexican fighter has developed so much since that time that it's as if another person were in their in the ring with Mayweather that long ago night.
Needless to say, Plant doesn't have the type of pedigree Canelo does. The American has bested some quality opponents, but there are no Cotto's on his resume, no Golovkins, or Mayweathers, or Kovalevs. In short, there is a shortage of star power when it comes to Plant's resume. Star power isn't everything of course, but in boxing it's generally known to go hand in hand with stellar ring performances and high level fights. Should matters get finalized, Plant will find himself in by far the biggest bout of his life. He will also find himself in his first major battle under the bright lights of a high profile mega-match.
Yet Plant undoubtedly knows that a fight with Canelo will come down to a matter of skill and will. He certainly has skill. Plant may not always be a thrilling fighter, but he's an excellent technician. Like Canleo, Plant also tends to look cool under fire. Does he simply have the strength, speed and generalship to hold his own against the great Canelo, though? The truth is, no one will know until the opening bell - though it's easy to argue that Plant has the odds are stacked against him.
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