LAS VEGAS -- Apparently if you were once a spokesperson for Subway sandwiches you can get yourself a title shot you didn't really earn. At least that will be the case on July 20 when former sandwich-slinger, Mike Lee meets Caleb Plant. Plant is the current IBF super middleweight champion and he and Lee will be fighting on Fox before that night's pay-per-view card headlined by a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman.
Plant (18-0, 10 KOs) is the type of fighter every type of fan can get behind. Enjoy watching slick fighters? Plant has you covered. Enjoy watching a guy who stands and trades? Plant does that too. At his best Plant can make his opponents look foolish by consistently swinging and missing. He isn't just a slick-footed defensive fighter though. The Tennessee native also has a short left hook he can drop opponents with along with a skilled right hand. Plant's jab is also a good weapon that allows him to control the distance but he fights well from distance and on the inside.
If you don't know Plant's life story you should do some research. It's a safe bet to say at some point his story will be made into a movie. Plant's daughter died before the age of two after a respiratory infection developed into pneumonia. He promised his daughter he would become a world champion and he did that in his last fight by beating Jose Uzcategui. Unfortunately not long after fulfilling that dream his mother was shot by a police officer after pulling a knife and died of her injuries. At just 27 years old, Plant has endured two devastating losses in her personal life but he's never lost in the ring. Now Plant will look to successfully defend his title for the first time against Lee.
Lee (21-0, 11 KOs) would be a fantastic club fighter. He's a guy who could build a big local following in the Chicago area and have a fine career. Instead people keep trying to make him a star. The only problem with that is he doesn't have the skills to be a star. Lee likes to stand in front of his opponents and trade leather but he doesn't have tremendous power or very fast hands. He does have a solid left hook to the body and his right hand is certainly heavy but his lack of speed will really hurt him against Plant. Also, Lee is very heavy on his feet and he's always there to be hit. While Lee has shown a good chin he's shown it against much lesser fighter than Plant.
Lee is still best known for his long running commercials for Subway sandwiches. How an unknown fighter got a major national ad campaign is anyone's guess but you can't knock the hustle. Lee is certainly a marketable guy. He's very intelligent and graduated with a degree in finance from Notre Dame. He's also very confident on the mic and could have a career on TV or Wall Street after he hangs the gloves up. Unfortunately his resume in the ring isn't nearly as good as his resume outside of it. Lee has no notable opponents on his resume and he's only been scheduled to go 10 rounds three times, and has only gone that distance twice. It isn't hyperbole to say this is far and away the biggest and most important fight of Lee's career.
It's a shame that on a night when boxing will find itself on a major network television station in prime time the fight they put forward will probably be a total mismatch. Plant is a skilled fighter who can make you miss using his footwork and make you pay using accurate punching. He should be able to easily control the distance in this fight as he makes Lee look foolish. Plant will be too quick for the slow handed Lee and his counter punching will do serious damage. Lee's only real chance to win this fight is to get inside and stay there. Lee is a strong fighter and he needs to use that strength to bang to the body and wear Plant down in the clinch in an attempt to slow his feet down. If Lee can't get in the pocket and stay in the pocket he will be in for a bad night.
PREDICTION: The one thing Mike Lee has going for him in this fight is his strong chin. That chin might save him from being knocked out and going the full 12 might be viewed as a moral victory for Lee. Caleb Plant is better in every category of importance and while he won't stop Lee, he will drop him once or twice on his way to a mile-wide unanimous decision victory.
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| Plant, sticking Rogelio Medina with a straight right hand |
If you don't know Plant's life story you should do some research. It's a safe bet to say at some point his story will be made into a movie. Plant's daughter died before the age of two after a respiratory infection developed into pneumonia. He promised his daughter he would become a world champion and he did that in his last fight by beating Jose Uzcategui. Unfortunately not long after fulfilling that dream his mother was shot by a police officer after pulling a knife and died of her injuries. At just 27 years old, Plant has endured two devastating losses in her personal life but he's never lost in the ring. Now Plant will look to successfully defend his title for the first time against Lee.
Lee (21-0, 11 KOs) would be a fantastic club fighter. He's a guy who could build a big local following in the Chicago area and have a fine career. Instead people keep trying to make him a star. The only problem with that is he doesn't have the skills to be a star. Lee likes to stand in front of his opponents and trade leather but he doesn't have tremendous power or very fast hands. He does have a solid left hook to the body and his right hand is certainly heavy but his lack of speed will really hurt him against Plant. Also, Lee is very heavy on his feet and he's always there to be hit. While Lee has shown a good chin he's shown it against much lesser fighter than Plant.
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| Lee, throwing a heavy right hand |
It's a shame that on a night when boxing will find itself on a major network television station in prime time the fight they put forward will probably be a total mismatch. Plant is a skilled fighter who can make you miss using his footwork and make you pay using accurate punching. He should be able to easily control the distance in this fight as he makes Lee look foolish. Plant will be too quick for the slow handed Lee and his counter punching will do serious damage. Lee's only real chance to win this fight is to get inside and stay there. Lee is a strong fighter and he needs to use that strength to bang to the body and wear Plant down in the clinch in an attempt to slow his feet down. If Lee can't get in the pocket and stay in the pocket he will be in for a bad night.
PREDICTION: The one thing Mike Lee has going for him in this fight is his strong chin. That chin might save him from being knocked out and going the full 12 might be viewed as a moral victory for Lee. Caleb Plant is better in every category of importance and while he won't stop Lee, he will drop him once or twice on his way to a mile-wide unanimous decision victory.
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