From the minute you get to know his story, it became very easy to root for Caleb Plant.
An undefeated contender in the super middleweight division, Plant (15-0, 10 KO’s) returns to the ring on Friday, September 8 inside of the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. He will be facing off with Alan Campa (16-3, 11 KO’s) on a SHOWTIME-televised match.
Plant turned professional in 2014, under powerful boxing advisor Al Haymon. Registering knockouts and TKO’s in his early ring appearances, he quickly started raising eyebrows in the sport with his impressive victories.
What was also endearing about Plant at the time was the way he fought for the life of his young daughter Alia at the time.
At a young age, Alia was diagnosed with Aicar Transformylase imp Cyclohydrolase Deficiency, a very rare condition. Young Alia would lose her battle with the disease in January of 2015, and Plant has since gone on to remain undefeated as he keeps her memory in his heart.
Known as “Sweethands” because of his style, Plant, 25 years old, is ranked #7 in the WBA and #11 in the IBF, and very well could be fighting for a title in 2018. Plant recently visited the Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas as he visited kids dealing with medical conditions.
The visit was in honor of his Alia, who passed away at 19-months old. Working with Plant, Shoe Palace, Ringside, World Boxing Council (WBC), Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), and Showtime all donated gifts that helped cheer the kids up.
“It was a great day for me to be visiting these kids in the hospital.” Plant said. “Seeing all the smiles on their faces made me feel good inside. My daughter Alia and her spirit lives on and I know she’s up in heaven smiling down on me. I’m going to be making this an annual event.
“I want to thank the WBC, Shoe Palace, Ringside, Showtime and PBC for the gifts they donated. I also want to thank the folks at Sunrise Children’s Hospital for giving me the opportunity to visit the kids. I’m very thankful to everyone who was involved,” Plant added.
Training out of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, Plant was hoping to have landed a bigger fight on Sep. 8, possibly against Mayweather Promotions’ own Ronald Gavril. Instead, Gavril (18-1, 14 KO’s) will be fighting for the vacant WBC super middleweight title vs. David Benavidez (18-0, 17 KO’s).
If successful against Campa, it very well could make sense to see Plant in the ring against the winner of Benavidez vs. Gavril.
Plant has several tools that stand out as a fighter, from his acute ring awareness, swift movements, fast hands, and overall boxing acumen. Originally from Tennessee, Plant is now living and training out of Las Vegas, Nevada and has put in some great work recently inside of the aforementioned Mayweather Boxing Club.
If he was looking to make his daughter proud, it’s something that he surely has accomplished.
