By: Sean Crose
“It’s different level,” Canelo Alvarez tells ES News as he prepares for his November 6th throwdown against fellow supermiddleweight titlist Caleb Plant. “I don’t know what level (Plant is at), but it’s not my level, that’s for sure.” Whether that’s true on not will be found out when the two men actually answer the bell next month. Canelo, however, isn’t going to sweat it. “We’ll see November 6th,” he says. Perhaps the biggest attraction in the fight game, the red haired star appears to have genuine bad blood between himself and the undefeated Plant.
When the subject of Plant’s poor upbringing comes up, Canelo makes it clear that he “was poor, too.” Sure enough, the sweet science has drawn in many who have suffered from poverty. “I can break your chin,” Canelo adds. “I also grew up not having anything.” To Canelo, growing up wanting isn’t something to be broadcast constantly. “I’m not going to tell everybody so they feel pity for me and make myself the victim,” he says of his own humble origins. Indeed, no one can argue that the man, who began fighting professionally at the insanely young age of fifteen years old, has let anything get in the way of his success.
In fact, Canelo has found a way to turn lemons into lemonade. After losing his first truly major fight against the dynamo that was Floyd Mayweather, the fighter kept plugging along until other superfights, against the likes of Gennady Golovkin and Miguel Cotto came his way. Although the Golovkin fights were controversial, Canelo can boast of not having lost a fight since he was bested by Mayweather when he was in his early 20’s. Add in the fact the guy continuously faces a whose who of name competition and it’s little wonder he’s seen by some as the single greatest fighting in the sport at the moment.
As for Plant, the American has the chance of a lifetime before him, should he find away to defeat boxing’s premiere practitioner. Having grown up in a hardscrabble environment can certainly give a man drive. It’s earned Plant a world title, after all. Will it have provided him with the skills to best the heavily favored Canelo on Saturday remains to be seen. If anything, the story of each man shows that a difficult background can’t always prevent determined individuals from attainting wild success.
