Tag Archives: Caleb Plant

Posted on 11/06/2021

By: Kirk Jackson

There’s a famous proverb, known by many fans of the Marvel Universe, recognized in mass from a pop cultural standpoint.

“With great power, comes great responsibility,” as some refer to this as one of Peter Parker’s (Spider-Man) core principles – with how he deals with juggling work life, school life, social life, crime-fighting life, in attempts to make the best decisions in which requires a lot of sacrifices.

There are various versions, storylines, interpretations of the character, but as a whole, he is known for displaying his strong moral standing, because he realizes he has the power to make a difference, good or bad.

So, with great power comes great responsibility and, in some cases, with great power, comes corruption.

When you’re in a position of power and hold leverage for a situation, whether that form of leverage is your likeness, name, talent, a service provided, or product, you are in a prime position to dictate the terms of engagement.

It just so happens Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KO’s) has ruled boxing with iron gloves for several years now.

Whether it’s mass media outlets, or sanctioning bodies, there appears to be a lack of transparency, when applying rules to Alvarez, comparatively as these same rules apply differently towards his contemporaries. And granted, that’s what happens across all avenues of business, social standing, and life in general.

When you have a gift, talent, skill, something that everyone else admires or covets, they will treat you differently. The point isn’t to discredit or to state fault in Alvarez’s position. He has the right to operate how he wants.

But shedding light on these distinctions and pointing out the hypocrisy amongst mass media, promotional companies, networks, and sanctioning bodies is important. There is a double standard when it comes to some of Alvarez’s transgressions compared to other great fighters and athletes.

Considering he is the main face of boxing, earnings-wise and in regard to pound-for-pound standing. He holds a great deal of power with that standing, although Alvarez wouldn’t be the first fighter in history to control the boxing space.

Dating back to the lineage of boxing kings from the past, they each etched their course across the landscape as well.

Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Alvarez’s former promoter Oscar De La Hoya – each fighter at some point in their respective careers were viewed as among the best, generated the most money, were considered torchbearers of the sport and held a lot of power and influence. Alvarez now fills that void.

In a sense, it’s similar to LeBron James of the National Basketball Association.

Granted, James is far removed from being the best player in the league currently, but due to his long-term standing in the league, accomplishments, money invested behind him in advertising, and in turn, the money generated from him, he maintains much power and influence within the league.

Same with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers with the National Football League.

Certain athletes, because of their gifts, are privy to certain benefits. From a business owner’s perspective, why wouldn’t you want to listen to what your product/moneymaker is saying? It goes without saying.

With the power to generate money, comes the power to manipulate – or control the landscape. This has been true to form for Alvarez on numerous occasions.

As stated, Alvarez has the power and many acknowledge him as the king of the sport. But is he abusing his power?

There have been issues past and present, regarding performance enhancing drugs, catch-weights, rehydration clauses, picking and poaching weaker opposition, choosing the right time to face the perceived stronger opposition, etc.

Critics of “Canelo” lament that he is the beneficiary of convenience for every match-up.

And many people look past these controversies, as they do with one of the current heavyweight champions.

One can only guess which motives inspire some to look past these discrepancies.

For example, the notion of conveniently catching guys at the right time – that label and assertion is always cast on Floyd Mayweather, the last reigning cash cow of boxing. Why isn’t the same standard applied to Alvarez?

Is it due to promotion and to how he is portrayed by the media and perceived by the masses? Is Alvarez warranted the benefit of the doubt due to his perceived style of fighting? Is it the culture from where he descends from, to where at least in boxing circles, he is afforded that benefit? Or are there other variables? Let’s dive a little deeper.

Notable Alvarez Opponents:

• Miguel Vazquez (twice)
• Carlos Baldomir
• Lovemore N’dou
• Kermit Cintron
• Shane Mosley
• Erislandy Lara
• Miguel Cotto
• Amir Khan
• Liam Smith
• Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
• Gennady Golovkin
• Daniel Jacobs
• Sergey Kovalev
• Callum Smith
• Billy Joe Saunders
• Floyd Mayweather
• Austin Trout

Just off names and appearance alone, that’s an amazing resume, right? 17 world champions, minimum of three Hall of Fame fighters on that list.

Question is, what is the condition of the fighter leading into the match-up? Is there a special stipulation in the match-up, like a catch-weight or rehydration clause? How did the fight actually turn out?

Honestly looking at the list, Jacobs looks like one of the few fighters who would be considered in or near their physical prime, at the time when he faced Alvarez.

Others include Lara, Trout, and arguably Golovkin as not being too far removed. Critics may also point out, Lara and Golovkin respectively, have strong arguments for having defeated Alvarez across their encounters.

Mayweather earned a majority decision against Alvarez, despite most observers acknowledged witnessing a virtuoso and dominant performance from the 36-year-old fighter. The smaller, older fighter, who moved up in weight for their historic clash.

Although, for some reason many people believe Alvarez at 23-years-old at the time was too young and at a disadvantage over a smaller, 36-year-old.

But forget that, the first Hall of Fame caliber fighter Alvarez faced was Shane Mosley a few years prior. For Mosley, after losing to Mayweather, drawing with Sergio Mora, and then losing to Manny Pacquiao, what business did a 40-year-old Mosley have in the ring with a 21-year-old Alvarez?

Yes, for the business of boxing the move is understandable and it’s intelligent from the team of Alvarez. But when people try to bypass that victory as a top-notch achievement, it’s questionable.

Let’s see, as recent as this year, Alvarez went up against his former sparring partner turned challenger, Avni Yildirim. Leading into that fight, Yildirim had not been in the ring since he lost a technical split decision to Anthony Dirrell two years prior in February 2019.

Yildirim had been named to the mandatory position as a result of the controversial nature of his loss to Dirrell, however, he had remained sidelined due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic. The fight itself was not a pleasing display aesthetically, as it looked as though Yildirim showed up just to show up.

Delving further into the resume, Amir Khan moved up two weight classes to face Alvarez. With no disrespect intended towards Khan, as he was an excellent fighter in the lower weight divisions, possessing excellent hand speed, boxing ability, and a huge heart, he was also renowned for having a shaky chin.

The fight went as anticipated, Khan started fast and won the early rounds according to most observers, only to get caught with a vicious right hand from Alvarez, stopping him cold in round six.

Again, that’s an example of Alvarez doing what he is supposed to do, as far as knocking out the competition – and it was a highlight reel level knock-out. The only problem, is at that particular time, Alvarez was being pressed by a fighter near his weight class, who happened to be regarded as the premier champion of that division.

Alvarez was focused on moving up from junior middleweight but was fighting at a catch-weight. Some referred to the weight class as the “Canelo weight.” There was a point where he had five consecutive fights at his preferred 155-pound catch-weight.

But the fighter in question, pursuing Alvarez for years was Gennady Golovkin. They eventually shared two controversial, entertaining bouts that will remain staples in middleweight history for years to come. Their saga is a whole story in itself.

Another notable fighter in pursuit of Alvarez for many years is Demetrius Andrade. In spite of sharing the same promotional banner for a short time and providing great incentive, he was never able to secure a fight with Alvarez.

When Alvarez stated he wanted to unify the middleweight division, Andrade was the last piece to the puzzle but for whatever reason the fight never manifested.

Examining Alvarez’s trip up north from middleweight post-Golovkin, detractors may point to Alvarez’s selection of Rocky Fielding and Sergey Kovalev as carefully picked opponents, en route to the easiest path to a world title across super-middleweight and the light-heavyweight divisions.

Analyzing Alvarez’s match-up against former light-heavyweight champion Kovalev, it can be argued, out of all of the opponents across the super-middleweight and light-heavyweight landscape, Kovalev was the easiest target.

Kovalev, while an outstanding fighter during his glory years, looked battle-worn in recent fights. Which is evidenced by his struggles after losing to Andre Ward for a second time in 2017. You can look good in defeat and bad in victory.

Kovalev looked different after the Ward fights and Eleider Alvarez didn’t help when he stopped Kovalev in their 2018 encounter. Kovalev would exact revenge a year later, but the aging champion may have aged a tad more after fighting the young challenger Anthony Yarde the same year.

And according to CompuBox, Kovalev landed 223 of his 686 punches (32.5%) while Yarde landed 132 of his 575 punches (23%), which to the point was the most punches any fighter has landed on Kovalev.

The fight against Yarde was towards the end of August, right after that, Kovalev fights Saul Alvarez in November of the same year.

He signed up for it, he’s a grown individual, he was financially compensated. But do you notice a trend here?

After the fight, Kovalev suggested that he had always been unlikely to win the fight, due to the grueling schedule of back-to-back training camps which resulted from the short period of time between the Yarde and Alvarez fights. Nonetheless, he had agreed to fight Alvarez regardless due to the high financial incentive, which was reported to be $12 million.

“I was tired after round six, because I had my last fight very close to this one, but it’s okay, it’s a new experience for me. Canelo is really a great champion. A little bit right now, I didn’t recover from my last fight. But it’s okay. Thanks for the fight Canelo, I have big respect for him. He made history,” Kovalev said in a post-fight interview.

Call it sour grapes if you want, but there is truth to those assertions.

To the victor goes the spoils. People remember the wins and gloss over circumstances and underlying variables. When given greater context, the wins appear somewhat inflated with value. When you win, oftentimes you can afford to write history the way you want it to be remembered.

Aside from nitpicking resumes, there have been questions lingering about performance enhancing drugs and Alvarez’s camp. Some of these question marks stem from positive tests in the past.

Alvarez tested positive for two drug tests after his first bout with Golovkin. There was a large fallout from the test, as the rematch with Golovkin was called off initially before being rescheduled to a later date.

Oscar Valdez, who is a current super-featherweight champion and part of Alvarez’s camp recently tested positive for the banned substance phentermine, leading into his title defense this past September.

Victor Conte recently interviewed with AHKi TV and provided excellent information about PED usage in the sport.

Conte is the founder and president of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), a sports nutrition center in California. He now operates Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC Nutrition).

