Caleb Plant Desires Canelo Rematch; Willing to Facing Benavidez and Charlo First
BY
SEAN NAM
Published Wed Mar 30, 2022, 08:22 AM EDT
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Caleb Plant is willing to take Canelo Alvarez up on his earnest request, as long as that means he can get another crack at the Mexican superstar.
Earlier in March, shortly after Alvarez signed a two-fight deal with DAZN to face Dmitry Bivol (May 7) in the spring and Gennadiy Golovkin in the fall (September), the undisputed 168-pound champion offered a public service announcement to the host of contenders who have been yearning to fight him.
"I'm busy this year,” Canelo told DAZN. “I know they want that payday, but I really don't understand why they don't fight each other. Fight each other and then I'll fight the winner of all of them - I don't f---ing care.”
Plant, a Nashville native who lives and trains in Las Vegas, has apparently taken Alvarez's idea of a round robin to heart.
The 29-year-old Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) came up short in his 12-round, undisputed super middleweight title bout against Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) last November at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, losing by 11th-round technical knockout.
“I want my rematch with Canelo and if he says that we need to get to fighting each other, which I planned on doing anyways, but if I have to beat every other top super middleweight in the division to get my rematch then that’s what I’m gonna do,” Plant told Tha Boxing Voice.
The top fighters currently on Plant's radar apparently include WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) and David Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs), a former two-time titlist at 168. Plant has frequently had heated exchanges with both fighters on social media. All three fighters have the same manager in Al Haymon, the head of Premier Boxing Champions.
Plant, who won the IBF 168-pound title with a unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui in 2019, understands that there is a pecking order and that he needs to rack up an impressive win or two to jump to the front of the line for another duel with Alvarez.
“I’m not expecting I can jump, after a loss, right back into the biggest fight out there. I know I have to climb my way back,” Plant said. “I know I have to get a win or two, hopefully just one, and I can get back into the mix with the biggest fights out there. But if I have to work my way back, then I’m willing to do that.
“I’m not gonna cry and complain that I’m not getting the biggest fights when I just lost. I’m not no cry baby. If that means I have to work my way back, I’m a man, I’mma do that.”
Plant said he expects to return "by the end of the summer." BoxingScene.com previously reported that
Plant agreed to face Andre Dirrell for his next fight. Benavidez is scheduled to take on David Lemieux May 21 in Glendale, Arizona. Houston's Charlo will defend his middleweight belt in his hometown June 18 against Maciej Sulecki.
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..hope Dirrell beats him too
