Did Caleb Plant prove he was an elite level against the fantastic Canelo Alvarez? Many would say so. So what is next for the country boy that became world champion?

Affectionately known from his amateur days as Sweet Hands, Plant's rise to success wasn't as scripted as many professional boxer's journeys are.

Despite coming off the USA Olympic setup, being an alternate at the London 2012 Games, and winning multiple standout amateur tournaments including the National Golden Gloves, Plant was unable to enter the world scene as an amateur as he was dealing with the complications of his late child's birth. He turned professional, and waited 3 years into his professional journey before he hit the national television screens, defeated Ghanian Thomas Awinbono on FOX.

His big break came when he surprised many by defeating Jose Uzcátegui on points to become IBF world super-middleweight champion in 2019, a victory he dedicated to his late daughter.

A string of defenses came against highly-rated contenders including James DeGale conquerer Caleb Truax prior to the recent challenge of the pound for pound king, Mexico's Saul Alvarez.

The Tennesse native produced an extremely educated performance against Alvarez in Las Vegas, whilst managing to be part of a SHOWTIME PPV which reportedly grossed over 800,000 PPV buys in the US alone.

Plant may have come up short against the exquisite Jalisco stylist, however, it doesn't appear to be the end of the road for Sweet Hands.

So what's next?

So what's next? There are many options for Plant now. He's a household name, and despite not having the most fan-friendly style, he appeals to boxing's hardcore who will definitely tune in to watch his return.

Sweet Hands is a name at 168 and would likely draw a crowd against a Mexican fighter. If Alvarez doesn't fight former world champion David Benavidez, it would make sense for Plant to challenge the hard-hitting Mexican. This fight could act as a gauge to see how good Benavidez is. It either makes a potential all-Mexican showdown with Canelo Alvarez bigger, or it blows it. Would PBC take that risk? Probably not.

A move to light heavyweight? Quite possibly. Aside from the monster that is Canadian-based Russian Artur Betebiev, the light heavyweight division is wide open. A stylist's dilemma would occur, does the hard-hitting Betebiev get to Plant, or does the southern slickster outbox the Russian banger? It's an excellent fight and if a promotional deal could be struck, one I would personally be very intrigued by.

Daniel Jacobs vs Joe Smith Jr? Would Plant fight the winner? It would make a lot of sense and would sell on ESPN. Is ESPN a smart destination for Plant? Possibly, however, with the investment of PBC in his career, it's hard to see him leaving a network that works with PBC.

The reality? Plant isn't going to take a step back financially. Once you take that PPV money it's hard to go back to free-to-air money, so a PPV is realistically what's next for him. It's just defining what name is suitable for him. A comeback fight against David Lemeuix or Fedor Chudinov could be in play, along with England's John Ryder, but for me, the realistic is Benavidez unless Plant moves to 175 and dips his toes in the light heavyweight mix with a Sullivan Barrera type of opponent.

Either way, the future remains bright for the 29-year-old slickster.