Caleb Plant seemed to be in good spirits Sunday when he addressed the public for the first time since falling short in his bid to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion in the four-belt era. Plant put the 168-pound on notice with his promise to become a king in the division once again.
Caleb Plant made a good showing for himself. Plant used his jab and footwork to score points in the early rounds. Canelo’s strength, aggression, and body punching eventually wore the former champion down. But Plant was not outclassed in the fight despite losing an 11th round TKO to newly crowned undisputed champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The loss to Canelo is the first for Plant in his 22 professional fights. The Nashville native feels he proved he belongs at the sport’s highest level. Caleb Plant used his Twitter account to thank his fans. He also provided the boxing world with a peek into his psyche after the disappointing loss.
“I’ve bent most the world to my will and done it with nothing but passion and skill,” Plant told his Twitter followers. “I’ll be back.”
Caleb Plant also says, “I showed I belong on the top level and I’ll be champion of the world again. I’ve never been scared to go big or go out on my shield.”
It is not immediately clear what Plant would have to do to position himself for another championship opportunity. Canelo holds all four belts in the super middleweight division. Fans are unlikely to desire a Canelo-Plant rematch without an impressive win from Plant over another top 168-pounder.
One way Plant could potentially earn a second fight with Canelo is to defeat David Benavidez. Benavidez is an undefeated former champion who lost his title due to behavior unrelated to boxing. If not, Plant may find himself waiting until Canelo decides to vacate one or more of his super-middleweight titles.