Three world title defenses and a sparkling undefeated record convinced Caleb Plant that he was the best super middleweight around. His bravado and inordinate amount of self-belief, however, did little to help him during his undisputed clash against Canelo Alvarez.
With all of the super middleweight marbles pushed to the center of the table, the fleet-of-foot former titilist would come up just short, losing a close and competitive bout on November 6th, 2021.
Given no choice but to take a long hard look in the mirror, Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) acknowledged that if he wanted to go to the next level, he would need to enlist the help of outside forces. So, several months before taking on Anthony Dirrell in his comeback fight, Plant began working on his craft with world-renowned trainer, Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, standing firmly in his corner.
Thus far, their newfound partnership has been picture-perfect. In their first official bout since teaming up, Plant violently turned out the lights of Dirrell, stopping the former two-time super middleweight champion dead in his tracks via seventh-round KO.
Edwards, in Plant’s opinion, has brought a different ingredient to his winning formula. While most have grown accustomed to his benign smile and educated answers when pressed with questions, Plant revealed that his new trainer has extracted an inner meanness to his game.
“You add Breadman to that equation, everything that he brings to the table,” said Plant to FightHype.com. “He still wants me to have all of my defensive responsibilities intact but just bringing that Philly grit, sitting down on my punches more, bringing new ideas and concepts to the table. Having the same ideologies that my dad has. They complimented each other really well. It was a great fit.”
In just a few short weeks, their collaboration will be put to the ultimate test. On March 25th, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Plant will look to end his longtime rivalry against David Benavidez in the main event of a Showtime Pay-Per-View. Currently, thanks to his ability to take his opponents out before the sound of the final bell, the 26-year-old hard-hitting star finds himself as a slight favorite heading in.
Still, far from unnerved about his task at hand, Plant has a hard time envisioning exactly where Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) will give him much trouble. Considering that he’s placed himself through an arduous training camp, the former IBF belt holder is overwhelmingly confident that come fight night, he’ll reach a level that will leave him as the unquestioned winner.
“This the best Caleb Plant anybody will ever see.”