Caleb Plant refuses to back down from Canelo Alvarez and plans to raise his hand “by any means necessary”

Although he enters Saturday’s unification battle to crown the undisputed first four belt champion in super-heavyweight history, the undefeated IBF champion Caleb Plant doesn’t have to look far to realize how much he will count before his biggest career fight. .

Most, frankly, is because of the greatness his opponent has achieved over the past decade – WBA, WBO and WBC champion Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs), who has a rare distinction. the undisputed king of the pound along with the biggest star in the boxing world.

But all the major sports books have given Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) this fight even though they have ample opportunities as a subplot to do this fight inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (21-0, 12 KOs).Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET) seems like just a formality, the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Plant, 29, may not have the same elite experience as Alvarez, turned professional at 15 and took over from Floyd Mayweather, the icon of Mexico, the sport’s biggest paid draw. The plant, however, has an intangible role that played a major role in promoting this fight and could threaten the chances of winning the fight tonight.

During a life that has been easy to live with, it can be difficult to quantify what a really mentally tough Plant is.

That’s why he never backed down from Alvarez on Sept. 22 after a clash broke out between the two in Beverly Hills, California, and left a cut under Plant’s left eye. That’s also why he never backed down after a head-to-head approach to the podium and gave a passionate talk about the extraordinary life he wants to live.

“I’ve conquered things that are much bigger than boxing, that would chew [Alvarez] I get up and spit and lift my chin out, ”Plant said before fighting the“ All Access ”cameras on Showtime.“ He knows what’s in front of him. He’s a different guy to me.

“He’s used to people coming in and bending over to him and handing him his belt and being happy about the check or whatever. I don’t care at all. I don’t care why I’m here or why I’m fighting.”

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To be honest, Plant’s small sample size at the highest level, in this fight, plays as big a role as Alvarez’s excellent skills. But it is clear that during the construction of this life-changing opportunity, Plant has left no stone unturned about his preparation and fully believes in the unwavering confidence he has carried as a shield, when it comes to talking about the challenge he faces.

“All the difficulties Caleb has had in his career, all the obstacles he has had to overcome, are no longer a problem,” said Plant coach Justin Gamber. “He can overcome anything and that’s the key to winning. As you get closer to the fight you see it getting worse. I’d describe Caleb’s mentality as a dog-dog. That’s what you need to be a top boxer in boxing. You have to have skill but also a mind. that dog “.

Plant’s indoor dog was cared for in some personal incidents that began in humble conditions in Ashland City, Tennessee. Plant’s mother, Beth, struggled with a drug addiction that made her childhood surrounded by poverty and despair even more difficult.

Plantie would find a way out of his pain in boxing with his father Richie’s push, making the most of the scarce resources available to him and creating his own ring by placing a ribbon on the floor in the shape of a boxer. to use a ring and other parents to join arms to provide a rope fence.

“Boxing is very important to me. It’s done a lot for me and I feel like I’m indebted to this sport forever,” Plant said. “Where I’m going in life, there’s no going back. There’s no Plan B. I’m going to get this thing out. This is a one-way trip.”

Although a strong amateur career would lead to a replacement position in the 2012 Olympic Team, Plant was never found in a favorite place where things would come easily. In fact, personal tragedies would continue to call into question his rise in boxing when he learned he was competing in a national amateur level tournament when his newborn daughter, Alia, was in a downward spiral.

Plant, her ex-partner, Carman Jean Briscoe-Lee, who gave birth to her daughter Plant when she was just 20 in May 2013, quickly learned that Alia was born with a brain abnormality that caused hundreds of seizures a day. A few months before he died when he was about to die at the age of 20, Plant promised that one day he would return in his honor with a professional world title.

That bittersweet day of victory would come in 2019 when Plant threw Jose Uzcategui twice to decide unanimously to capture the IBF tournament.

“I told him I was going to bring him in and I did that,” Plant said. “You lose someone and put a different perspective on time and don’t waste it out here, because it’s valuable.”

Three months later, however, Plant’s personal life saw another tragedy when his 51-year-old mother threw a knife at a police officer inside an ambulance and was shot dead by a deputy after a state of tension.

Although difficult obstacles in his life could have broken others in his place, Plant chose to turn his pain into a constant passion for the sport that has given him his life.

“I have a long time in boxing, even at a high level. I have a lot of experience in high pressure situations, on or off the field, and they both help each other in some way,” Plant said. . “I’m waiting for the bell to ring, to show and show these people who I really am [Alvarez] Who am I? He will know that everyone else knows at the same time when they thought I was just a boost and when they found out late. ”

Only time will tell if Plant’s chances of turning the bear on Saturday will help or harm his chances. In any case, he is ready to take stock, if necessary.

“On November 6, I will raise my hand in other ways,” Plant said. “People say that, ‘in any way it’s necessary,’ but I’ve really needed it in any way, whatever it is, just sit in front of this camera right here. So I know what that means directly.”

Who wins Canelo vs Plant? And what props are essential? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise’s best bets for Saturday, all by the hand of a CBS wrestling sports specialist who stepped up his boxing opportunities in 2021, and find out.