“Only a connoisseur can appreciate true quality,” so goes the saying. Caleb Plant started his boxing journey when he was eight. Following a stellar amateur circuit, he joined the league of professionals. A decade-long journey saw him through some ups and downs, including a world championship win and high-profile losses. He can clearly give himself a pat on the back. He is a boxing authority. The laurel thus gives him an exclusive right to review how others fare up in the ring.

Complex Sports invited the former IBF super middleweight champion to check the boxing skills of some well-known figures from the rap world. It didn’t take much time before ‘Sweethands’ fully immersed himself in the task. He went through over half a dozen names. However, the scrutiny that likely drew everyone’s attention was the one concerning Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Following the loss to David Benavidez, Plant returned to the ring on the Canelo Alvarez–Edgar Berlanga card last month. While it secured him an interim title, the win over Trevor McCumby may have opened new avenues for Caleb Plant.

Caleb Plant: You’ve been given the all-clear

“What’s up, you all? This is a Caleb plant. I’m with Complex. This is ‘Nice’ or ‘Not Nice’. And I’m going to be rating rappers boxing skills. Let’s see how it goes,” said ‘Sweethands’. No prizes for guessing who appeared on his screen first. The clip featured Drake throwing a 1-2-3 combination during a mitt workout.

“The 6 God. Let’em fly. Not too shabby. Little snap on his punches,” said Plant. However, he felt that the Canadian rapper’s technique needed a bit more refining. The following sequence from Drake seemingly confused Plant. Nevertheless, the footage was sufficient for the former champion to draw his conclusions. “I’d say ‘Nice’,” he said. The chart-busting musician had to bear with one last critique though. Caleb Plant wasn’t too pleased with Drake’s slips, it appears, much to a few fans’ amusement, he even mimicked the action.

Initially, he appeared confused – whether the person training in the ring was Kendrick Lamar. Even the Terence Crawford mix-up shot up. However, it quickly became evident. How could he not be impressed by a Pulitzer-winning rapper’s skills?

“So far, Kendrick’s got the best form by far,” said ‘Sweethands’. He added further, “You can tell he’s definitely been in the gym before. He’s definitely been in a few squabbles in his life. That’s pretty solid.” So Lamar joined Drake with on-par grades. A’ Nice’ from Caleb Plant. For a person who isn’t competing, Kendrick Lamar did a decent job with the gloves.

So there it goes. The debate over their musical rivalry might continue for a long time. However, the one involving the ring may have drawn to a close.

Close and Not So Close

Caleb Plant reviewed a few other known names. Among them, he found Wiz Khalifa‘s skills quite fascinating. Reportedly, the ‘Black and Yellow’ singer knows a thing or two about the mat. Impressed by the way he was hitting the heavy bags, Plant felt Khalifa’s skills placed him second to Lamar. Though not sure about his stamina, Khalifa’s form and stance said something.

Plant liked Lil Uzi Vert‘s boxing as well. He could see that the ‘Luv is Rage’ artist had been putting in some effort. Uzi was throwing his punches with intensity and speed. Plant was so impressed that Uzi eventually took over Wiz Khalifa’s place, behind Kendrick Lamar. Unfortunately, Rick Ross, Druski, Young Thug, and Meek Mill were unable to reach the necessary grades.

Singer Terence Trent D’Arby was a 1980 Florida Golden Glove champion. Do you know any other musician-actor who could box well?