Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) has confirmed on social media that he’ll be fighting unbeaten Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) next on August 17th.
Plant, 32, is coming off a twelve-round unanimous decision to David Benavidez on March 25, 2023. It’s unknown why the former IBF super middleweight Champion Plant has chosen to sit inactive for 16 months.
That’s not ideal when you’re trying to get another crack at Canelo Alvarez the way Plant is.
The non-PPV event will be put on PBC, and it’s expected to occur at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
Co-Feature: Fulton vs Rios
Former super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton will fight Ronny Rios in the co-feature. Like Plant, Fulton has been inactive for a year. Naoya Inoue knocked him out in the eighth round on July 25, 2023.
McCumby is a 14-year pro from Illinois who has yet to face a top-tier contender, which is hard to believe. He’s operating under the radar and perhaps didn’t have a powerful promotional company to get him the fights he needed until this opportunity to face ‘Sweethands’ Plant.
McCumby is ranked #11 WBA, right behind #10 Plant. If he can pull off an upset against Plant, it would be a huge positive for his career and possibly lead to bigger things.
Plant has lost two out of his last three fights and needs this win to stay relevant. He hasn’t beaten a solid fighter since his narrow twelve-round unanimous decision over José Uzcátegui in January 2019. The four victories for Plant since then have come against these fringe-level fighters:
– Anthony Dirrell: 39
– Caleb Truax: 38
– Vincent Feigenbutz
– Mike Lee
Plant’s two losses in the last three years have come against Benavidez and Canelo. He was knocked out in the eleventh round by Canelo in November 2021, and not surprisingly, his career has slowed to a crawl after getting that big payday.
That’s what happens to fighters that face Canelo. They rarely fight after getting the money. For example, Billy Joe Saunders hasn’t fought since losing to Canelo in May 2021.
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