IBF super-middleweight champion, Caleb Plant, propelled himself into the 168 lbs title unification talks alongside Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders, as he vanquished Caleb Truax in a lopsided show on January 30.

‘Sweethands’ bagged a comfortable on the judge’s scorecard. However, many have ridiculed his performance and have belittled his chances against other 168 lbs elites- Alvarez, Benavidez, or Saunders.

Welterweight prodigy Shawn Porter, who saw the fight live, has also walked the same path. Although he hailed Plant for a dominant win, he didn’t see it intimidate the other champions of the division.

Speaking at AK&Barak show, Porter said, “You got a guy that’s 37, a guy is who is coming off an injury, had an Achilles injury, hasn’t been in the ring in 2 years. I mean the list just goes on from there and you are saying, Caleb Plant, take care of this guy. It didn’t happen. I am not let down by the performance, I am not mad at the performance.”

He added, “I thought (Caleb Plant) he did great. I just thought that he could do more. And if he wanted to turn lemons into lemonades, which you say is, this didn’t didn’t scare off anybody.”

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Following a win over Caleb Truax, Plant might have to fight David Benavidez; Canelo Alvarez is scheduled to defend his titles against Avni Yildirim on February 27.

After that, Alvarez is touted to face WBO champion, Billy Joe Saunders. So, Plant cannot afford to remain inactive for that long ahead of a potential fight against ‘Canelo’. Amid so many options, the IBF champion might need some time to finalize his next fight.

What’s next for Caleb Plant?

The current 168 lbs division is deep and has numerous A-listers. While Alvarez is also a part of it, things have become more intense. If the proposed fights actually happen this year, it can be beneficial for the division.

Meanwhile, Caleb Plant can fight either Alvarez or Billy Joe Saunders, depending on the outcome of their fight. So, ‘Sweethands’ can take some time off, especially after a successful IBF title defense.

Do you think Caleb Plant will be the unbeaten world champion at the end of 2021?