“F**k Plant. F**k Plant. F**k Plant. F**k Plant. F**k Plant,” grabbing the mic from Eddie Hearn, Edgar Berlanga roared. The arena echoed with loud cheers. Despite the dual embarrassments – fighting on an undercard and then missing the weights, with the first-round win over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, Berlanga seems to have regained his confidence. During the post-fight interview, he called out a slew of names. While his heart is set on a rematch with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Berlanga doesn’t seem averse to exchanging jabs with the current 168-pound top brass.

But there’s a matchup that seems to lead the narrative. It’s the fight with Caleb Plant. Firstly, the duo doesn’t share the best of equations. Be it in person or on social media, Plant and Berlanga have been through some heated exchanges. Given that neither stands a chance of receiving a rematch with Alvarez, at least anytime soon, a fight between them appears a sensible option. Joining scores of fans, the Ring magazine took up the question. But it seems fans were one step ahead. They had already made up their minds as far as the winner was concerned.

A high-stakes super middleweight war

“Is Caleb Plant vs. Edgar Berlanga the fight to make at super middleweight?” Read the century-old magazine’s tweet. It featured a comment from Caleb Plant. Despite failing to make the weights, Berlanga accepted the NABO belt. So ‘Sweethands’ stated, “And then had the nerve to hold that NABO belt after the fight even though he can’t have it because it missed weight 🤦🏻‍♂️ disgrace….smh…”

Fans may recall last year’s Cinco de Mayo fixture when Canelo Alvarez fought Jaime Munguia. During the weigh-ins, clips of Plant and Berlanga exchanging some heated words grabbed major headlines. A few months later, Berlanga fought Alvarez. The undercard featured a bout between Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby. During the press conference, Berlanga called out Plant, leading to another round of intense back-and-forth.

There’s a possibility Plant and Berlanga could be hyping up a potential matchup. Similar talks emerged when, during the Crawford-Spence Jr. weigh-in, Plant slapped Jermall Charlo. Nevertheless, given their history, a fight between Plant and Berlanga makes for an exciting contest.

Let’s check what some of them had to say.

It’s Caleb Plant domination from start to finish

To this fan, the writing on the wall was clearer than ever. “Plant’s skills would be too much for Berlanga. Plant will embarrass him, a puncher’s chance for Berlanga,” they said. Many regard ‘Sweethands’ as one of the era’s best pure boxers. Given his technical skills, they expect him to overwhelm ‘The Chosen One.’ But will that be so easy?

The sentiment continued. Another one said, “No, not the very best fight to make, but a very good matchup. I’d pick Caleb Plant to win a competitive decision over Berlanga.” Given how Berlanga fought ‘Canelo,’ it may not be a walkover for Plant. But as the Benavidez fight proved, he has the gas that can last the whole 12 rounds. So Berlanga faces an uphill task if he intends to win.

This user had considerable faith in Caleb Plant’s skills. They said, “Plant vs. Berlanga definitely needs to happen; the buildup would be 🍿. I got Plant by TKO going into the 9th.” Given both Plant and Berlanga match each other in size and power, a fight between the two appears a 50/50 affair. Hence, Plant clinching an early stoppage may come as a surprise to many.

The next follower also had Plant emerging victorious. But they seemed more excited about the lead-up. “I think Caleb Plant beats Berlanga comfortably, but I definitely want to see it. The build-up would be brilliant,” they said. That could be true. Given their history, the fight build-up will be one of the most intriguing features.

But this fan foresaw a different outcome. “If Plant can run for 12 straight rounds, he will easily get a UD. But I think Berlanga will eventually clip him. Plant took a massive beating from Benavidez, and it even got rocked vs. McCumby. If Berlanga clips him, he might get him out of there.” Whatever his technical skills, Berlanga is an acknowledged KO artist. So he will have to get his act together before the championship rounds.

With Berlanga now opting for free agency, it’s unclear how the fight with Caleb Plant will come together.

But outside of the ‘Canelo’ engagements, perhaps there’s no other fight that commands such intrigue in the super middleweight division. As far as the schedules are concerned, given nothing’s been confirmed so far, perhaps their teams can get together and finalize the matchup.

What’s your take on the fan reactions? Do you also foresee Caleb Plant defeating Edgar Berlanga?