By: Sean Cross
He may not be flashier than Canelo Alvarez’s opponents, but there’s no doubt that Caleb Plant was a legitimate contender for the world super middleweight championship he and Canelo were aiming for. To be honest, the plant had handled itself well in the fight. But Canelo was a man in his prime, on an incredible seven-fight, three-year winning streak. The red-haired star is simply not to be denied. A brutal fist attack in the eleventh round took Plant down and out. He returned in November last year.
Suffice it to say, a lot has changed since then. Plant and his wife Jordan welcomed a baby girl last summer. The 30-year-old has a return to the ring lined up for Oct. 15 when he faces former oral champion Anthony Dirrell. But things have changed for Canelo. In the year After picking up Vegeta in November, he lost to Dimitri Bivol for the first time since 2013 for Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight title the following May. Then, just last week, Canelo was criticized in some circles for not stopping an aging Gennady Golovkin in their third fight.
Now, with his return looming, Plant has been asked if he’s interested in facing Canelo a second time. “That wasn’t my best campaign going into that fight,” he said. FightHype In last year’s fight with Canelo, he said, “But that’s not where I lost. I lost because I was caught by a big shot and stopped. Plant made it clear in the interview, however, that he would like to meet Canelo again in the ring. “I want a rematch with Canelo,” said the 21-1 fighter. “If I have to lift every last top super middleweight in the division to get there, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Even if fans aren’t clamoring for a second Canelo-Plant fight, the Tennessee native is still one of the top middleweights in the world. Although heavy hitting David Benavidez is seen as a tough matchup for Canelo, the favorite Canelo may be heading for a rematch against Bivol next. Also, Canelo may need surgery on his hand before returning to the ring. That means he may not fight at super middleweight again for a while. And the plant seems willing to put up with it, at least for the time being.
