Former super middleweight world champions Caleb “Sweethands” Plant and Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell shared insights into their respective training camps and more during a virtual press conference Wednesday ahead of their upcoming WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator on Saturday, October 15 in the co-main event of a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by BombZquad Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through seatgeek.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets are also available for purchase in-person at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.
The former 168 pound world champions made their mutual intentions clear at the fight’s introductory press conference, with each declaring that they would have their hand raised on October 15. The former IBF champion Plant returns to the ring after his first career defeat in a 2021 undisputed title fight against Canelo Alvarez, while the two-time WBC champion Dirrell seeks to add another signature victory on his way to a third world title opportunity.
Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday:
CALEB PLANT
“He can feel how he wants, but he’s not going to do anything on fight night. He says he’s ‘The Dog’, but he does a lot of woofing. He woofs a whole lot because he’s a puppy dog, but he doesn’t follow through. He’s trying to hype himself up.
“I’m going to put a vicious whooping on him on October 15. I’m going to teach him a life lesson when we get into the ring.
“He’s retiring after this. He’s done. I’m going to beat him in such a way that he won’t want to be a part of this anymore.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun in the gym. This has been the best quality of sparring that I’ve ever had, and the most success I’ve had in sparring during camp. I sparred Carlos Adames, Shane Mosley Jr., Kyrone Davis and other great fighters. It’s been top quality sparring. Having Stephen Edwards on the team with my dad has given us great chemistry. We’re relaxed and easygoing, but also getting after it.
“He’s not a bully. He likes to act like a bully. I don’t care where he’s from. His team has been barking for years, but none of that means anything to me.
“I’m only focused on the task at hand and the fight in front of me. Just because I know that I’m going to beat him, doesn’t mean that I’m looking past him. The only way to get to your long term goals is by accomplishing your short term ones.
“I’ve always been about legacy. I know that if I make the right moves in the ring, everything else will come with it. First thing first is handling business on October 15. That’s the first step toward bigger and better fights and cementing my legacy as the greatest super middleweight of this era.
“He’s never had one successful title defense. He knocked out a blown up middleweight in his last fight. We’re not even in the same galaxy as that guy he fought. The list goes on and on, and he says what he wants, but when is the last time he beat a true super middleweight?
“The biggest thing I took from the Canelo Alvarez fight is the experience in general. Experience isn’t something you can buy. You have to go through it to get it. Obviously I came up short and there’s no excuses there. I got right back with my team and went back to work.
“I’m going in there focused. We have a game plan and we’re going to get the job done in fashion. Whether that’s stopping him, or putting a whooping on him for 12 rounds, regardless I’m going to have my hand raised.
“My hunger comes because I keep the priority the priority. I don’t box to be famous or rich. It’s nice, but that was never the main goal. The goal is to be one of the greatest of all time. No matter what I have, I keep the mentality of repping for the ‘have nots.’ You can’t accomplish what I want to accomplish without that focus.”
ANTHONY DIRRELL
“He’s just one of those guys that I want to really f*** up. That’s the task at hand, get in there and f*** him up.
“The game plan is to go in there and be ‘The Dog.’ If I can do that, I win the fight for sure. I’m just really ready to get in the ring and have my hand raised.
“My camp has been really good and injury-free. I’ve been getting rounds in week after week and I’m ready to go. If I could fight tomorrow, I would.
“You don’t change too much from camp to camp, you just adjust tactics and things like that. Every camp you go in there and give it your all. We’ve tweaked what we had to in order to prepare for Plant.
“If you want to be great you have to make sacrifices. If you don’t want to be great, you won’t do that. I’m training my ass off and I’m ready for Caleb Plant.
“I’ve been working with SugarHill Steward since I was 13-years-old. He’s an A+ trainer and everyone knows it. A lot of people want to go to him now. He’s one of the family members now and he has been for years. When you have someone in your corner that you can trust, it really boosts your confidence more.
“I know what I’m doing. I’ve seen Caleb fight and he’s a nice boxer. But I’ve fought those guys before and it’s nothing. He’s just another guy in front of me who wants to defeat me.
“Caleb was boxing well in the early rounds against Canelo Alvarez, but then he got on his horse and ran for the rest of it. He was getting on his horse and moving. That’s what I saw.
“I know what I’m capable of. But I want to show everybody else what I’m still able to do. If I didn’t believe in myself, then I wouldn’t be here.
“Me growing up in the city of Flint and being great and being the best person I can be is a positive message. That’s what I want the kids there to see. If you give it your all, nobody can complain about that.
“Caleb Plant is the only thing that’s crossed my mind. That’s all I’m focused on. Everything else can wait until after the fact.”
