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Uncovering the Tragic Story of Caleb Plant’s Daughter, Alia Jean Plant

Published 01/12/2023, 5:00 AM CST

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The Tennessean Caleb Plant took nearly a year to get his act together. The six feet and one-inch tall orthodox boxer lost the battle against Canelo Alvarez on November 6, 2021. He went as a challenger to sequester the Mexican’s WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and The Ring titles. However, as it turned out, the American ended up ceding his IBF titles to the eventual undisputed Super Middleweight champion.

But much before Plant faced his toughest test in the ring, at a personal level, trials and tribulations overwhelmed his life. His professional record of twenty-two wins against only one loss remains impeccable by any standards. However, the losses he suffered at home would have otherwise broken an average person. The boxer considers exchanging punches with another fighter, even of the highest pedigree, fun. After all, he has seen so much sorrow and dealt with so many nightmares.

Twitter handle @ErnieTastyFresh shared a tweet that showed Caleb Plant placing his world championship belt at his daughter’s grave.

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The agony and pain in Caleb Plant’s life

“The Sweethands” professionally debuted on May 10, 2014. By this time, he and his partner, Carmen Jean Briscoe-Lee, were parents to Alia. However, the young couple was quickly heartbroken to learn that their daughter was in critical condition. Speaking on The Mayweather Channel, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and his brother Jeff Mayweather’s channel on YouTube, Plant said, Alia was born with an unknown medical condition. “I had her blood sent off to do over 50,000 tests at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, which is probably the most prestigious children’s hospital in the world. Everything came back negative…”

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His partner Carman Jean quit her job to care for Alia around the clock. Sadly, Alia’s condition worsened soon after his fifth fight against Daryl Gardener on December 5, 2014. He recalled, “…I was struggling with the decision because she’s been here before; she’s always made it out. “When I woke up [the next day], things were actually getting worse, so they said, ‘Mr Plant, we don’t think you should leave because we know you’ve told you this a handful of times, but we’re telling you this time your daughter’s gonna pass away.’

He was near his daughter as she left the world in her mother’s arms. She was nineteen months old.

Caleb Plant: the return of a fighter

Growing up in Ashland City, Tennessee, Caleb Plant reportedly took to boxing at eight or nine. His mother, Beth, was addicted to drugs. Often, young Caleb had to deal with banned substances on her behalf.

It was boxing that gave the youngster a much-needed break. He had a successful amateur break. As a result, he escaped much of the troubles boys his age went through. It seems his father, Richie Plant, built a subpar gym for his kid so that he would have a chance at a brighter future.

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During the 2011 Golden Gloves championship, he won the Light Heavyweight title. For the 2012 Long Olympics, Plant’s name was included in the reserve list. His amateur record stood at ninety-seven wins against twenty losses.

via Getty

A born fighter, five weeks after his daughter’s death, Plant returned to the ring, determined to keep fighting and finally earn the world title he had promised her. Finally, after waiting patiently for four years, he received the long-awaited opportunity on January 13, 2019. His opponent, Jose Uzcategui, the reigning IBF super-middleweight champion, was oddsmakers’ favorite. But Plant astonished them by scoring a unanimous victory over the Venezuelan.

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Watch Out for More: Canelo Alvarez’s 2022 Earnings: Fights Purse, Deals, and More

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Written by:

Jaideep R Unnithan

1,554Articles

One take at a time

After completing 18 years in the corporate sector, Jaideep decided to make a move out of the comfort zone and follow his heart's calling to becoming a writer. His understanding of Boxing began with Iron Mike's debut as an 18 year old in 1985. Like anyone and everyone else, he holds Muhammad Ali as the greatest, though his personal favorite remains the 'PacMan' Manny Pacquiao for his speed and sheer toughness.
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Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale