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Caleb Plant became a super middleweight world champion when he upset Jose Uzcategui in 2019.
After defending his IBF title against inferior opponents like Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz, and Caleb Truax, Plant fell short when he stepped up his competition to the world-class level against Canelo Alvarez in November.
Plant fights within the PBC universe of fighters, which also features the likes of David Benavidez, Jermall Charlo, David Morrell, and Anthony Dirrell.
The 29-year-old Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) has not ruled out Dirrell as his likely next opponent, but he also wants to send a warning shot that he’s ready for all comers at 168 pounds.
“I’m not ducking anybody, I’m not dodging anybody. If I’m fighting Canelo, who has accomplished what he’s accomplished, then I’m not scared of anybody,” Plant said on “The Good Fight with Kate Abdo.”
“Getting the biggest name possible will let the boxing world know that I’m not here to play and take my time. I want to get right back to it. After I do that successfully, then it’s to move into the biggest fight out there.
“Whether that’s Charlo or Benavidez, and clearing out the rest of the division. As soon as I get this next win, I’m going to be stepping right to them. These are the fights that I want, and these are the fights that boxing fans deserve. So I’m going to be pushing for these fights and making them happen.”
Plant fought admirably against Alvarez before getting knocked down twice and then out in the 11th round. Judges had Plant losing the fight 94-96, 93-97, and 92-98 after the 10th round.
Plant saw the fight much closer than the three judges.
“I feel like I was winning until I got clipped. I felt like I was winning six to four. They could have had it 6-4, 5-5. That’s a close fight going into the 11th round, especially against someone with Canelo’s experience. That’s not something you can buy or train for … I had some other close people tell me it could have been 6-4 his way. Either way, going into the 12th round, that’s a razor-close fight.
“Getting that experience is something I keep in my tool belt and will come in handy. There are things we can get better at, but we weren’t far off.
“It’s an opportunity to learn how to get better from that. Instead of crying and complaining and making excuses, we just need to get right to it and dissect things, pick it apart and see what we can get better at.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.