The interview is very informative, obviously, some of this information pertains to the big fight between Alvarez and Caleb Plant.

Another takeaway from Conte’s interview is the claim that fighters now are not using steroids, they’re using synthetic testosterone. Which can be more difficult to catch, depending on the organization conducting the testing.

The interview also expands on a few notions that will be expanded on in the following tweets:

Fortunately, both Alvarez and Plant are enrolled in The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) testing.

But if a fighter were using PED’s and held off on signing a contract for a proposed fight, that may stipulate drug testing for a certain period of time, it’s possible that the fighter may purposely delay signing the contract, to get the PED’s out of their system.

When the time comes for testing for that proposed fight, albeit they are no longer using the enhancements during training, they’ve already reaped the benefits. It’s fair to suggest, the agreement for drug testing is just for optics.

The commissions from each state, the sanctioning, various organizations all have varying motives. Essentially, it would be extremely difficult to operate under full transparency regarding drug testing.

There might always be a cloud that follows Alvarez, whether that’s fair or not. For the most part, it has not affected his professional career to the point where he is derailed from his position.

Most of these organizations do not care. Many media outlets and personalities do not care. Many fans do not care, as long as their fighter is winning. Or as long as their country and what or who they perceive as their cultural representee is winning.

Alvarez plays chess while the rest play checkers. Web-slinging superheroes don’t exist in the real world.

Navigating through the politics of boxing, meticulously carving his path, crafting his image, all while honing his physical skills, he elevated to the top of pound-for-pound list and established a firm hold as one of the top money earners in all of sports.

When you master the game, you establish trends and rules for everyone else to follow. In a position of authority and while maintaining leverage, one has the ability to exploit situations to their advantage. While in a position of power, why would one concede any advantages? Maintaining leverage is extending your reign.

Great superstars like De La Hoya, Leonard, Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao have exercised such options during their reign. Alvarez continues to flex his muscles during his sovereignty.

Is he abusing his power or exploiting a flawed series of systems? Is there a fighter, who is going to do anything about it and supplant the ruler?

Posted on 11/05/2021

By: Hector Franco

Boxing’s most prevalent superstar and pound-for-pound king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) steps back in the ring this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. On this occasion, he will be taking on Nashville, Tennessee’s Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), for the undisputed super middleweight championship. 

Plant has held the IBF super-middleweight title since January 2019 and made three defenses of his championship. 

For Alvarez, who holds the remaining titles in the division, including the WBC, WBA, and WBO titles, he will be fighting for the fifth time at super middleweight if you don’t count his 164.5 catchweight match with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017. 

Alvarez, who has been headlining PPVs for close to a decade, now may feel like the bout with Plant is another day at the office. While the undisputed super-middleweight crown will be on the line, the Mexican superstar has faced more accomplished competition multiple times throughout his now 16-year career. 

At almost 60 professional fights with titles in four-weight classes at just 31-years old, Alvarez is already a lock for the boxing Hall-of-Fame. He is now competing against himself and history. 

“The goal is to be an all-time great,” said Alvarez at the final press conference. “I’m so proud of the journey I’ve taken to achieve that. I’m not going to stop until I’ve tried my best to reach that goal. Only one thing is going through my mind, and that’s winning. Everything else is outside of my control. 

“I only care about what’s going to happen inside of the ring Saturday night.” 

When a fighter is the most significant moneymaker in the sport, he has the leverage to fight whom he chooses and when he chooses with a plethora of options. There have been numerous examples of the pound-for-pound crown being challenged by fighters who were massive underdogs. 

Over the last two decades, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao were the main headlining attractions in boxing, each taking on formidable opponents that very few thought had a realistic chance of winning. 

“I’ve been the underdog before,” said Plant. It’s a place I like to be. I like people rooting against me. It gives me extra motivation, but when you’re fighting for undisputed status, you don’t need much more motivation than that.”

The question will be, what kind of opponent will Plant be? 

Will he be similar to fighters like Robert Guerrero and Andre Berto, who proved the odds correct to be the underdogs they were by putting in tepid efforts against Floyd Mayweather? 

Alternatively, will Plant be more like an Antonio Tarver who pushed Roy Jones Jr. to the brink in 2003 or Marcos Maidana putting in such a valiant effort against Mayweather that an immediate rematch was made? 

Since winning a closely contested rematch over Gennadiy Golovkin in 2018, Alvarez has elevated his game putting on one dominant performance after the other. However, he has yet to step in the ring again with someone on Golovkin’s level since facing the Kazakhstani puncher. 

While Alvarez has been stellar as of late, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been tested in the past in fights that could have been scored against him. 

“He looked beatable against Lara,” said Plant on the PBC podcast. “He got schooled by Floyd Mayweather. He lost the first fight Triple G, and it was a really close fight the second time. It was a really close fight with him and Kovalev as well.”

Plant’s resume is lacking compared to Alvarez and numerous of his opponents. Still, he has the mentality and skillset to make a fight with the four-division champion more than competitive. 

Boxing history has shown many challengers for the crown at boxing’s best, but few have been able to take the opportunity to grab the proverbial brass ring to make the crown their own. 

