Caleb Plant’s new trainer anticipates a tough test from Anthony Dirrell on October 15, but Stephen “Breadman” Edwards expects his fighter to prove his superiority over a fellow former super middleweight champion.
Plant has impressed Edwards since they began working together earlier this year with his discipline, intelligence, speed and work ethic. Edwards respects Dirrell as well, particularly his power, which will make him dangerous for the ex-IBF 168-pound champion in their 12-round co-feature before former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder battles Robert Helenius in a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“This is going to be a really good fight,” Edwards said at Plant’s open workout recently in Las Vegas. “I have a lot of respect for Anthony Dirrell. He’s a good fighter and a good puncher. I do believe that Caleb has the decided speed advantage and is a little bit of a better athlete. The bad blood makes the fight intriguing because when guys have personal issues, it tends to make them fight harder. I expect a violent fight, with both guys being tested, but I believe Caleb has more advantages.”
The 30-year-old Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) will fight for the first time since Canelo Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) stopped the Ashland City, Tennessee native in the 11th round of their full title unification fight last November 6 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs) has not fought since last November 6, either. The 37-year-old Flint, Michigan native viciously knocked out Marcos Hernandez (15-6-2, 3 KOs) in the fourth round on the Alvarez-Plant undercard.
If Plant wins, he stated during the aforementioned open workout that he would like to face WBC interim champion David Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs) or WBC middleweight champ Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) in his following fight. Plant and Edwards understand, though, that Dirrell also will fight to reinsert himself into the championship picture in the 168-pound division.
“I want to take it one fight at a time,” said Edwards, who is a regular contributor for BoxingScene.com. “What happens in the future is not really my decision. Hopefully, we’re going to be successful and I’ll have a long stay with Caleb. I’m definitely not looking past this opponent. Dirrell says he has a lot of animosity for Caleb, so I expect it to be a really hard fight.”
Caesars Sportsbook lists Plant as a 10-1 favorite to defeat Dirrell, who is 1-1-1 in his past three fights, including a ninth-round knockout loss to Benavidez in September 2019.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
