Caleb Plant, the former IBF super middleweight champion, plans on returning to the ring in the summer after a long layoff of over a year to take a tune-up followed by what he hopes will be a clash against Jermall Charlo.
Plant (22-2, 13 KOs), who has lost two out of his last three fights, is now seen as the gatekeeper and feels that a match against Jermall (33-0,22 KOs) is a clash that “everybody wants to see.”
He believes a win over Charlo will open the doors for a rematch against Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez. The 32-year-old Plant wants three fights: Jermall, Canelo, and Benavidez.
It’s questionable whether a victory for Plant over Jermall would be enough to get a rematch with Canelo. It might help him get a rematch with Benavidez, but not Canelo.
Plant would likely need to beat David Morrell to get a second fight against Canelo, but he’s unlikely to take the risk of fighting him.
Charlo Fight: A Major Draw
“It’ll probably be a tune-up. I’m coming back in the summer. I think the [Jermall] Charlo fight makes the most sense,” said Caleb Plant to Fighthype about what fight he wants after his tune-up,
It makes sense for Plant to fight Jermall because it would likely be shown on PPV, and fans would be interested in watching it, even though Charlo is viewed as washed.
“I know everybody wants to see that, and that’s a big fight for boxing. It’s going to push the culture forward and push boxing forward. It’s something that excites me, and I want to be a part of it,” Plant continued about wanting to fight Jermall.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to make something happen if that [Jermall] doesn’t come to fruition, and that’s what I want. I’m not saying that because I have any word from his team about making a fight. That’s a fight that I wanted coming back, but I’m not going to wait around for him either.
Morrell as a Gateway to Rematches?
“He looked decent,” said Plant about Jermall’s comeback against Jose Benavidez Jr. “The David Morrell fight? That’s a big fight. He hasn’t had a whole lot of outings, but that’s another big fight that I’m sure boxing would love, too.”
Fighting Morrell would be the quickest route for Plant to get a rematch with Canelo, but again, it’s a risky fight that Caleb won’t take. The way he froze when he was asked about Morrell seemed to indicate that it’s too risky.
“Yeah, it could be,” said Plant when asked if Morrell is someone that he might have to go through to get a rematch with Canelo Alvarez or David Benavidez. “In the meantime, I know my plans and what I’m looking to do.
“If I get a tune-up, and the Jermall fight happens after that, I’m sure the gates will be wide open on any big fights,” said Plant.
