Caleb Plant fulfills a dream by defeating Jose Uzcategui for IBF title

Caleb Plant started hot but took shots from Jose Uzcategui down the stretch, but he did enough to become the new IBF super middleweight champion.

Nothing has ever come easily for super middleweight boxer Caleb Plant. He struggled through a harsh childhood but recently told Yahoo about the nightmare of losing his daughter in 2015. Its a pain that he still feels today, but he’s a survivor. Plant grappled through obstacles in the ring on Sunday, Jan. 13 in an IBF super middleweight title bout against Jose Uzcategui to become the new champion.

In the first round, Plant’s hands were faster, but Uzcategui’s punches were harder. Plant was more active than expected and wasn’t content with just being a counterpuncher. He made Uzcategui miss and landed quick combinations in bursts.

Plant shocked the crowd in round two with a flash knockdown. Uzcategui’s legs got twisted, and Plant tagged him with a left hook that dropped him. Uzcategui wasn’t hurt, but he still lost a point in the process. Plant’s energy was phenomenal as he peppered Uzcategui with jabs for the entire round. His footwork was superior, and he cruised to a 10-8 score.

Plant controlled the action in the third with his jab. He rotated on the outside of the ring as Uzcategui chased him but couldn’t catch him. Plant continued to surprise Uzcategui with his aggressiveness. He didn’t fight in his characteristically cautious fashion, and he was winning the fight.

In the fourth, Uzcategui opened up a cut on Plant’s right eye, but his left eye was bloodied in the previous round. Plant’s eye looked gruesome, but he floored Uzcategui with a strong left hook that hurt Uzcategui. Uzcategui recovered well, but he was on the wrong side of a 10-8 round for the second time early in the fight. The moment was quickly getting the better of him.

Plant targeted Uzcategui’s body in the fifth with multiple combinations. Uzcategui followed him around the ring without offering up any offense. He looked shellshocked, and Plant piled up the points with clean punching.

Uzcategui tried to brutalize Plant to begin the sixth, but Plant caught most of his punches on the arms. Plant increasingly looked fatigued. He held numerous times and lacked the speed of earlier rounds. His eye trickled blood, and his nose followed suit. It was the first round of the fight Uzcategui won.

Plant and Uzcategui fought at close quarters for the first time in the seventh round, and Plant’s hand speed allowed him to win the brief toe-to-toe battle. They separated, but Plant drilled Uzcategui with a straight right that would have dropped him if it came from a super middleweight with heavier hands.

Uzcategui was inactive in the eighth. He allowed Plant to beat him to the punch which was status quo for the fight. He pawed at Plant with a jab that almost always missed its mark. Uzcategui looked completely lost. He ran into a boxer with superior skills.

There was a lot of infighting throughout the ninth round. Plant rolled his shoulders well and snuck in scoring shots, but with a minute remaining, Uzcategui caught Plant with a left uppercut that badly wobbled his legs. Plant was in trouble, but regained his senses and finished the round well. Plant won the round, but Uzcategui landed the best punch.

Plant was wise to move away from Uzcategui in the 10th. He counterpunched well, but Uzcategui was able to sneak in single power punches from time to time. Both men were tired and sloppy. They traded with wide swinging blows to the body. It was a tough round to score.

Uzcategui bullied Plant against the ropes in the 11th, but Plant tied him up. The crowd showered the boxers with boos, but Plant did what he needed to do to survive. He was so ahead on the cards that he could afford to sacrifice rounds.

Uzcategui needed a knockout, but he didn’t get it in the final round. Plant’s face was bruised and battered, but being an intelligent fighter, he avoided punishment and didn’t take any chances. He danced around the ring and threw jabs when needed. Uzcategui pressured him too late and allowed the fight to get away from him at the start.

When the scores were read, Plant was the new IBF super middleweight champion by unanimous decision. For all the traumas that Plant has lived through, he was deserving of this moment possibly more than any other fighter in all of boxing. He put in a gritty performance on Premier Boxing Champion’s showcase, but he made a lot of fans in the process. He’s not the hardest puncher in the division, but he has the biggest heart, and it has taken him a long way.