IBF super middleweight champion Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant 21-0 (12) is brimming with confidence ahead of his unification bout against WBC, WBA and WBO counterpart Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 56-1-2 (38) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
“There’s not much time left and not much left to say,” the 29-year-old Plant from Nashville, Tennessee said. “Leading up to this fight, Canelo said that the Mexicans don’t fuck around. That’s good to know, because where I’m from, we don’t fuck around either.
“Make sure you tune-in Saturday night. You’re going to see the first undisputed super middleweight champion ever in this sport. This is history and you’re looking at him. His name is Caleb Plant.
“It wasn’t my intention to get under Canelo’s skin at the first press conference. I think the media makes more of it than we do. We’ve both been in worse scuffles than that. When the bell rings, it’s completely different.
“I’m someone who likes to focus on what’s in front of me. Until recently, Canelo wasn’t in my weight division, so I didn’t think much about fighting him. Once he came in the division, I knew that it would be a huge mega fight and here we are.
“I have to get the job done by any means necessary. That’s what me and my team have done so far to get to this point. Whether it’s boxing or in life, I’ve gotten here by any means necessary. I had opportunities to bow out and I haven’t. I just can’t wait for the bell to ring Saturday.
“The way I see this fight turning out is Jimmy Lennon Jr saying ‘the new undisputed and still undefeated’. Canelo’s had multiple close fights, but I believe the right people are in place to make the right decision Saturday night. All I can focus on is the game plan and the job that needs to be done.
“People are going to say what they’re going to say. But I get the final say and I can’t wait to prove everything in the ring. I can’t focus on what other people say about me. If I listened to the doubters, I wouldn’t even be here.
“I’ve been the underdog before. It’s a place I like to be. I like people rooting against me. It gives me extra motivation, but when you’re fighting for undisputed status, you don’t need much more motivation than that.
“Make sure you tune-in. This isn’t just the biggest fight of the year, but you’re tuning in to witness history when I get crowned the undisputed super middleweight champion.”
Plant’s co-trainer Justin Gamber added: “I want to thank all the members of our team that are with us day in and day out. We have the best team in boxing. Every member is great at what they do.
“Saying that we had the best training camp ever is cliché, but I’m about to say it again. Every camp we’ve had has been great for different reasons. This training camp had challenges, but it’s been the best one this team has had.
“Just know that no stone has been left unturned. All the work has been put in. We’ve gone above and beyond to prepare for this fight. You’ll never see a better version of Caleb than you will Saturday.
“We still have 12 rounds of boxing to put in. At the end of those 12 rounds, I have no doubt whose hand will be raised. It will be Caleb Plant, the first undisputed super middleweight champion in boxing history.
“Any time you face the pound-for-pound best in boxing, you know you’re going to have your work cut out for you. We’ve had our work cut out before and overcame it. We’ve really prepared our whole career for this fight.”
