On July 20th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, undefeated IBF super middleweight champion Caleb "Sweethands" Plant makes the first defense of his title against University of Notre Dame graduate Mike Lee who is also undefeated. Fox will televise. Here is what Lee had to say on a media conference call:
Q: Can you talk about what your goals were when you turned pro and how this fight fits into that?
A: Well the ultimate goal of any fighter or athlete is to compete at the highest level for a world title, a Super Bowl or whatever that may be. So for me this is a dream come true and I'm excited because you work so hard and go through all the days of training camps and injuries and surgeries and all that to get to this moment here. So it's the pinnacle of the sport and that's where I belong and I'm excited to show everybody that on July 20.
Q: What lead to the decision to take a fight at super middleweight?
A: My team and I have been talking about super middleweight if there was an opportunity for a big fight for a while so for me it didn't necessarily come out of left field but when I got the phone call about this specific opportunity, I was all about it. I knew 168 wouldn't be a problem and I knew I could bring my power and my speed down to this weight class and rehydrate the right way. So when a world title comes, you say "yes" and especially when I know that I can win. I knew 168 was a comfortable weight for me and here we are.
Q: Are you working with your nutritionist or doing anything different in your training?
A: Yes, I hired a new nutritionist. Normally I didn't even really need one to make 175 but I think the key was starting to monitor and really, you know, get this stuff down early on and we had a lot of time to prepare so that's been the key and he's made me feel better than I've ever felt.
Q: 2019 has really been the year of the upsets and I would say it's fair to say you're probably the underdog in this fight. Do you take some heart at seeing some of the upsets that have occurred this year in boxing and picture yourself being another one on the list?
A: Yes, I don't really pay too much attention to it. Yes, people have been saying that a lot but at the end of the day I've just got to be the best me. Those fights and what people say and what anybody else says doesn't dictate the outcome of this fight when the bell rings and so yes, obviously that's something to know. That's the beauty of the sport, it only takes one punch, especially when you have power like mine. It only takes one punch to win something so I like the position I'm in.
Q How is the training, the preparation been for not just taking on Caleb and also losing the weight and still keeping the power that you had at 175 pounds?
A: Yes, I mean you just got to get scientific with it and that's where I get smarter people than me around me and just trusting the team. It's really about trust. Trusting that the weights I'm pulling are where it needs to be and you're getting the right carbs, the right amount of fats, the right protein, all that stuff. So I have guys around me that have been doing this their entire lives and understand that. So in terms of preparation, everything gets ramped up for the world ritle fight. The hunger is increased, the training increases, you're working harder and smarter so I'm just excited. I'm bringing this excited energy to all these training sessions and that's what I've wanted for a long time. I've been top 10 in the world for my past three, four fights so this is what I've been waiting for.
Q: Has it been easy shaking off the ring rust during camp with the sparring and the training for this fight?
A: Yes, it really has been. We knew about this fight a long time ago. This wasn't one of these things where I got a call four weeks before, six weeks before, so I've been training, I've been busy and we were just waiting for that phone call. That was really it, the right opportunity. And I'm really grateful my team gave me this opportunity here so yes we've had a long time to prepare for this.
Q: In your eyes, what do you think you possess that some of Caleb past opponents don't have that would allow you to win this fight and become world champion?
A: Well I'm an entirely different fighter, that's the beauty of the sport. Every single fight is different. And so it doesn't matter. I don't really care what his other opponents have done in or out of the ring. It doesn't matter. On fight night, the bell rings, it's just me and him. The best man will win so I never really look into that. I'm telling you what my opponents say. I've been in so many press conferences where opponents either talk shit or they're dismissive or they're respectful, all across the board. I've beat them all. I plan on doing the exact same thing, so what comes out of his mouth doesn't concern me whatsoever.
Q: In terms of separation training like you were just talking about, is there anything specifically that you're changing or doing differently in preparation for Caleb Plant?
A: Not necessarily. I think, if anything, the weather has gotten better so we've done some more beach workouts and whether it's shadow boxing or strength and conditioning -- whatever it is on the beach, always helps. We've increased sparring. Listen this is my 22nd fight so we're not trying to reinvent the wheel here so in a sense, it's not like we've really added too much.
Q: From your surrounding team and the people in your corner, how important have they been in the weeks that you've been training and preparing for this fight?
A: It's huge. It's everything. That team is going to war with you and you've got to surround yourself with people that believe in the same mission, belief in the same value in anything in life, that's all of us. We're a brotherhood. I've had the team for a long time and Jamal and Julian are phenomenal and they see things I can't see and they help me and push me and motivate me and this is a dream come true for the entire team. Jamal and Julian have been in corners for world title fights already so it's nothing new to them. Teamwork is everything and most importantly everyone having the same vision which is exactly what we have.
Q: You've worked with Ronnie Shields and now Jamal Abdullah. What are some of the benefits or the greatest takeaways that you can take from all three of them?
A: I've learned so much from them. Ronnie I'm still good friends with. I turned pro with Ronnie in Houston, Texas and I was down there with a bunch of world champions so at a very early pro career I got to get in there with some of the world's best and just learned. Ronnie is phenomenal. Big on the fundamentals and just a calm, cool, collective guy. He's been in the ring himself and I love Ronnie to death. He'll be a friend for life.
