Former super middleweight champ Caleb “Sweethands” Plant doesn’t mince words– and maybe that’s why he seems to be a target for confrontational moments when he ventures out into the public.
The former IBF titlist did not disappoint headline seekers when recently asked about Edgar Berlanga’s chances against unified super middleweight champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez this coming September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In a video interview with YouTube channel K.O. Artist Sports, recorded prior to Saturday’s Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov bout in Los Angeles, Plant was asked to assess Berlanga’s chances against the Mexican superstar.
“I don’t think a whole lot,” Plant said. “I don’t think Edgar has the skills, but that’s for him to decide. When the bell rings, he can prove us wrong. I think a lot of people feel the same way, but if he wants to prove us wrong, have at it.”
When asked to dive deeper into his assessment, the native Tennessean got especially brutal.
“He’s got to be able to use boxing skills he doesn’t have, have a chin that he doesn’t have and have, and the experience that he doesn’t have,” Plant said. “So, there’s a lot going against him…but, again, I’d be happy for you to prove me wrong and prove everybody else wrong.”
The nasty verbal takedown of Berlanga is just one more slam against the New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent and his chances against the boxing cash cow and guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer. Since the announcement of the Mexican Independence Day weekend clash, boxing fandom has pretty much been unanimous in their disapproval of the bout.
Leading into this huge upcoming opportunity, Berlanga’s resume is exceedingly thin, with zero wins over true elite-level fighters and high-water mark wins over the likes of Padraig McCrory, Jason Quigley, and Steve Rolls.
Plant lost his IBF belt to Alvarez back in 2021 via eleventh-round TKO. That belt has recently been stripped from Alvarez due to an unwillingness to defend against the sanctioning body’s mandatory contender William Scull.
The 32-year-old former champ is set to return to the ring on that same Canelo-Berlanga undercard, against one-time top prospect Trevor McCumby. The bout was originally planned for August 17, but was pushed back due to a cut suffered by McCumby in training.
Paul Magno has over forty years of experience in and around the sport of boxing and has had his hand in everything from officiating to training. As a writer, his work has appeared on Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Fight Hype, Max Boxing, Boxing.com, Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules, Overtime Heroics, Bleacher Report, and Premier Boxing Champions. He is currently the owner and managing editor or The Boxing Tribune. You can follow his Twitter/X account, @boxing_tribune, for breaking boxing news, analysis, and sometimes NSFW commentary. For Advertising, Inquiries, etc., send him an email here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com