Could boxing fans be one step closer to getting a Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant fight announced to decide the first undisputed super middleweight champion in the sport's history?
Well, Plant seemed to directly respond to Canelo's "back in the gym" Instagram post Monday with an IG post of his own.
It started when Canelo, the arguable face of boxing and unified WBA/WBC/WBO 168-pound champion, first posted a shot of his chiseled physique from training.
Plant, the IBF super middleweight titleholder, seemingly saw that and responded with a gallery of photos showing himself boxing in the ring and training for what would be his biggest career-defining fight opportunity to date. The caption accompanying the photos read "*been in the gym."
After shattering Billy Joe Saunders' orbital bone to capture the WBO championship in May, Alvarez didn't waste time calling out Plant, who's in ownership of the missing link to undisputed prestige in the form of the IBF title.
"That's the plan to go for the belt and ... I'm coming, man," Canelo called out to Plant in the ring. "I'm coming, my friend!"
We know that Canelo wants a September fight around Mexican Independence Day, though Eddie Hearn suggested earlier this month that talks between the camps lacked progress.
Last week, the Matchroom Boxing promoter added that he isn't certain that Plant's team is willing to allow him to fight Canelo for all the marbles at super middleweight.
“Al Haymon doesn't really want to give up Caleb Plant, you know, to Canelo Alvarez," Hearn told the DAZN Boxing Show. "I didn't know that.
"Well, I mean, I'm presuming I mean, I think that that's pretty obvious,” he continued. “Like, if you've got a belt and a piece of that 168-pound division. Really, he will want to use that almost as bait to bring Canelo in and sign a five-fight deal or six-fight deal,because he knows how bad Canelo wants to be undisputed...
“It comes down to the fighter that, you know, the fighters, they trust advisors they treat, you know, maybe they've got a better plan. But where I'm looking at it, there's a huge amount of money on the table for Caleb Plant to fight Alvarez in September. But it's really down to him.
"You know, if he really wants to create his own legacy, if he really believes he can win, then he's got to be the guy that stands up and says, 'I'm actually sorry, you know, I appreciate you might want me to fight [David] Benavidez instead, or someone else said, but actually, this is my moment, and I believe I can beat Canelo.'”
Perhaps Monday's back-and-forth between Canelo and Plant can be a positive sign for news to come.