Moving up your level of competition can be akin to climbing a mountain. Alvarez currently sits on top of that mountain. 

When Plant takes his shot at the crown, will he be able to breathe at the mountaintop? Or will the air prove to be too thin?

“People are going to say what they’re going to say,” said Plant. But I get the final say, and I can’t wait to prove everything in the ring.”

Posted on 11/05/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The last time Canelo Alvarez came nose to nose with Caleb Plant, the two got it on right then and there. Not only did the pair decide to swap fists well before their November 6th showdown, but a deep hatred towards one another soon followed. Roughly a month and a half later and nothing has changed.

Plant, the IBF super middleweight champion, weighed in first. He was stoic in his demeanor as he stepped into the scales. Moments later, 167 pounds were read out loud. As Plant posed for pictures while showing off his physique, a shirtless Alvarez paced back and forth behind him.

Once Plant stepped off the scales, Alvarez soon followed. He confidently waited in front of a frantic media crowd before 168 pounds was confirmed as his official weight.

Under normal circumstances, both fighters would stand toe to toe with one another before squaring off the following night. However, considering that the two went blow for blow the last time they faced off, officials refused to allow them to get within a few feet of one another.

Despite the distance, both Plant and Alvarez jawed nonstop. On numerous occasions, Plant could be seen pointing in the direction of Alvarez as he grew more and more agitated. The Mexican star, in turn, appeared to be muttering several curse words under his breath as he physically attempted to push his way towards Plant but to no avail.

With the built-up animosity, Plant has vowed to put an end to the title reign of the pound for pound star. In doing so, he would become the division’s first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time. But while Plant has exuded an enormous amount of confidence, Alvarez has done the same. Not only has the Mexican native promised to deliver an explosive knockout in eight rounds or less, but he’s also claimed that Plant isn’t on his “level.”

To most, including the betting public, Alvarez is a considerable favorite. With an eighth-round stoppage victory over Billy Joe Saunders in May earlier this year, Alvarez has said time and time again that becoming the first undisputed champion of Mexican descent would mean the world to him.

In the mind of Plant, however, Alvarez’s dreams will go up in flames. The 29-year-old IBF belt holder has made three successful defenses of his world title, including a one-sided beating against Caleb Truax earlier this year.

Posted on 11/05/2021

By: Hans Themistode

In a career that’s likely Hall of Fame bound, Canelo Alvarez has thoroughly enjoyed pushing the limits of what he can physically do.

After starting his career at 139 pounds in 2005, Alvarez has slowly but surely moved his way up the ranks. Now, presently speaking, Alvarez is a four-division world champion with an eye to accomplish more.

Despite dethroning Sergey Kovalev at 175 pounds in November of 2019, Alvarez has stated on numerous occasions that his current division, super middleweight, is where he feels the most comfortable. However, when asked broached with the idea of moving back up in weight to face unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbeiv, Alvarez embraced it.

“That’s not crazy,” said Alvarez to a group of reporters. “I like the idea. I love challenges.”

Beterbiev, 36, has built a reputation of being one of boxing’s most feared punchers. With all 16 of his victories coming via knockout, the Russian star will look to once again put his opponent on ice on December 17th, against highly ranked contender, Marcus Browne.

Although presently, most are picking Beterbiev to score yet another victory, Alvarez has his own business to attend to beforehand.

This coming Saturday night, November 6th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alvarez is set to take on IBF super middleweight champion, Caleb Plant. With Alvarez in possession of three of the four major world titles, the winner of their upcoming showdown will be crowned the division’s first undisputed super middleweight of all time.

Much like Beterbiev, the consensus surrounding Alvarez is that he’ll destructively get rid of Plant before the sound of the final bell. Those sentiments are something that the Mexican star vehemently agrees with, as he claims that he’ll stop Plant in eight rounds or less come fight night.

Should his predictions become a reality, Alvarez will have no shortage of viable contenders at 168 pounds. However, while Alvarez’s head trainer Eddy Reynoso has urged his pound-for-pound star to refrain from moving back up in weight, it appears as though Alvarez could try his hand at becoming a unified light heavyweight champion.

Posted on 11/03/2021

By: Hans Themistode

For the vast majority of his career, Canelo Alvarez has walked through the ropes as a considerable favorite. Come this Saturday night on November 6th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alvarez will assume that familiar position.

On the night, Alvarez will attempt to unify his WBA, WBO, and WBC super middleweight titles against IBF champion, Caleb Plant. Although boxing has often produced split opinions on championship fights, the overwhelming thought processing surrounding this one has been the same. That is, Alvarez will dominate and become the division’s first undisputed champion.

With bettors currently running to the betting window to wage their hard-earned money on the Mexican star, the multiple division titlist can’t help but smile. Although several large bets have already been made in his favor, Alvarez urges his fans to dig deeper and deeper into their pockets.

Betting such large sums of money might feel a bit uncomfortable for the common man. Those, however, who are uneasy about the possibility of Alvarez coming up short, should feel just fine.

“Bet more,” said Alvarez to a group of fans. “Your money is safe.”