Q: Why the 13-month layoff between the Hernandez fight and the Plant fight?
A: If anything we were looking for the right fight. I wasn't with a promoter and we were looking to sign and we were talking to a lot of different promoters and certain opportunities came up and then like always in boxing, they say it's going to happen and it falls through. And you can't believe anything until you sign the contract so obviously after that fight, I took some time off, got back in the gym and then it was a frustrating few months just kind of waiting for that phone call. But we got it, so we're here.
Q I would think that you would look at maybe some things there that previous opponents may have done with Plant that you may have seen to take advantage of?
A: Yes, of course, you watch film. You definitely watch film and you see what guys did well and didn't do well all of that kind of stuff. I was just saying you don't really take it to heart because those guys aren't me. You take it to heart in terms of what you're looking at or you're staring at in terms of film study and what not but it's the mentality of knowing that, yes, it's good to have those specifics down and a game plan down and certain combinations and a strategy down but at the end of the day those guys aren't me so that's what I meant about that.
Q: Is there anyone you've faced whether it be sparring or were actually in the ring with that's most like Caleb and why?
A: I don't know, I haven't fought him yet. No one specific comes to mind in terms of but I've been fighting since I was 8-years old. I've been pro for 21 fights. I've been in and out of pro camps sparring and I've sparred and been in the ring with so many different guys so yes, you see a little bit of everything.
Q: Have you had like a standard eight-week training camp or is it extended beyond that?
A: Yes, extended beyond that but, we didn't want to burn out so it wasn't like we were boxing every single day. We were just getting strength conditioning. Just getting the timing and the rhythm down. I think that really helps as you ease into it because I think too often fighters come into a training camp and they're 25 pounds overweight or they're not in shape yet and we had the luxury coming into camp in shape. So camp wasn't about getting in shape necessarily and losing weight as much as it was just fine-tuning things and keeping the rhythm.
Q: How instrumental has Notre Dame been in this fight? What have they done to kind of champion you on and do you expect any Notre Dame Legends to appear at your fight?
A: Yes, absolutely. I've had a lot of Notre Dame guys call in when they had their Notre Dame Day and Media Day and support me whether it's buddies that I have known through the Notre Dame community, guys that played football like Justin Tuck, Golden Tate or just so many amazing people that I've met through that community. Notre Dame has been phenomenal. They got a camera crew coming out next week to spread the message to the alumni network so I'm just super appreciative of that community. It's taught me a lot. It's really matured me and it's taught me a lot about giving back too. They've been involved in pretty much all my fights throughout my career involve in different children's charities and Notre Dame charities and so it's been exciting to be a part of that community and alumni network.
Q: Have you had any updates on Tavion or if he was planning on being at this fight?
A: Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be able to fly out to Las Vegas but he just had a birthday that I sponsored. I made sure people were there and I'm still in contact with him and I plan on seeing him after this fight, so he'll be watching on TV but yes I got to bring him in the ring and he held my belt. And I mean, it's a beautiful moment when I've been able to really connect with a lot of different kids whether it through Family Reach or different children's charities and if I get a chance to do what I love which is boxing and also give back, it's such a win-win. And there's been many different cases of kids like Tavion that I've helped along this way. And it makes me really grateful for where I am and that I have this platform and position to do it. So I'm still involved in (Tavion's) life. Unfortunately, he got sick again and will be going through another round of chemotherapy so he won't be able to make the trip up to Vegas which I was bummed on about but when I fly back to Chicago with the belt, I'm excited to let him hold it.
Q: What do you do differently for recovery and to kind of manage the pain throughout camp and actually fight night because of the disease?
A: Yes, it's known as ankylosing spondylitis. And yes when I got diagnosed it was after almost two years in and out of hospitals and even the fights that I had some layoffs where things were really tough there was a dark hole in my life and I never dealt with those moments and understand and my immune system just shut down and it really took a long time to really diagnose what was going on. And at the end of the day a lot of it came down to my diet, a lot of it came down to my mindset. I started changing the way I was thinking about things and what I was eating and how I was eating it and even getting off of all the medication that doctors had me on was huge.
There's still days of pain. I still have to manage it but I'm so far from where I was a few years ago and it's a beautiful thing. I think ultimately I want to show people that whether it's doctors, whether it's anybody, obviously you have to trust what doctors say but at the end of the day I think the human will is the strongest thing and so I think it's beautiful and I'm grateful that I'm in this position to fight the world title. And doctors told me to my face, I'd never box again and here we are July 20. I get to fight in front of millions of people and win a world title. I'm so grateful and happy. I can't even imagine how happy I'm going to be the next day with that belt, but regardless it seems like yesterday I was sitting in those hospital beds and so here we are. I'm very excited and grateful.
Thank you for everybody's time. Once again, I'm excited. This is an incredible opportunity and I will make the most of it and I think I'm going to shock a lot of people. I know that this is my moment and as moments get bigger and bigger, I perform better and better. So I'll see everybody July 20 and thank you again.
