Caleb Plant Ready For ‘The Biggest Challenges’ After Stopping Trevor McCumby
Caleb Plant says he’s ready for the biggest possible challenges in the super-middleweight division after returning to winning ways with a ninth-round stoppage of Trevor McCumby on Saturday.
Plant (23-2-0 14 KO) and the crowd inside the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas were stunned when the former IBF champion was sent to the canvas in the fourth round. But the Nashville native soon took control of the fight and secured the stoppage in the final seconds of the ninth when referee Allen Higgins stepped in to wave off the fight following a brutal barrage.
It was an exciting fight that proved an ideal warm-up to the headline bout that saw Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez retain his unified super-middleweight titles in a dominant performance against Edgar Berlanga.
“(It was) pretty tough, just easing in and then, you know, word on the street is I can’t fight on the inside, but I think I proved that I can tonight,” Plant, 32, said after claiming the WBA’s interim belt.
On the knockdown, Plant said: “He caught me pulling out and hit my shoulders. I was off balance and fell, I wasn’t hurt, but that’s part of the game. He was coming in with wild punches and it’s part of it. But shake it off, stay focused and I’m a true champion; I can fight through anything.”
The victory was the ideal response from Plant following his second career loss in December when he was largely outclassed by David Benavidez. His only other defeat came against Canelo in November 2021 in their undisputed title bout.
Now in possession of the WBA’s interim title, it places Plant in prime position for another crack at Canelo and his ambitions of becoming a two-time world champion.
However, he may need to bide his time for his rematch with Alvarez; the Mexican is likely to face either Christian Mbilli or the new IBF champion – to be decided between William Scull and Vladimir Shishkin in November – while top-ranked WBO contender Diego Pacheco has been mandated to face Canelo, which is set to take place next September.
“We’ll see (what’s next), I’ll go back with my team, sit down,” Plant said. “You guys know I’m up for the biggest challenges at all times and we’ll see. Right now I’m going to go home and spend time with my family.”
For McCumby (28-1-0 21 KO), it was the first defeat of his career against by far the toughest opponent he has faced, but he will leave Las Vegas with plenty of credit for contributing to an entertaining and engaging battle.
“We had a lot of fun,” McCumby said in defeat. “It was a great show. I wanted to show him that I was athletic too.”
