By: Sean Crose
As they say: better late than never. Although it recently looked like a bout between Canelo Alvarez and fellow super middleweight titlist Caleb Plant might not come to fruition, fresh news has arrived. In spite of the fact that plans for their anticipated September bout fell through – leading to rumors that Canelo might once again fight at light heavyweight – ESPN is reporting that the red haired star and Plant have now agreed to face off in November. Although no official date is set, it looks like the battle will be a PBC PPV affair that will go down on the 6th of that month.
This will be a divisional unifier, meaning the winner will reign supreme atop the super middleweight division. The 56-1-2 Canelo holds the WBC, WBA, and WBO divisional titles while the 21-0 Plant holds the IBF strap. An undisputed championship is on the line. Should things see their way through to the opening bell this time around, Plant will be facing the challenge of a lifetime. Having only lost once, to Floyd Mayweather no less, Canelo has risen to the top of the sport. Indeed, some feel the Mexican multi-divisional titlist is the single best practitioner of the sweet science in the world right now. What’s more, the man has battled a veritable whose who of top level opponents.
Names like Golovkin, Jacobs, Cotto, Khan, Kovalev and Smith have all fallen victim to Canelo’s gloved fists. Only Golovkin has arguably proven to be Canelo’s equal (both fights between the two men ended in controversial decisions). The others were simply bested outright (though Cotto was a bit past his prime). In other words, Canelo can back up his popularity with a high end skill set, something other big name fighters can’t boast of. Canelo’s last fight was a wipeout of talented Brit Billy Joe Saunders back in May. Many are speculating Canelo is now in his prime.
Plant has never fought anyone near the caliber of the top fighters Canelo has bested. Yet at 29 years of age, he’s carved out a niche for himself in the current boxing scene by winning and winning effectively. Of course, he can forget about that niche now that he’s fighting one of the most well known athlete’s on earth. Canelo will clearly be the favorite – and rightfully so – but it’s worth noting Plant has his own gifts to bring to the table, such as the ability to be slick, to maintain range, and to finish an opponent off. The question of whether or not any of those skills will shine against domineering Canelo will be now likely be answered in the fall.
