Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant are now all set to go to war on November 6. The MGM Grand will come alive with screams, cheers, boos, lights, music, and echoes of thunderous punches as the two clash in the ring.
Boxing fans usually develop respect for athletes on the basis of their records and their ability to fight tough opponents. So, coming into this fight, the IBF champion Caleb Plant is a heavy underdog against the Mexican p4p king.
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Time and time again, Canelo Alvarez has proven himself against some of the toughest fighters in multiple weight classes. On the other hand, Caleb Plant is an undefeated champion; however, Alvarez has 35 more wins and way more belts than the IBF titlist.
Most in the boxing community are heavily inclined towards picking the p4p king to beat the Tennessee native. Much like many others, even British heavyweight Joe Joyce believes this will be an easy win for the Mexican champ.
Joyce went a step further and predicted Canelo Alvarez to win, not just by KO/ decision, but “by death”.
A KO could be the only way for Canelo Alvarez to beat Caleb Plant
Caleb Plant usually shows a very straightforward approach in his fights and it would definitely not be very difficult for Canelo to decipher his game plan. What sets him apart is his ability to stick to his game plan throughout; he has shown that even in the face of fatigue, he never sways away from his well-structured approaches.
In his last bout against Caleb Truax, Plant used his jab and constant in-and-out footwork to create and maintain distance. He continued with this approach and effectively blocked Truax from entering the pocket. He used an effective 1-1-2 combination that allowed him to follow up two left jabs with a heavy right cross punch.
It can’t be assumed if this approach would or would not work against Canelo Alvarez; however, the Mexican champ is probably the smartest and the most unpredictable fighter in all divisions combined. Unlike most of Plant’s previous opponents, Canelo prefers to fight from inside the pocket. He has a very deceptive way of making his opponents believe that they’re able to block him off.
Alvarez always puts his lead leg forward and leans his torso back usually with a high guard. With that lead leg placed forward, he is able to slide in and out of the pocket very easily. Once he is in, he uses his impeccable defense and speed to duck shots and counter with a barrage of body shots, uppercuts, and cross punches.
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Even though Canelo knows his way around taller opponents, Caleb Plant has mastered the art of not letting his opponents fight from inside the pocket. If Plant is successful in using his jab to keep Alvarez out of striking range, the only option Canelo might be left with is a straight knockout.
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In such a case, a knockout might become an imperative as he might not be able to connect shots on Plant and might even end up losing by decision at the end.
Also Read: Canelo Alvarez Still Haunted by Floyd Mayweather Loss: “I Don’t Want to Feel the Same Feeling Again”