Caleb Plant insisted that he’s “not a bum” but a “Real fighter” during today’s final press conference for his fight against unbeaten Trevor McCumby on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Rey Del Rio/Premier Boxing Champions)
Plant Looking for Validation
The former IBF super middleweight Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) sounded unsure of himself while giving what sounded like a rehearsed speech at the podium, looking to build his credibility through words rather than action, which he’s failed to do in the two times he stepped up against world-class level opposition in the last three years in defeats against David Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez.
Plant cannot afford to lose this fight if he wants to remain one of the relevant contenders in the super middleweight division. Obviously, he’s been passed up by the young go-getters, who are hungry, ambitious, and willing to fight.
‘Sweethands’ Plant isn’t a bum, but he doesn’t fight often anymore and has lost two out of his last three fights. He’s coming off an 18-month layoff and a 12-round thrashing in his previous fight against David Benavidez in March 2023. Given all that, Saturday’s Plant vs. McCumby fight is a 50-50.
Plant and the unbeaten McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) will meet in a 12-round WBA interim 168-lb title contest on Saturday night. This is a pivotal moment in McCumby’s 14-year career where he shows he belongs among the top fighters.
McCumby was chosen by Plant for a reason. If he thought he was too good, he likely wouldn’t have agreed to fight the Illinois native and would have ignored him in favor of someone else-beatable.
Plant, 32, is obviously on the downside of his career and there to be beaten by top contenders, but it remains to be seen whether McCumby has got what it takes to beat him.
Caleb Plant: “Trevor himself knows that I’m not a bum, and that’s why he wants to fight me. He wants to be on the big stage, and that means facing a real fighter. He’s fought only bums, but he’s not fighting a bum now. I’m getting that belt around my waist on Saturday night. I’m not looking past that.
Trevor McCumby: “Caleb is emotional and lets people get into his head too easily. On Saturday, you will see what I can do in the ring. You have to tune into this one because it’s gonna steal the show.”
It would say a lot if the Plant-McCumby fight does “steal the show” from the main event clash between Canelo and Edgar Berlanga. A victory for McCumby would be the final nail in Plant’s career, signaling that it’s time for him to retire.
