By: Dylan Fowler
Caleb Plant is scheduled to defend his IBF Super Middleweight title on January 30th against former champion Caleb Truax in the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
Although once a champion, this PBC fight does not have boxing fans screaming with excitement. Truax does not impose his will in the ring, and he lacks the power and aggression to give Plant problems. Plant is a marksman that puts his jab to great use. He lacks the single-shot knockout power, but he chips away at his opponents into the late rounds and strikes for knockdowns with a barrage of combinations as their vulnerabilities shine.
This is not a resume-boosting fight for Plant, but it is a stepping stone closer to the big fish: Canelo Alvarez.
Alvarez’s trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso announced that the big fish will defend his WBA & WBC Super Middleweight titles against his mandatory opponent Avni Yildirim on February 27th. He is on record with having the desire to unify the division, and a showdown with Plant is inevitable to make this happen.
Caleb Plant has put himself in a great position in his young career; however, you do not choose Alvarez. he chooses you. Alvarez will watch Plant closely until he decides it is time, and Plant must take advantage of his selection of opponents until then.
Las Vegas odds place Plant as a huge favorite over Truax. Plant is expected to force a knockout or win in a convincing fashion. He will do so and demand a resume-boosting fight.
Plant is in a position to fight three times in 2021. For hype and preparation, his best-case scenario for an Alvarez fight is the end of 2021. Alvarez signed a two-fight deal with Matchroom covering Yildirim and one additional fight. He is likely to push for a fight with WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders midway through 2021 since Saunders is a Matchroom fighter.
For Plant, the door is left open in the middle of 2021 to take on serious names in the division. Fellow PBC fighter David Benavidez, Daniel Jacobs, and Callum Smith are high risk, high reward options. These types of fights keep Alvarez interested.
Assuming Alvarez becomes victorious in a matchup with Saunders, he takes control of the WBC, WBA, and WBO titles. This circumstance places Plant in a mega-fight to potentially fight for ownership of four belts in the Super Middleweight division.
