Caleb Plant has denied that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is a better boxer than he is.
The IBF champion will meet the holder of the remaining three belts at super-middleweight on November 6th in Las Vegas, and is bullish on his chances of emerging as the division’s undisputed champion.
Alvarez had hoped for a September fight to settle the titles but protracted discussions led to a later date for a fighter many consider to be the best current pound-for-pound fighter.
Plant acknowledges Alvarez’s talent, but thinks he is the superior fighter.
“I mean, he’s a great fighter,” Plant said, reported Boxing Scene.
“He’s been around for a long time and he’s accomplished a lot. But, you know, within his first 30 fights I was probably fighting better competition than he was in the amateurs. I’m a Golden Gloves national champion, I’m an Olympic alternate.
“But, you know, I know he’s got experience on me, but everybody that I’ve ever fought had more fights than me. So, experience is a factor, but it’s not the determining factor. So, he’s a good fighter, but there’s no way that he’s better than me, and I truly believe that in my heart.”
While Canelo can point to Gennadiy Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather and Sergey Kovalev as past opponents, Plant has nobody on that level to point to for his own track record. His most recent fight came against Caleb Truax in January this year.
Plant already believes he has a plan to bring him success in November.
“I don’t have to go in there and be anybody but myself,” he explained.
“Being myself is what got me here. It’s what got all these cameras in my face right now, and that’s how I’m gonna see it out, is being myself. And when that bell rings, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”