Denied victory, Trevor McCumby left Las Vegas with something else: respect

Trevor McCumby earned respect Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, despite suffering his first career loss to former super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant.

Plant stopped McCumby at the end of the ninth round, with the official time of the stoppage coming at 2:59.

McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs) found himself in the middle of a Fight of the Year contender, appearing to send Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) to the canvas early on, though referee Allen Huggins ruled it a slip. In the fourth round, however, McCumby dropped the 32-year-old Plant for real, stunning fans who had written off the 31-year-old underdog McCumby in the pre-fight build-up.

“We had a lot of fun,” McCumby said afterward. “It was a great show. I wanted to show him I was athletic, too.”

The fight shifted in the fifth round. Just when it seemed McCumby was in control, Plant made the necessary adjustments – similar to Juan Manuel Marquez’s comeback against Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz. Plant moved to the inside, neutralizing McCumby’s wild and unorthodox shots. Plant’s experience at the highest levels allowed him to regain momentum, even surprising McCumby with a tactic change. 

“I noticed that he wanted to fight more on the inside,” McCumby said. “When I was sparring, I had caught a lot of guys with left hooks while I was back on the ropes. It was one of my better shots. I was trying to catch him, but I couldn’t get him clean enough. He adjusted well.”

Despite the loss, McCumby accomplished his goal of pushing Plant to his limits. He thought he could make Plant quit, but instead Plant’s determination won out. Plant showed resilience in his previous fight, against David Benavidez, but it was against McCumby that his grit arguably changed the outcome.

“I look back, and I should have fought him more on the outside and worked my long shots into short shots,” McCumby said. “But it was hard to adjust.”

In the end, McCumby, though defeated, proved he belonged on one of boxing’s biggest stages.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.