Caleb Plant says he’s worthy of Canelo Alvarez rematch: ‘I don’t beg for fights’

Caleb Plant is ready to revive his career, and he’s labeling the comeback as the “Revenge Tour.”

Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) will be fighting for the first time since losing to David Benavidez in March 2023 when he takes on Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) on September 14.

The clash will take place on the undercard of the bill headlined by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s super middleweight title defense against Edgar Berlanga. 

Plant-McCumby was originally supposed to headline PBC’s first non-pay-per-view card on Prime Video on August 17, but McCumby suffered a cut, pushing the fight out a month. The brief delay could result in serendipitous circumstances for Plant, helping the former 168-pound titleholder get a rematch against Alvarez if he has a resounding showing. 

The Mexican superstar Alvarez knocked out the Tennessean in 2021 in the 11th round of a spirited fight to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. 

“With us getting moved to the Canelo card, it could spark those conversations for a rematch,” Plant told BoxingScene. “It doesn’t matter where they put me. They can put me in the parking lot and we can fight. As you know, I’m not just in it to get a payday. I’m coming to fight. And right now I’m focused on fighting Trevor, and I am excited to be part of a big event. 

“Who knows how likely it is [I’ll get a Canelo rematch], but I feel that it’s worthy, especially since we had a competitive fight the first time. It was probably 6-4 the first time going into the 11th. I feel like it’s worthy. But I’ve never been the type of guy to beg for a fight.”

With David Benavidez and David Morrell moving on to the light heavyweight division, Plant could be back in Alvarez’s picture as the next most desirable dance partner at 168 pounds, alongside the likes of Christian Mbilli, Diego Pacheco, and Jermall Charlo, among others.

Plant said his Showtime PPV event against Alvarez did 800,000 buys. 

“He didn’t do that against Gennadiy Golovkin, Dmitry Bivol, or Jermell Charlo,” said Plant. “We’ve done some good numbers, and I feel that I’m a good sell in boxing. I have a big fan base and a lot of people tune in to watch me fight.”

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) and Plant had a contentious buildup to their fight that featured a press conference scuffle. The duo have squashed their beef ever since, and Alvarez has even been chummy with Plant.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) took a shot at Plant during a recent press conference, and Alvarez came to his former rival’s defense. 

“Caleb, take it easy – I am going to take care of him for you; I promise you,” said Alvarez. “That’s for you buddy. Do you think he has more IQ than you? I got it.” 

Plant gave Alvarez a tip of the cap for the gesture, but he didn’t want to get too close to the enemy. 

“That was cool. I was minding my business and Edgar wanted to bring my name up, and Canelo said what he said,” said Plant. 

“He’s shown me a lot of respect [since we fought] and I’ve done the same toward him. But there is still competitive tension in there. He’s a fierce competitor, and so am I. We’ll see what the future holds. I’m just going to continue to face who they put in front of me and chase the biggest fights that I can.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine, and more. He’s been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.