Super middleweight contender Caleb Plant knows that should he defeat Jose Armando Resendiz, and Jermall Charlo gets through Thomas LaManna, they should meet next.
The semi-finals, if you will, take place on May 31 at the Michelob Arena in Las Vegas, with both Plant and Charlo staring as firm favorites.
“First things first and that’s handling business on May 31,” Plant said at a Las Vegas media workout. “If Charlo can handle his business, or whatever happens in the co-main event, I’m looking for that winner. If he’s able to handle business, me and Charlo can run it.”
Plant is 23-2 (14 KOs) and his only defeats came to Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez.
Mexican Resendiz is 15-2 (11 KOs) and was stopped a couple of fights ago by Elijah Garcia.
“Resendiz is a tough competitor and this is his moment,” admitted Plant. “He’s looking to seize his big moment and I remember what it was like when I had my big moment, and how badly I wanted it. I’m expecting him to come in guns blazing. But we’ve got something for him.
Plant is now 32 and lives in Las Vegas, where he trains with Stephen Edwards. Both he and his coach believe he is an improving fighter.
“I feel like my skills are as sharp as ever,” Plant continued. “People can see that I’m smoothing out all the edges of my game. I’m going to keep becoming a more well-rounded fighter overall.
“In all of my fights I’m looking to go in and put a show on. Sometimes you may win in impressive fashion and sometimes you might get a close decision. The most important thing is getting your hand raised. But I’m still looking to dominate.
“What I crave is to be a winner and a champion. I want to cement my legacy and show my children firsthand what it looks like to work hard at something. Have I fallen short a couple of times? Yeah, but I did it with integrity and the way a warrior would do it. If you fall short, you dust yourself off and you keep going.”
And he won’t be distracted by what might come next. He has a long-standing feud with Charlo, although more gentile words seem to be exchanged between the pair at a recent press conference.
“My job is to stick to the game plan and listen to my coaches,” he said. “I have a great team and we’ll be comfortable with wherever the fight goes.
“I’m an elite athlete and I’ve been tuning out things around me my whole life. No matter what’s going on, or what other fights might be in the future, I know how to lock in on the task at hand.”