Is Caleb Truax Really The Underdog Against Plant?

Former IBF Champion Caleb Truax is back into the title picture this Saturday taking on reigning champion Caleb Plant to kick off the new year of Premier Boxing Champions Boxing on Fox and is seeing himself in a familiar position that he has been before.

The underdog.

While the rare instance of “Battle of The Calebs” has Truax (31-4-2, 19 KOs) on the side of the underdog tracks, he has not only accepted that he’d embraced it.

“I think it’s fair,” Truax said, speaking with The Ring in an interview. “I’ve had a friend who texted me the odds they’ve been betting on, and some people have me like a 20-to-1 underdog and 15-to-1 underdog, which I think is a little crazy. But I definitely think I’m the underdog, and I’ve been the underdog my whole career.

If it makes Truax feel a little better, that number has gone down, to only a 12 to 1 underdog as of this piece written from the folks at My Bookie. Whatever number it is, Truax is using it as fuel as he takes on the undefeated Plant (20-0, 12 KOs).

“I embrace that role. It motivates me to prove everyone wrong,” Truax said. “I see people online saying I don’t deserve the fight, and I’m just another cherry-pick for [Plant]. But I feel like I’m the best fighter he’s faced by far, and I think I offer something that no other fighter that he has – except for [Jose] Uzcategui – offered to him in being a former world champion and being experienced and having fought the much better fighters than he has. So I feel really good about the matchup.”

Hey, #TeamTruax. Caleb is en route to Los Angeles to enter the bubble. But check out his new partnership with @cultivated_cbd, which has played a key role in helping him feel great heading into Saturday's fight! — Sean 1/2 pic.twitter.com/0HOuCyxveY

— caleb truax (@GoldenCalebT) January 28, 2021

While Truax is not favored in this one to become a two-time IBF title holder, I think history has a way of making this more possible than the oddsmakers have it.

Around this time last year on over the air Fox main event, Jeison Rosario stunned everyone in Philadelphia as he upset Julian Williams to become unified champion. It’s a similar storyline leading up to this fight, which is a lot more competitive than many think. For starters, Plant facing Truax in the world of “fight resumes” would be the biggest name on there. Granted, Plant’s last two opponents in Vincent Feigenbutz and Mike Lee are definitely the go-to names of the witness protection program I would choose if I were making a switch.

Back to Truax, when he captured the title from James DeGale back in 2017, came into London and pulled off the majority decision win in DeGale’s backyard in London. That win for Truax was one of the many times Degale considered retirement but eventually won the belt back in the rematch instead in 2018. Truax winning this weekend from Plant stated that this would one-up that moment.

“A victory would probably top the DeGale victory, in my opinion, coming back from adversity the last couple of years and becoming a two-time champion,” Truax stated. “Once you get a taste of it, you want some more, and that’s certainly the case with me, and it sets up big fights in the future for me, and that means providing for my family.”

At 37, it’s easy to see why Truax is coming in the B-side. Just keep a leery eye out if it leaves out of it as IBF champion Saturday night.