CALEB PLANT will fight Canelo Alvarez, the greatest boxer in the world - but he has won much bigger fights throughout his life.
The unbeaten super-middleweight champion is currently at 21-0. He will be fighting in the unification bout in Las Vegas.
Canelo Alvarez fights Caleb Plant in Las Vegas
He was able to accomplish this feat despite the tragic death his baby girl Alia and the subsequent loss of Beth, his mother who was later killed by police.
Although nothing he will face in the ring is as painful as the heartbreak he has already experienced, it has strengthened his resolve.
Plant, 29 years old, spoke exclusively to SunSport. She said that she feels like the situations she has been through make her who she is. There's no stopping me.
"I could have quit long ago and people would have said, "Well, it makes sense because this or that."
Plant began boxing when he was eight years old in Ashland City, Tennessee. The city has just over 4,500 residents.
Parents were left with no choice but to either tape a ring together or to huddle together to make a square.
Free Bets: Get more than PS2,000 in NEW CUSTOMER DEALSPlant may not have had the best start, but it helped him quickly find his passion for the sport.
He stated that "When you truly want something, regardless what it is, you don’t always need to have the most expensive gear or the most advanced technology or the best stuff."
"Just like great boxers before us, no matter where they are from, they don't always start with the best stuff.
"You don’t need to have the most recent technology to get where youre going – all you need is drive and focus."
Plant continued to be a successful amateur athlete, representing the USA team and even serving as an alternate for the 2012 Olympic team.
His humble beginnings were what pushed him to the top of boxing - and to make sure that he remains there.
Plant stated that "most great men start in this position, with very little, and that's what motivates to get them where they want to go."
"When it's hard, having someone to lean on when you're going through tough times, thinking back like: 'I gotta do this work, this must happen.
"Because I believe there's no way that I can go back, or live out my remaining days in a similar situation or allow my children to grow up like that.
It's just like the great men of history who achieved a lot, and it's a great motivator."
Plant became a professional 12 months after his daughter Alia was born.
Unfortunately, her undiagnosed medical condition caused seizures.
Plant cared for Alia daily, and she died after she contracted a severe respiratory infection that led to pneumonia.
After losing Jose Uzcategui to points, the devastated boxer promised that he would win a world championship for his daughter.
Plant dedicated the win Alia and took his IBF belt to her tomb.
In March 2019, two months after his greatest boxing night, another tragic incident occurred. The fighter's mother was also shot to death.
Police in Tennessee fatally injured Beth Plant's mother after she allegedly pulled a knife against an officer.
He continues to honor his mother and daughter by wearing their names on his short.
He has successfully defended his title three times, earning him the right fight for Canelo’s WBC, WBA, and WBO belts in an historic title decider.
Plant says that despite the odds being against him once again, he is too strong to lose now.
He stated, "This boxing thing for me is a one way trip." When I came over here, I destroyed all my ships. There is no returning, no going back.
"Boxing is for me a one-way journey. I will get there I want to go and accomplish what I want."
