Caleb Truax insists it’s an act of folly to think he cannot defeat Caleb Plant!
Without question Caleb “Golden” Truax (31-4-2, 19 KO’s) has heard all the chatter. He’s not slow to the fact most think he’ll lose his third title attempt on January 30. Even he will admit his foe, IBF super middleweight champion Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant (20-0, 12 KO’s), is a tricky endeavor. Making it even easier to see Plant as the favorite, he’s younger, undefeated, defensively-slick and in a good professional groove.
This is why Truax is not surprised that folks are counting him out. For those who doubt his chances, however, Golden warns them not to repeat history. Ahead of his second attempt at a world title, he vividly remembers being prematurely devalued. Like Plant now, back then the media was confident that then IBF champion James “Chunky” DeGale would cruise through Golden. Unfortunately for Team DeGale, that was not the script that Truax wanted to read from.
Following twelve strenuous rounds and some second-half “gritting it out”, Truax walked off with Chunky’s IBF super middleweight title. Now the focused Minnesotan is thinking about snagging another unlikely IBF title from a new hot ticket fighter.
“I love it man! Because it motivates me to be at my best. Like I said earlier, I feel like I am being overlooked and it’s similar to the first DeGale fight. In that fight everybody was talking about DeGale versus [George] Groves, or DeGale versus [David] Benavidez and DeGale versus everybody but me!
“I am kind of getting the same vibe from this promotion were they already think that the fight is in the bag. if they are looking passed me, it’s their mistake for sure.”
LAST STOP FOR GLORY
At 37 years of age, Caleb Truax realizes he does not have the time to squander. In both 2019 and 2020, Golden only fought a fight apiece. First up was Peter Quillin, and then David Basajjamivule. The Quillin bout hastily ended in the second round when Truax suffered a gruesome cut split open by an accidental head-butt.
The ring doctor gave Golden the chance to finish the round so that his cut-man could try to manage the gaping wound. Sadly, he looked like a malcontent street tough had slashed him with a box cutter. As there was nothing his corner could realistically do, the doctor halted the bout in-between rounds. The two were slated to fight anew, but Truax fell victim to an ankle injury and ultimately the fight was never rescheduled.
Against the tough Kenyan David Basajjamivule, Truax pitched an uneven and less than memorable performance. Most importantly, he walked away with the win which is the only reason his championship fight with Plant is possible.
Armed with his ticket to the big dance, the Minnesotan believes he can play spoiler again. Time will tell if a sound shellacking or good fortune fall upon his shoulders. Either way, it should be fun to watch!
“I’m not worried about getting stopped. I’ve faced bigger punchers than him before and never really even been hurt in my whole career. I hope he tries to mix it up and stop me instead of moving.
“He said he wants to stop me. So if he wants to do that and mix it up that’s better for me so I hope he does!”
By: Bakari Simpson
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