Caleb Plant’s last two opponents—and three of the past four—entered the ring with four losses on their record. They each departed the ring with another thing in common: loss No. 5.
Caleb Plant targets the head of Jamar Freeman during their fight last September. Plant won an eight-round unanimous decision, one of just three times the undefeated 24-year-old has been taken the distance. (Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions)
Caleb Plant (13-0, 10 KOs) hopes to repeat the pattern one more time August 23 when he risks his undefeated record against Juan De Angel (18-4-1, 17 KOs) as Premier Boxing Champions returns to Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
The 160-pound clash scheduled for 10 rounds headlines a Fox Sports 1 Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays card that also will feature unbeaten Brooklyn resident Earl Newman (9-0, 7 KOs) against Detroit’s Leo Hall (8-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round battle of 175-pound prospects.
A 24-year-old from Ashland City, Tennessee, Plant will be returning to the ring for the third time this year, having already earned stoppage victories over Adasat Rodriguez (then 11-4-2) and Carlos Galvan (12-4-1). Those wins came on the heels of consecutive eight-round unanimous decision triumphs, results that snapped Plant’s seven-fight knockout streak.
“It’s a blessing to be headlining on my own show,” said Plant, a 2011 National Golden Gloves champion. “It’s all thanks to my family and my team. I’m happy with how far I’ve come in my career. I’ve had obstacles in front of me my entire life, and I have had to rise to the occasion.
“I know De Angel is a tough guy, but I have too much in my game for him.”
Plant has steadily ramped up the level of competition over the past year—his last five opponents had a combined 78 victories. However, none of his foes to date have packed the kind of power that De Angel has in his arsenal.
The 29-year-old from Barranquilla, Colombia, has recorded knockouts in 17 of his 18 victories, including a trio of second-round stoppages from September 2014 to June 2015. That streak ended on May 8, when De Angel was dropped twice in the final round of a six-round TKO loss to Kanat Islam, who improved to 21-0 with 18 KOs with the victory.
Islam was far and away the toughest opponent De Angel has faced in his eight-year pro career, but Plant isn’t far behind—if at all.
"Plant is strong and he counters well, but he gets hit hard and often," De Angel said. "I've had experience in big fights, and I'm going to do my best to put my hands on him.
"I'm thankful for this opportunity, and I'm going ot make the most of it."
For full coverage of Plant vs De Angel, visit our fight page.
