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Nobody can ever tell Caleb Plant what he can and can’t do.
That includes, but is not limited to his chances heading into by far the biggest fight of his pro career.
Plant remains a considerable underdog to prevail over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (56-1-2, 38KOs) in their undisputed super middleweight champion. BetMGM has the unbeaten Tennessee native—now based out Las Vegas—at +550 while Guadalajara’s Alvarez is -800 to emerge victorious in their November 6 Showtime Pay-Per-View main event from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“I know that people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m winning on November 6,” Plant insisted during a media conference to promote the event. “All those people who tell me that I can’t do something, you live believable lives and you do believable things.
“I promised myself that I was going to run this all the way to the top, with no problem crashing and burning along the way. I set out to live an unbelievable life and accomplish unbelievable things. Those people who doubt me are the very reason that I’m here.”
Plant (21-0, 12KOs) will attempt the fourth defense of the IBF super middleweight title he claimed in January 2019, while aiming to add the WBC/WBA/WBO titles currently in Alvarez’s possession. The unbeaten 29-year-old has barely lost a round since wresting the title from Jose Uzcategui, though cynics will argue that Plant’s job was to, in fact, dominate the likes of Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz and former IBF titlist Caleb Truax.
Meanwhile, Alvarez is considered the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter and with the stellar resume to match. The global icon has faced and beaten the best spanning four weight divisions, save for a twelve-round loss to Floyd Mayweather in September 2013.
Plant gets why most in the industry expect Alvarez to win, though refuses to accept the challenge as an insurmountable task.
“Miguel Cotto’s brother can make you do the chicken dance but I can’t?” Plant questioned, pointing to Jose Miguel Cotto rocking Alvarez in the opening round of their May 2010 clash, which Alvarez won by ninth-round knockout. “Okay. Mark my words, on November 6 you will hear the words, ‘And the new undisputed super middleweight champion.’ You will also hear the words, ‘and still undefeated.’”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox