PBC announced a Fox Sports pay-per-view show for Saturday, October 15th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The main event has former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder facing Robert Helenius, with a chief supporting bout matching former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant against former two-time WBC title holder Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell in a WBC eliminator between 168-pound rivals. The 30-year-old Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) used his boxing skills to rise through the ranks of the super middleweight division. In his first championship fight, the Ashland City, Tennessee-native Plant, who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, took the fight to veteran Jose Uzcategui and won the title in a hard-fought unanimous decision in 2019. Plant dropped the first match of his career in his last fight, losing to Canelo Alvarez in an undisputed super middleweight championship fight last November 6. He will look to rebound and get back on the world title track in a grudge match against his rival, Dirrell.

 

“I’m looking forward to fighting at Barclays Center for the first time,” said Plant. “I know the fight fans in Brooklyn are going to come out for this card. I’m feeling good and I’ve been in the gym working hard since my last fight. I’m going to put on an excellent performance and retire this guy.”

 

Dirrell (34-2, 25 KOs) is a two-time super middleweight world champion who won one of the toughest battles of his life when he beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008. The 37-year-old from Flint, Michigan won his first world title with a unanimous decision victory over Sakio Bika in 2014. He lost the title the next year via majority decision to Badou Jack. He would have to wait four years for another opportunity but successfully regained it with a technical split-decision over Avni Yildirim. He lost the title again, this time on a ninth-round TKO to David Benavidez in 2019. Dirrell is coming off of a fourth-round KO victory over Marcos Hernandez in his most recent match on November 6.

 

“I’m real excited to be back in the ring on October 15th,” said Dirrell. “I’m especially excited to be fighting at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This is a special place for me. I fought Sakio Bika for a world title at this same venue, so I’m happy to be back. This fight means even more to me because it’s one day after my birthday, which is October 14. So I’m looking forward to giving the fans a great show, getting the big victory on Fox Sports PBC Pay-Per-View and then celebrating it all after.”