Inspired by the Marvel/Disney Plus series “What If” and as a tribute to the old school comic that inspired it, here’s a bit of “What If-ism” pointed at the boxing world. Agree, disagree, hurl personal insults in the comment section below.
What If Caleb Plant beats Saul “Canelo” Alvarez?
It was hard to see it happening beforehand and hard to register that it was happening, as it was actually happening. However, nine rounds into the 4-belt super middleweight unification at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, IBF titlist Caleb Plant is outclassing 3-belt Mexican star Canelo Alvarez.
Using smart movement and an efficient, off-putting jab, Plant had thrown Canelo way off his game and proceeded to make his way to a decision victory by a margin decisive enough to counter any Canelo home field Vegas advantage.
“I did it,” a tearful Plant told the world in his post-fight interview. “I believed in myself when nobody else did! You can’t deny me now!”
The next few months are a whirlwind for the Tennessee native. He becomes the toast of the boxing media and his social media numbers blow up. But frustration sets in as all that acclaim doesn’t really translate into next-level stardom for him.
A contentious post-fight beef with Canelo makes the possibility of a rematch increasingly remote. The Mexican moves on to a $35 million bout on DAZN against Dmitry Bivol while Plant spins his wheels, looking for a proportionately monstrous payday to go along with his monstrous upset.
A year passes as Plant waits on the right payday for the right fight. The WBC belt gets stripped from him in the meantime and the WBA is threatening to strip him as well. There’s little patience for inactivity-- if that fighter isn’t a major earner.
Pressure is applied from all sides and Plant is forced to swallow his pride and take a big fight without the accompanying star-level purse he had pushed for. Caleb Plant vs. David Benavidez, for the now-vacant WBC super middleweight title (as well as Plant’s other three belts) is announced for a date, almost exactly fourteen months after Plant’s career-defining victory over Canelo.
Although the build-up to Plant-Benavidez is predictably fiery, that same fire isn’t there for Plant as he actually starts the fight.
The ring rust and scattered focus is evident as he gets outworked in the first several rounds, falling behind on the scorecards to such a degree that he needs a knockout by the time he gets to the championship rounds. He’s sustained so much damage from the hungry, offense-minded challenger by that point, though, that it’s a monumental effort to just make it to the closing bell.
Benavidez moves on from this dominant victory to continue big things, culminating, ironically enough, with a move to 175 and his own crack at upsetting Canelo Alvarez.
Plant, meanwhile, settles back into his pre-Canelo groove, capturing one of the world titles left behind by Benavidez against a second-tier name in a solid, but not great performance. Two fights later, still clearly going through the motions and disillusioned from his brief time at the very top, he’s upset by a younger, hungrier contender.