Ahead of tonight’s fight night on Saturday, May 31, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Sporting News have listed 10 top facts about super-middleweight star Caleb Plant.
The 32-year-old Caleb Plant battles hard-hitting Mexican Armando Resendiz in a defence of his WBA Interim belt in a bid to land a huge grudge match with his bitter rival Jermall Charlo next. The pair were involved in a scuffle backstage at the T-Mobile stadium where Plant slapped him before being dragged away. That sparked the start of their rivalry, which they each intend to settle in the ring later this year.
But first, they fight tonight in respective bouts, live on Prime Video.
1. Caleb Hunter Plant was born on July 8, 1992 in Ashland City of Cheatham County, Tennessee; a small town with a population of just over 5,000.
2. Caleb took up boxing at the age of nine and built up a respectable record of 97-20, winning multiple tournaments, such as the 2011 Golden Gloves in the light-heavyweight division, and was selected as a reserve for the London 2012 Olympics behind Marcus Browne, who was eliminated in the round of 32.
As a youngster, Caleb switched between kickboxing and boxing, where he would win a kickboxing tournament one weekend, then a boxing tournament the next. He won five world titles and nine national titles in kickboxing. He admitted to getting fed up with kickboxing, where he said he would throw six kicks in the first minute of the round then resort to just boxing only for the remainder.
3. His personal life has been incredibly tragic. His mother, Beth Plant, was shot and killed by police after she pulled a knife on an officer. She was taken to hospital where she later died. Caleb’s daughter, Alia Plant, tragically died in January 2015 at the age of 19 months after catching a respiratory infection that led to pneumonia.
4. Caleb is married to Jordan Plant, a Fox Sports reporter. They met in 2016 and married in November 2019. They have a young daughter together with another baby on the way.
5. As a pro boxer, Plant’s first ever title he won was the IBF World super-middleweight title in his 18th fight in 2019. He defeated the titleholder Jose Uzcategui via unanimous decision (116-110, 116-110, 115-111) in LA, despite being a +161 underdog, then defended it three times before losing it via TKO 11 in his unification clash with Canelo in November 2021.
The Tennessean then won the WBA Interim super-middleweight title in September 2014.
6. When Plant KO’d Andre Dirrell with a left hook in the ninth round of their 2022 fight, he celebrated by pretending to dig a grave right next to where his fallen victim lay. Referee Harvey Dock was quick to stop the disrespectful gesture, which came after a very heated build-up to the 12-round non-title fight.
Caleb is often antagonising other boxers, most notably Saul Canelo Alvarez, who punched and pushed Plant in the build-up to their clash, which was uncharacteristic of the Mexican, who is usually cool and professional.
He has also brawled with David Benavidez and Ryan Garcia.
7. Caleb’s boxing alias is “Sweethands”, due to the speed, accuracy and combination of his eyecatching punches. He describes himself as a complete fighter, with very quick feet and hands, complemented with good movement and a high IQ.
8. He is trained by his father, Richie Plant, and Justin Gamber, both of which have journeyed with him from the amateur ranks.
9. There is a viral video online, that lasts over four minutes, of Caleb in a street fight with another person, who eventually reaches for his knife causing Plant and his friend to withdraw.
10. He has his own clothing label, called ‘Revenge Tour’, available to buy from his official website.
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