Going back to February 11, 1990, James “Buster” Douglas was in the position of me against the world. He traveled to Tokyo, Japan to face the undisputed undefeated heavyweight champion ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. The expectation was for the intimidating and dominant heavyweight champion to make it an early night and knock Douglas out inside of three rounds. Unfortunately for Tyson that wasn’t what his opponent had in mind. Douglas used movement, and a quick accurate jab to win most of the early rounds. When the dangerous champion tried to get inside, Douglas tied him up, moved away, and hit Tyson with combinations consistently throughout the fight. Outside of getting knocked down in the 8th round, Buster Douglas executed his game plan and fought a flawless fight. His jab, movement, and combination punching were hitting on all cylinders. Buster Douglas outboxed Mike Tyson and scored the biggest upset in boxing history. It was a night in which everything was working and Douglas was in the zone.
Thirty-one years later, IBF super-middleweight champion Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) finds himself in a situation similar to Buster Douglas. On Saturday, November 6, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Plant will battle the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) in the squared circle for the undisputed super-middleweight crown. He’s not the extreme longshot Buster Douglas was three decades ago, but he is the underdog. Comparable with Buster Douglas, in order to pull off the big upset, Caleb Plant will have to execute his game plan to perfection.
He has to be in the zone from start to finish. Plant is tall, fast, and elusive. The slick boxer will have to stick and move. Plant must be able to hit Alvarez, step around him, and force Alvarez to reset his positioning. Caleb must also effectively use his jab and control the distance. Occasionally Plant may have to sit down on his shots in order to get some extra pop. He has to be able to hit Canelo hard enough to negate Alvarez from moving inside and walking him down. Conditioning is another ingredient for Plant’s recipe for success. He will have to be in shape to move around the entire bout. He has no room for era. It is essential that Plant is flawless from the opening bell, to the bell that ends the 12th and final round.
Since losing to Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather in 2013, Canelo Alvarez has gotten better and better. He is currently in his prime years of his boxing career. Alvarez is good at everything. He has the ring generalship, the footwork, head movement, the ability to cut the ring off, and explosive power. Canelo is a fighter who is aggressive, applies intense pressure, but he’s not careless. Alvarez likes to throw counters, work the body, and set up his massive power shots.
For the past eight years, Canelo has been dominant, but he’s beatable. Alvarez has difficulties with the bigger boxers who are agile. If a bigger boxer can use his jab and move around, he has the ability to give Canelo some problems.
In order for him to claim victory on November 6, Caleb Plant will have to execute his game plan to perfection. His opponent is the ultimate boxer-puncher, but there is a route to victory. Canelo has been supreme for an extended period of time, but the one weakness he does have is the fact that he loses rounds. If Plant can be smart, use movement, a potent jab, withstand Canelo’s pressure tactics, and put some of his own shots together, then he has a chance to strategically outpoint Canelo and score a major upset.