Plant, 29, and his two and a half year title reign, is mostly viewed as inconsequential. While he has defended his championship three separate times, the Nashville, Tennessee native has yet to face anyone even remotely close to the caliber of Alvarez. Due to Plant’s less than stellar opposition, he’s mostly viewed as having little to no chance at actually pulling off the upset.

Not only is Alvarez in agreement with the betting public but he’s also equally as confident in his ability to put an end to their contest before the sound of the final bell.

“I’m gonna knock out this guy,” said Alvarez during a recent press conference. “Less than eight rounds, easy.”

Posted on 11/03/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Boxing fans all around the world are flocking to Las Vegas, Nevada, this coming weekend. Not just because they want to witness Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant live but because they want to fill their pockets with a few extra bucks.

No matter who steps up to the betting window, their wager, more times than not, has been the same. Canelo via stoppage.

Admittedly, Plant isn’t too fixated on the betting market. Considering his tendency to shrug off his doubters and take care of business in the ring, Plant is fully convinced that when the dust settles this Saturday night, countless people will have lost a significant amount of money.

“Those oddsmakers can have me as an underdog,” said Plant to a group of reporters. “I’ve been an underdog my whole life. I’ve been proven them wrong my whole life. At the end of the day, they’ve been wrong before and they’re wrong now.”

Plant, 29, has proudly worn his IBF super middleweight title for well over two years. Most recently, Plant made it look incredibly easy against former titlist Caleb Truax, winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards earlier this year in January. Still, despite his title reign, the Nashville, Tennessee native has yet to face anyone the Caliber of Alvarez.

The Mexican star, on the other hand, occupies a top-tier spot on virtually every credible pound-for-pound list thanks to victories against the likes of Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, and most recently, Billy Joe Saunders.

With three of the four 168 pound world titles in Alvarez’s possession, coupled with the IBF trinket of Plant, the winner of their showdown will become the division’s first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time.

For a number of years now, Plant has expressed an overwhelming amount of confidence in his ability to knock Alvarez off his high horse. The betting market, however, simply isn’t buying it. With training camp now done and over with, Plant’s self-belief is at an all-time high. Although the 29-year-old has proven to be one of the more slicker boxers in the sport, come Saturday night, he plans on bringing the action right to Alvarez from the beginning.

“Saturday night, I’m a be right up in his face.”

Posted on 11/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Derrick James has nothing but the utmost respect for Canelo Alvarez. The long-time trainer has witnessed firsthand on several occasions the sort of damage the Mexican product can dish out in the ring.

However, with the unified super middleweight champion merely days away from attempting to become the division’s first undisputed titlist when he takes on Caleb Plant, James is struggling to make a prediction. On paper, Alvarez would appear to have the edge. Having won world titles across four separate weight classes, Alvarez is etched on to most pound-for-pound lists as its top man.

Regardless of his lofty placement, James isn’t counting Plant out. Not only does James believe Plant can go toe to toe with Alvarez in the skills department but the former Trainer of the Year runner-up is also convinced that Plant won’t be unnerved.

“I think Caleb Plant won’t be afraid of him for sure,” said James during an interview with Little Giant Boxing. “He will not be afraid of him. Not saying all the other guys were but I think they couldn’t match his skills and abilities. I think Plant might be able to match that.”

Currently, James and his opinion are in the minority as Alvarez is pegged as a significant favorite. Not only is the Mexican star expected to win but a feeling of apprehension has swept over the event as well. While Plant has worn his IBF world title for well over two years, the 29-year-old has yet to face someone the caliber of Alvarez.

Having faced the likes of Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz, and most recently, Caleb Truax – Plant is mostly viewed as lacking experience against top-tier competition. In the case of Alvarez, the now 31-year-old has built his name and reputation off the backs of several great fighters.

Since losing a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather almost a decade ago, Alvarez has gone on to beat the likes of Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, and Gennadiy Golovkin. Most recently, Alvarez was last seen in the ring putting an end to the career of former multiple division titlist, Billy Joe Saunders.

After spending years agitating Alvarez, the two officially squared off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas, on May 8th, earlier this year. Saunders boxed well at the start, tagging Alvarez with several hard shots while boxing on the outside. Nevertheless, the British native would eventually succumb to an eighth-round stoppage defeat, thanks to Alvarez crushing his right eye socket and orbital bone.

With Alvarez and Plant coming to blows during their California press conference, Alvarez has promised to end their showdown in similar fashion. In spite of those threats, James has carefully juxtaposed the skillset of both men. After doing so, he expects a competitive and close matchup.

“Canelo is a phenomenal fighter. Caleb Plant is a very skilled, very athletic, very technical fighter so it should be a pretty good fight.”

Posted on 10/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

From the moment Caleb Plant signed his name on the dotted line, the skeptics came out in droves. Plant, 29, will look to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time when he takes on Canelo Alvarez on November 6th, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By and large, Plant has placed his blinders on as he’s ignored the naysayers that are backing Alvarez. But while Plant has mostly turned a deaf ear to his doubters, the words of Mike Tyson have caught his attention.

The former undisputed heavyweight champion has given Plant essentially no chance at pulling off the massive upset. On numerous occasions, Tyson has gone as far as to say Plant is going to get “slaughtered.” Also, Tyson doubts Plant will make it to the final bell.

In the opinion of the current IBF 168 pound champion, brute strength isn’t everything. To further back his claim, Plant rattles off the several shortcomings Tyson had during his Hall of Fame career when he seemingly had the physical advantage.

“He was stronger than “Buster” Douglas but that didn’t help him,” said Plant during an interview with FightHype.com. “He was determined to win. He was stronger than Lennox Lewis, he was stronger than Evander Holyfield but there’s a lot more to winning a fight than just being stronger than somebody. There’s a lot of keys and a lot of factors that go into a fight and not all of it has to do with strength.”

In 1990, with every heavyweight world title draped over his shoulder and as a gargantuan favorite, Tyson stepped into the ring against James “Buster” Douglas. Despite virtually everyone in the world expecting Tyson to get rid of Douglas quick, fast, and in a hurry, Tyson struggled throughout, before succumbing to a jaw-dropping tenth-round stoppage defeat.

In back-to-back fights against Evander Holyfield, Tyson once again strolled to the ring as a considerable favorite but was stopped in both contests, the latter of the disqualification variety. Although Tyson wasn’t the odds on favorite in his contest against Lewis, he was still viewed as having the advantage in physical strength and punching power. None, however, helped him pull off the win as he was stopped in the eighth round.

As a whole, Tyson’s conjecture has left Plant incredulous. While the Nashville, Tennessee, native isn’t known for his knockout power, he does believe he has more than respectable pop in his punches. For those who refuse to believe him, Plant urges his doubters to knock on the door of former titlist Jose Uzcategui, a man Plant sent to the canvas twice during their January 2019 encounter.

“For any people who think that I don’t hit hard, you can ask Jose Uzcategui. How many times has he been sat on his ass?”

Posted on 10/21/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Canelo Alvarez has never been particularly fond of any of his opponents but he’s never been completely angered by them either.

Throughout the course of his career, the Mexican star has traded verbal insults with Gennadiy Golovkin, nearly came to blows with Daniel Jacobs, and appeared visibly annoyed with Billy Joe Saunders. Still, despite Alvarez feeling acrimonious towards his past foes, no one has gotten under his skin the way Caleb Plant has.

“This is new for me,” said Alvarez during an interview with ShowtimeBoxing. “I’ve never had as much bad blood with an opponent like this one.”

The sudden disdain Alvarez harbors for Plant, all came about during what appeared to be your run-of-the-mill introductory press conference.

On September 21st, both Alvarez and Plant met face to face for the first time since signing their bout agreement. Although the two are currently scheduled to face off on November 6th, at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada, the pair couldn’t wait until the official night of the fight before letting fists fly.

As the two faced off, both men began jawing back and forth. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Alvarez pushed Plant nearly halfway across the stage. The Mexican native would later reveal that the shove was due to Plant repeatedly saying the words “mother f*cker.”

From there, all hell broke loose. A noticeably irritated Plant shrugged off several media members who attempted to hold him back as he marched right to the face of his upcoming foe. Once Plant got within range, he connected on an open-handed slap on the chin of Alvarez.

The pound-for-pound star would immediately react to the attack of Plant by landing two shots of his own, one of which caused a fairly deep gash under the right eye of Plant.

An enraged Alvarez would later grab the microphone during their presser and would proceed to tell Plant and everyone who was listening, that he would stop the IBF super middleweight titleholder in less than eight rounds.

Even with time to cool off, Alvarez is still none too pleased with the actions of Plant. As the Mexican star recalls past pre-fight encounters with previous rivals, he simply can’t recall a time where he was more irate with an upcoming opponent.

“This is the most animosity that I’ve had heading into a big prizefight.”

Posted on 10/19/2021

By: Hans Themistode

A win over Jose Uzcategui is one that David Benavidez desperately wants. Not only because defeating a former world champion would bolster his resume but more than anything, a victory against Uzcategui would become a gateway to the one fight he craves the most.

“I definitely feel like whoever wins out of this fight, me and Uzcategui, deserves to fight the winner of Caleb Plant and Canelo,” said Benavidez during a recent interview with Brian Custer.

One week prior to his showdown against Uzcategui taking place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on November 13th, Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant will lock horns. The two will square off on November 6th, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada with all of the super-middleweight titles on the line.

While Benavidez would love nothing more than to face the winner of their contest, he refuses to get too enthralled in the particulars of their showdown. Before Benavidez can demand his own shot at the undisputed crown, the 24-year-old is placing all of his attention on the hard-hitting former champion, Uzcategui.

Up until recently, Uzcategui enjoyed being considered the boogeyman of the super middleweight division. His championship reign, however, proved to be transient as he was thoroughly outclassed by Plant during their January 2019 showdown. Since then, Uzcategui would surprisingly lose again, this time, to fringe contender Lionell Thompson.

Despite a few bumps in the road, Uzcategui has gotten back to his destructive ways, picking up back-to-back stoppage wins.

