By Dan Ambrose: Promoter Lou DiBella sees Caleb Plant’s request of $10 million as not being a ridiculous number for the Canelo Alvarez fight.
DiBella feels that IBF super middleweight champion Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) is better known in the U.S than Canelo’s recent opponents Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith.
Saunders reportedly made $8 million to fight Canelo, whereas Smith has gotten $6 million.
Plant is a lot better known by U.S boxing fans than those two guys, and a fight between him and Canelo should bring in huge numbers on pay-per-view or DAZN.
If Canelo decides not to give in to Plant’s purse demand, it won’t be the end of the world. There are plenty of popular fighters that Canelo can face instead that will bring more to the table.
Plant can’t get more money elsewhere
“It’s going to be whoever puts up the most money, but I believe the fight will happen,” said Lou DiBella to Secondsout about a fight between Canelo and Plant.
“Caleb Plant can’t make more money elsewhere. I don’t know what they paid those guys, but I’m hearing six to eight million dollar range for [Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders] both of them,” said DiBella in talking about what Canelo’s opponents were paid to fight him.
“They should thank Eddie [Hearn] for getting them big payday fights against Canelo] because when were Saunders and Saunders making anywhere near that.
“And when will Caleb Plant make anywhere near what he’s going to get? Should he get more than them? He’s had more TV time.
“It’s a subscriber thing. I believe the Brits are going to buy a big Canelo event, too, particularly if Eddie puts Brits on the undercard.
“So, Caleb Plant is bigger in the United States by far than Saunders and Smith, and he’s had more exposure on bigger platforms than Callum Smith and Saunders,” said DiBella.
There’s no one that Plant can fight that will bring him anywhere near the kind of money that he can get for a fight against Canelo. Benavidez is the only notable guy interested in fighting Plant, but he’s not a huge star.
This is as good as it gets for Plant in terms of a money fighter, and he’s got to make sure he doesn’t mess things up with the negotiations.
$10 million not outrageous for Plant
“I don’t disagree with him,” said DiBella about Plant wanting more money than Saunders and Smith received for a fight with Canelo. “However, I think he can get more.
“He’s [Plant] got some leverage. He would be stupid to hold anyone to ransom because you don’t have someone that will outbid you elsewhere.
“But do I think it’s outrageous if he goes to the table and they’re [Plant] looking for 10 million dollars? No, probably not.
“Do I think Caleb Plant is being ridiculous? No. I think he’s being a smart kid; he’s being a good businessman.
“He’s saying, ‘This guy got made rich, this guy got made rich, and I’m a little bit bigger than both of them. You’re trying to win my belt to unify the whole division.
“So it’s every piece of hardware [that will be up for grabs for the Canelo vs. Plant fight]. That’s a little bit of leverage.
“If Canelo fights Caleb Plant in Cowboys Stadium, it’ll do 85,000. So I think there’s money there to pay everybody,” DiBella said.
Plant is definitely a bigger name in the U.S than Canelo’s recent opponents Billy Joe Saunders, Avni Yildirim, and Callum Smith.
Considering that Amir Khan, Daniel Jacobs, and Sergey Kovalev all made over $10 million to fight Canelo, it seems reasonable for Plant to be asking for $10 million+. With that said, those fights for Canelo took place before the pandemic before things got bad.
If Canelo vs. Plant can take place at Cowboys’ Stadium, it’s possible they could attract a huge crowd of 80,000 to 90,000 fans. Bringing in that many fans will help make it possible for Plant to get the $10 million he wants for the fight.
If Canelo chooses not to pay $10M for the IBF belt, Plant will need to decide whether to take a risky fight to increase his worth or continue to face lesser opposition like he’s been doing.
If Plant takes on and beats David Benavidez, it would drive his worth through the roof, and he could make huge money fighting Canelo. Unfortunately, Plant has shown no interest in fighting Benavidez, and you can see why
DiBella confident Canelo vs. Plant happens
“My guess would be September around Mexican Independence Day; you’re going to see Caleb Plant against Canelo,” said DiBella. “At 68, Caleb is one of the bigger, stronger guys that Canelo will have faced.
“He [Canelo] fought Kovalev, but Kovalev was shot-skiy at that point in time.
“I think Caleb Plant will find his way to another belt if he loses the belt. Beterbiev, even though he didn’t look that great in his last fight, he’s probably the most destructive of the light heavyweight champions.
“So if Canelo wants to make his point and move up to light heavyweight for a fight and go back down, maybe, you fight the guy that is perceived as the biggest guy in the division.
“You don’t have to stay at light heavyweight. You go wherever you want. You’re the star.
“I think Benevidez could become it,” said DiBella when asked who is the biggest threat to Canelo at 168. “I think he needs more seasoning.
“He also can punch, and he’s strong. If he can increase his punch output, I think he could be a guy that gives Canelo an interesting battle,” said DiBella.
There’s still a chance that the Canelo-Plant fight won’t happen for September due to the purse demands from Caleb. If it’s true that Plant wants more than $10 million for the fight, it’s possible that Canelo won’t want to overpay for his IBF title.
The only thing that Plant, 28, has going for him his IBF title. When you take that belt away, it hurts Canelo to be fighting Plant instead of a popular fighter like David Benavidez, Jermall Charlo, or Gennadiy Golovkin.
It’s perfectly reasonable for Plant to be looking to make as much money as possible for the Canelo fight. Still, there’s a chance that he’ll end up overpricing himself, which will send the Mexican star in the opposite direction.
Backup options for Canelo if Plant overprices himself:
- Gennady Golovkin
- David Benavidez
- Demetrius Andrade
- Jermall Charlo
- Ryota Murata
- Edgar Berlanga
- Artur Beterbiev
- Dimitry Bivol
- Joe Smith Jr
- David Morrell
- Chris Eubank Jr
