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By: Hans Themistode
Some called it arrogance, others believed it was hubris. Yet, in the mind of Caleb Plant, it was simply confidence.
As the 29-year-old Nashville, Tennessee, native marched his way through a large spattering of boos at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this past weekend, he was fully convinced that he was mere moments away from shocking the world. Standing across the ring from Plant on the night, was pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez.
As the opening bell rang to signal the start of their undisputed super middleweight showdown, most were expecting a quick and easy night for Mexico’s Alvarez. However, as their contest began unfolding, Plant proved to be a far more difficult opponent than many were anticipating. Although the former IBF 168 pound titlist ultimately came up short, losing via 11th round stoppage, his self-belief hasn’t waned one bit. In fact, it’s only grown.
“I’ve bent most the world to my will and done it with nothing but passion and skill,” said Plant on his social media account. “I’ll be back.”
Alvarez, 31, repeated time and time again during the pre-fight build-up that Plant was not on his “level.” Yet, the former belt holder gave the newly crowned undisputed super middleweight champion fits throughout most of the first half of their showdown.
Although the end result was the one Alvarez was ultimately looking for, he went into detail about his exasperation.
“To be honest with you, yea, I was a little frustrated,” said Alvarez during his post-fight interview. “In the second half of the fight, it was exactly how we envisioned it. In the end, we came out with the win. That’s all that matters really. In the end, even though the frustrations were there in the first five rounds, the second part, was ideal.”
While Plant thoroughly outboxed him early on, Alvarez began finding his rhythm down the stretch. He pounded away at the body of Plant in the 10th, before ultimately finishing him off in the following round.
Alvarez landed a picture-perfect right hand at the beginning of the period and quickly followed it up with an uppercut that saw Plant hit the deck. The elusive former world titlist climbed back to his feet soon after but would reacquaint with the canvas after a string of shots from Alvarez.
Though he’s disappointed in the way things played out, Plant believes that he etched his name near the top of the division with his performance.
“I showed I belong on the top level and I’ll be champion of the world again. I’ve never been scared to go big or go out on my shield. Thank you to all the fans and all my supporters.”
