Trevor McCumby Vows To Knock Out ‘Crybaby’ Caleb Plant Inside Nine Rounds
Trevor McCumby has described Caleb Plant as a “crybaby” and “prima donna” and vowed to knock out the former super-middleweight world champion within nine rounds on Saturday.
McCumby (28-0-0 21 KO) will contest the biggest fight of his career this weekend when he takes on Plant (22-2-0 13 KO) at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their bout will feature on the undercard of the unified super-middleweight showdown between champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga.
McCumby enters the bout as the unbeaten fighter, but he is yet to face anyone of Plant’s caliber and was still contesting eight-round bouts just three fights ago. Saturday will be the first time he competes in a 12-rounder.
As such, Plant, who held the IBF’s 168lb world title for almost three years, is convinced that McCumby will be out of his depth come fight night, but the 31-year-old from Illinois is ready to prove he belongs at this level.
“I have wanted an opportunity my whole career. It didn’t happen in the first half of my career. Now I’m getting it,” said McCumby. “I called out three or four other names, so I think Caleb is a little delusional. He’s creating a narrative in his head that I’m a bad guy and that I called him out.
“I called him out, but you chose to fight me. I’m not in that position. He knows that. He’s going to keep crying about fighting me. He’s the one that chose me. He had four other names. He chose me. So, I don’t know.”
Plant said earlier this week that he would not be taking McCumby lightly but has also regularly dismissed his rival as not being a worthy opponent. The Nashville native has only lost to elite opposition; he got stopped in the 11th round of a competitive undisputed bout with Canelo in November 2021 before a points loss to the exceptional David Benavidez last time out in December.
“Eight or nine [rounds],” said McCumby when asked about his prediction for the fight. “He’s a crybaby. He’s a prima donna. That’s why I trained so hard in this camp. He’s going to see what I’m coming with on Saturday.
“I keep saying I’m going to break his will. I’m coming for his heart. I want him to feel like he did against Canelo … [and] also, with David [Benavidez]. I’m going to use my size, my physicality, and let him know who’s boss.”
Before McCumby and Plant take to the ring, another former world champion is aiming to get back to winning ways when Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero faces Manuel Jaimes in a super-lightweight non-title fight. Rolly is coming off a damaging eighth-round knockout loss to Isaac Cruz, which saw the Las Vegas native lose his WBA world title in his first defense.
Both fights will be followed by the co-main event featuring WBA middleweight title holder Erislandy Lara and former two-weight world champion Danny Garcia. The undercard also features a featherweight bout between former super-bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton and Carlos Castro.
