Caleb Plant believes that his appearance on Canelo Alvarez’s undercard on September 14th could “spark” conversations about a rematch.
(Credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions)
The Potential for a Canelo Rematch
The former IBF super middleweight champion Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) lost to Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) by an eleventh-round knockout on November 6th, 2021, in a competitive fight.
Since then, Plant has gone 1-1, and he’s hoping to pick up his second victory in three years when he faces unbeaten Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) for the WBA interim 168-llb title on the undercard of Canelo vs. Edgar Berlanga at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Plant has been out of the ring since March of last year, but he insists that he’s been working out and will be ready next month to face McCumby. Given the 32-year-old Plant’s inactivity, his recent loss to David Benavidez last year, and his knockout defeat at the hands of Canelo, it is difficult to predict an outcome.
What Plant has going for him in this fight is that McCumby hasn’t faced high-level opposition during his 14-year career, and he’s taking a big step up at 31.
Plant’s Focus on McCumby
“Right now, I’m just focused on the fight in front of me. Trevor [McCumby] is 28-0 with 21 knockouts. This is his moment; this is his chance. So, I need to put all my effort and energy into that,” said former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant to the media when asked if he’s hoping to get a rematch against Canelo Alvarez if he’s victorious against Trevor McCumby on September 14th.
It’s understandable why Plant would want to put all his energy into his fight with McCumby because he’s had that layoff, a loss to Benavidez, and the only win on his record in the last three years has come against 38-year-old Anthony Dirrell and 37-year-old Caleb Truax.
“With that being said, especially with us being moved to the Canelo card, it could spark those conversations for a rematch, and as you all know,” said Plant about his interest in a rematch with Canelo. “I’m not just in it to get a payday. I’m not just here to come and quit and bounce. I’m coming to fight.”
Plant’s Track Record
Even if Plant looks good against McCumby, boxing fans will criticize him if he’s given a rematch with Canelo next. It would look bad that Plant would be going into the rematch with a 2-2 record in his last four fights and wins over lesser opposition.
Fans would prefer to see Canelo give another fighter a chance, like Christian Mcbilli, Diego Pacheco, David Benavidez, or David Morrell.
“That’s what I love to do, and it would be good to get that opportunity [to fight Canelo again]. Right now, that’s not my focus. I need to focus on what’s in front of me,” said Plant.
Caleb needs to focus on the task at hand against McCumby because, despite his poor track record and recent wins over aged soft opposition, he might not win.
Losing to McCumby would end Plant’s dream of a rematch with Canelo, but it still wouldn’t be the end of the world. Plant has likely socked away the mega-money he made from the Canelo fight in 2021 in the bank, and he should have more than enough money to retire without worrying about needing to get a 9-5 job like regular folks.
“Being in the main event on the first Prime Video that wasn’t a pay-per-view would have been an honor obviously, but it don’t matter where they put me. They could put me in the parking lot, and we could box. It don’t matter to me,” said Plant about his fight against McCumby being moved off of non-PPV on Prime Video to the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga on PPV on September 14th.
Going from fighting on in the main event to being placed on an undercard usually would be a bad thing for a fighter, but in Plant’s case, he’s better off because he’s fighting on Canelo’s card, and many people will be watching.
Plant’s Time Away from the Ring
“I’ve been away for a minute, but I promise you guys I’ve been using my time wisely, and come September 14th, you’ll see the best Caleb Plant yet,” said Plant.
Caleb doesn’t say what he’s been doing in the 1.5 years since his last fight to use his “time wisely,” but I would bet that he’s not sharper for having been inactive. We’re not going to see a ring-rusty Plant look better from his time out of the ring, which means he could lose to McCumby on September 14th.
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