IBF super-middleweight champion Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant is getting expert guidance ahead of his fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Plant (21-0) shared images of himself with former two-division unified world champion Andre “S.O.G” Ward. The photos show the two in Ward’s home gym in the Bay area, where Virgil Hunter is the head trainer.
Aiming right for the head not aiming to please. UNDISPUTEDxUNDISPUTED @andreward pic.twitter.com/aJ8TXz23lr
— CalebPlant (@SweetHandsPlant) September 4, 2021
Plant faces boxing’s current king with a chance to make history as the first-ever unified super middleweight champion. Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2) currently holds the WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight titles.
The fight, scheduled for November 6th in Las Vegas, will be broadcast live on Fox Pay-Per-View. It is in association with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and Canelo Promotions.
The S.O.G. Effect
Ward was one of the most talented boxers in history. The first-ballot Hall of Famer retired undefeated and on his terms.
Next to Claressa Shields, Ward has one of the most decorated amateur boxing careers. Ward was the United States Amateur middleweight champion in 2001, under 19 national champions in 2002, 2003 United States Amateur light heavyweight champion, and finished his amateur career with a 115-5.
— CalebPlant (@SweetHandsPlant) September 5, 2021
Subsequently, Ward won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece; he is the last American male boxer to win gold.
As a pro, Ward handily won the Super Six Series in 2011 after defeating Carl Froch in the final. He was ranked number one in the super middleweight division retaining the WBA (Super) super-middleweight title
the WBC and vacant The Ring title.
Ward then unified the WBA (Undisputed), IBF, WBO, and Ring light-heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2017. Currently, BoxRec ranks Ward as the fifth greatest fighter of all time, pound-for-pound.
Both Ward and Canelo Alvarez have fought and defeated former light heavyweight juggernaut Sergey Kovalev. Plant is looking to understand how to be the best super middleweight, and Ward is the perfect teacher.
Top of The Mountain
Negotiations to make a fight between Alvarez and Plant were originally for September 18th. The date fell through when both fighters could not come to terms. However, Alvarez entered negotiations to fight WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol but then pulled out, deciding to return to action in November.
It’s in good hands 🤲🏻 https://t.co/Mlfd4dQb4Z
— CalebPlant (@SweetHandsPlant) September 4, 2021
The winner of Alvarez vs. Plant will become the sixth undisputed champion across all weight classes in the four-belt era. The champ will join a list that includes: Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, and Josh Taylor.
Canelo Alvarez has seemed unbeatable since his lone loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. The four-weight class world champion successfully defended his titles against mandatory challenger Avni Yildrim in February.
Alvarez then won the WBO super middleweight championship by defeating Billy Joe Saunders. The Brit retired on his stool after the eighth round due to a fractured orbital bone. Alvarez’s win was a statement as Saunders was previously unbeaten and seen as his most formidable opponent.
Caleb Plant won the IBF super-middleweight title in January 2019 when he beat Jose Uzcategui. He has since successfully defended the belt three times, with his most recent title defense coming against former champion Caleb Truax in January.