As for Benavidez, he’s continued to make short work of the competition. On March 13th, earlier this year, Benavidez picked up his fourth stoppage win in a row, dispatching Ronald Ellis in the 11th round.

If the Arizona product takes care of business against Uzcategui, especially in explosive fashion, it’ll be ostensible to Benavidez that the winner of Plant vs. Canelo will have no choice but to face him.

“I don’t see why he would go in another direction,” said Benavidez when asked if Canelo will face him if he’s victorious against Uzcategui. “This fight is for the WBC and IBF title eliminator. The winner of this fight has to fight Canelo. It’s not because people want to see it but because I earned the right. When I win this fight, they can’t just skip me.”

Posted on 09/30/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Canelo Alvarez has an unquestioned disdain for IBF super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant. Although the two are scheduled to meet on November 6th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada with the chance to become the division’s first undisputed champion, the pair couldn’t wait until their fight date to swap fists.

During a recent press conference to promote their showdown, Alvarez became agitated during a heated face-off. The Mexican star pushed Plant across the stage, claiming that he said several derogatory words towards his mother. Unwilling to back down, Plant stepped right into the face of Alvarez and connected with an open-handed slap. Alvarez would then retaliate with two shots of his own.

As the two continued to lobby verbal threats at one another, Alvarez has claimed that he’ll stop his man in no more than eight rounds come fight night. While it’s unlikely that either man will sit down for a cup of coffee anytime soon, Alvarez does respect the skillset that Plant brings to the ring.

“He’s a good boxer,” said Alvarez during an interview with FightHype.com. “He has a good jab.”

Much like Alvarez alluded to, Plant has long been lauded for his ability to box. Throughout the career of Alvarez, he’s had his fair share of trouble with fighters who elect to box and move, such as Plant, as opposed to fighters who stand and bang in the middle of the ring.

Close wins against the likes of Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout, paired with a 2013 defeat against Floyd Mayweather Jr., has left many believing that Plant has the sort of style that will cause Alvarez serious trouble.

Those thoughts, however, while he understands them, are irrelevant at this point in Alvarez’s career. Having spent countless years facing an assortment of different fighters, Alvarez believes that despite Plant’s boxing ability, he’ll be able to easily make the necessary adjustments.

“I fight with every style so I have the experience. I have the skills to beat all the styles now. It’s nothing new for me. I fight with everybody.”

Posted on 09/27/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Caleb Plant is sitting alone on an island. But he doesn’t mind.

With the majority of the boxing public viewing the IBF super middleweight champion as a no-hoper in his contest against Canelo Alvarez on November 6th, Plant has decided to tune out the noise.

While he acknowledges that defeating Alvarez is a monumental task, the 29-year-old belt holder is as confident as ever.

“I know I’m gonna win this fight,” said Plant during an interview with Brian Custer on The Last Stand Podcast. “I’m confident as I’ve ever been.”

Despite the fearless attitude of Plant, Alvarez is still pegged as a significant favorite. By and large, the Mexican product is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, regardless of weight classes.

During his recent 168 pound run, Alvarez has taken care of business in dominant fashion. In December of 2020, Alvarez easily outboxed Callum Smith and ultimately stripped him of his WBA world title. In the process, Alvarez also snagged the vacant WBC and Ring Magazine belts.

After a quick pitstop against Avni Yildirim in February earlier this year, stopping the journeymen in the third round, Alvarez would take on Billy Joe Saunders. The elusive British product would find moments of success in the early goings. But eventually, Alvarez found the fight-ending blow in the eighth round, finishing off his rival and both stripping him of his WBO title and sending him into retirement.

With Plant facing the likes of Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz, and most recently, Caleb Truax – the title reign of Plant has been viewed as somewhat lackluster in comparison.

Regardless of the lack of big-time opponents on his resume, Plant is still firmly backing himself in his upcoming showdown against Alvarez. Those who continue to doubt him won’t ruffle his feathers. As long the man in the mirror believes he’ll pull off the improbable victory, that’s all that matters.

“I don’t need you guys to believe. I don’t need you guys to support me or root for me. I’ve been doing it my whole life without people doing that. When the bell rings, can’t none of y’all get in their for me anyways. I don’t need y’all to believe it. The only person that needs to believe it is me.”

Posted on 09/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Caleb Plant is leaving no stone unturned.

The IBF super-middleweight belt holder has recently revealed that he’s taking pointers from newly inducted Hall of Famer, Andre Ward. With Plant scheduled to take on Canelo Alvarez on November 6th, with all of the marbles on the line, the 29-year-old belt holder is attempting to peel away knowledge from the mind of Ward.

As an active fighter, Ward was once considered one of the pound-for-pound best in the world. But while he’s highly respected and viewed as an all-time great, Ryan Garcia believes that his help will ultimately be inconsequential.

“Andre Ward can’t fight for Plant,” said Garcia during an interview with FightHype.com. “It doesn’t matter, you can give all the advice that you want, it’s not going to change anything.”

