“That was the idea, to become two-time undisputed,” Canelo Alvarez answered while explaining his rationale for taking the fight with the IBF titleholder William Scull. From his perspective, when he chose to fight Edgar Berlanga in September last year, Cinnamon wasn’t being stripped of the IBF title; he was just loaning it to Scull for a few months. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.
Gaining a unanimous decision victory, Canelo reclaimed the IBF title, adding it to his WBA, WBC, and WBO belts to become the first ever two-time undisputed super middleweight champion. However, the fight itself was a massive dud. Scull played a defensive game while Canelo appeared flatfooted and could not cut off the ring or land effective punches. By the end of the snoozefest, the fight had gained the ignominy of being the fight with the least amount of punches thrown combined in a 12-round fight. And Canelo himself made no qualms about its nature. In a glaring rebuke after the fight, Canelo admitted, “For me, it’s a boring fight. You know, like a fighter not trying to win or just try and survive. I hate those kind of fighters.” If that wasn’t enough, a former opponent of Canelo has added salt to William Scull’s wounds. Moments after the fight, Caleb Plant, who himself lost to Canelo Alvarez in 2021 by an 11th-round TKO, took to X to share his harsh opinion on Canelo’s opponent.
Caleb Plant kicks William Scull while he’s down
A user on X, after the Riyadh fight, noted, “That’s why I respect @SweetHandsPlant so much. He didn’t play with the Canelo fight. Went out on his shield, every fighter Canelo has faced since then has been money grabbers there for a look. Plant wanted the crown.” Agreeing with the user, the former IBF titleholder replied, “I came up short but I wanted to win. I’d rather go out on my shield than feel like I didn’t give it my all.” That must sting Scull, who many felt only wanted to survive the 12 rounds with Canelo.
I came up short but I wanted to win. I’d rather go out on my shield than feel like I didn’t give it my all. https://t.co/GktRQn6QSv
— CalebPlant (@SweetHandsPlant) May 4, 2025
Even after being knocked down twice in the 11th round, Sweethands put in his everything to get up again and face the beast again. But when a barrage of punches came thundering, he was knocked down again. This time, the referee, Russell Mora, stopped the fight, declaring it a TKO.
Regardless, William Scull is already in a bad space, and he would likely need to re-climb his way up the division all over again. He could use a strategy similar to Caleb Plant’s for bouncing back stronger in the future.
Plant paving his way upwards for a rematch with Canelo Alvarez
After the Canelo loss, Plant had not immediately rushed into another match. He took it slow, taking the time to reflect on his performance, regroup physically, and prepare himself mentally after getting his then-unbeaten streak breached and title snatched. Almost a year later, the Nashville native had returned to the ring against Anthony Dirrell at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Rebuilding momentum, he had knocked Dirrell out in the ninth round with a highlight-reel left hook. But again, the road got bumpy when he suffered his second career defeat against David Benavidez in March 2023. The latter’s pressure and volume had overpowered Plant.
So, Sweethands once more retreated into his cave following this loss, focusing on training and recovery. A year and a half later, Plant fought Trevor McCumby, winning by technical knockout in the 9th round. As of now, he is set to fight Jose Armando Resendiz on May 31 in Las Vegas, and down the line, he aims for a possible rematch with Canelo.
“I feel like it’s worthy. But I’ve never been the type of guy to beg for a fight,” Caleb Plant told Boxing Scene in an interview in August 2024. For now, a rematch is unlikely to happen with Canelo. Alvarez is preparing for the highly anticipated bout against Terence Crawford, in September this year, which Turki Alalshikh officially confirmed after the William Scull bout. So, Scull would need to silently move forward with other opponents before thinking about another shot at the undisputed status. Who can he fight next to build up his resume?
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