Regardless of Ward’s help, oddsmakers have seemingly taken the side of Garcia. Currently, Alvarez is pegged as an overwhelming favorite to not only win his unification clash against Plant but to do so before the sound of the final.

In the eyes of the betting public, Plant’s minuscule chances stem from his lack of fights against top-tier competition. The 29-year-old Nashville, Tennessee native may have defended his world title on three separate occasions, but each opponent, by and large, has been viewed as a no-hoper.

Plant easily dispatched of both Mike Lee and Vincent Feigenbutz before sequentially cruising to a unanimous decision victory against Caleb Truax in January earlier this year.

Considering that Alvarez has built his name on the back of former world champions he’s defeated, the Mexican star is firmly entrenched as one of the best fighters in the entire sport.

As Garcia carefully observes the resume of Plant, he can’t help but raise an incredulous eyebrow at his chances. Unless Ward, a former two-division titlist who retired with an undefeated record after 32 pro fights, enters the ring in place of Plant, Garcia simply has a difficult time seeing how their pairing will benefit the IBF titlist in the slightest.

“I don’t even know how Ward would help. You’re still your fighter, you’re still going to be you. I don’t think it’s going to do anything.”

Posted on 09/22/2021

By: Hans Themistode

All of sudden, Canelo Alvarez is in a giving mood.

After meeting Caleb Plant for the first time face to face before their November 6th, showdown, the Mexican star was enraged with what took place yesterday afternoon. Once the two stars sized each other up on the press conference stage, Alvarez shoved his man, claiming the IBF titlist said a few disparaging words about his mother.

From there, Plant stepped up to Alvarez and connected with an open-handed slap. In an act of retaliation, Alvarez immediately let off two shots of his own, one of which caused a cut underneath the right eye of Plant.

With tension between the pair at an all-time high, Alvarez continued to get animated as Plant accused Alvarez, his head trainer Eddy Reynoso, and their entire camp – of being drug cheats. Once those accusations were lobbied in the direction of the unified super middleweight titlist, he jumped out of his seat and attempted to get in the face of Plant once again.

As the two were separated, Alvarez grabbed the microphone and revealed that come the night of their fight, he’ll have a heartfelt gift waiting for Plant.

“He’s gonna pay November 6th,” said Alvarez during the press conference. “When somebody bothers me with a lot of shit, they know. I have something special for him.”

Currently, oddsmakers are expecting Alvarez to walk away with the victory. The pound for pound star and multiple division titlist has faced considerably tougher competition throughout the course of his career.

Since picking up world titles at both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, Alvarez has placed his flag in the 168-pound weight class. In December of 2020, Alvarez nabbed the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine titles during his one-sided victory over Callum Smith. Alvarez would then follow that up with back-to-back stoppage wins against Avni Yildirim and Billy Joe Saunders, the latter resulting in the WBO title being wrapped around his waist.

As for Plant, while he holds an undefeated record through 21 professional fights, his resume is mostly viewed as unimpressive. Since picking the IBF super-middleweight title against Jose Uzcategui in 2019, Plant has gone on to defeat an unheralded bunch in Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz, and Caleb Truax.

But while most, including Alvarez, aren’t expecting Plant to reach the final bell, the IBF belt holder simply can’t wait until he makes the entire world eat their words.

“The only thing better than proving people right, is proving people wrong,” said Plant. “Make sure you tune in.”

Posted on 09/21/2021

By: Hans Themistode

With their November 6th, showdown still a long ways away, both Caleb Plant and Canelo Alvarez decided to get things started early.

At the kickoff press conference, which took place earlier today in Los Angeles, California, both Alvarez and Plant met face to face for the first time since signing off on their respective contracts. As the two stood nose to nose, jarring back and forth with one another, Alvarez removed his sunglasses as he continued his war of words with Plant.

Seemingly had enough of the theatrics, Alvarez shoved Plant while the two were on stage. Unwilling to back down, Plant then marched up to his upcoming opponent and threw a left hand. Much like his defensive actions in the ring, Alvarez avoided the incoming assault and then fired off two shots at Plant which left the IBF super-middleweight titlist bloodied underneath his right eye.

As security began swarming the stage, the two continued to lash out in rage.

👀 #CaneloPlant pic.twitter.com/Ej7KCzUOWo

— Hans Themistode (@themistode) September 21, 2021

For Plant, the 29-year-old Nashville, Tennessee native, is pegged as a significant underdog on the night. Although he’s held his world title for over two years, he’s failed to face anyone even remotely close to the skill level of Alvarez. Most recently, Plant was forced to settle for a wide unanimous decision win over long-faded former champion, Caleb Truax, earlier this year.

As Alvarez takes a long, strong look at the credentials of Plant, he can’t but shake his head. With three of the four world titles in the super middleweight division and numerous championship crowns over multiple weight classes, Alvarez is considered by most to be the best fighter in the sport, regardless of weight classes.

With their hostile press conference coming to an end, Alvarez grabbed the microphone and delivered one final message regarding the chances of Plant come November 6th.

“You’re not on my level,” said Alvarez. “You will see November 6th, you will find out, I promise you. You know what I do.”