Trevor McCumby believes the money that former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant has gone to his head, making him think he’s better than he is.
Plant’s Pursuit of a Canelo Rematch
McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) will be fighting Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) for the WBA interim 168-lb title in a 12-round fight this Saturday, September 14th, live on DAZN PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Plant, 32, hopes that winning this fight will put him in position for a rematch with unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo is satisfying his mandatory WBA commitment against Edgar Berlanga this Saturday. So even if Plant does capture the WBA interim title, he might not get a title shot for another two years unless Canelo wants to face him before the sanctioning body orders the fight.
You can’t rule that out, but Canelo will take a lot of criticism if he faces Plant in a rematch because there’s no demand for that fight right now. If Plant beat someone good like Christian Mbilli or Diego Pacheco, he could change that, but he’s probably not going to take the risk of fighting either of those guys if he captures the interim WBA belt on Saturday. Those fighters would be viewed as favorites against Plant.
Plant made a lot of money in his fight against Canelo in November 2021, banking millions, and understandably, he wants a rematch with the Mexican star. However, McCumby stands in his way, and it’s questionable how much Plant has left. He took a beating in his last fight against David Benavidez, losing a 12-round unanimous decision, and that was 18 months ago.
Plant’s Stagnant Career
‘Sweethands’ Plant hasn’t won a fight in two years since beating 38-year-old Anthony Dirrell, and he’s talked a lot about that victory as if he did something special rather than beating an older fighter past his prime.
For Plant to be bragging about that win shows how bad off his career is at this point because he’s not fighting often and has lost two out of his last three fights. Besides the win against Dirrell, Plant’s victories in the last four years have come against Caleb Truax and Vincent Feigenbutz. Those are not exactly high-level fighters in this era.
“He had bad blood with Dirrell. I think I saw him walk in the ring with Dirrell. I think he was almost 40-years-old. Okay, you knocked out a 40-year-old dude, and you walk around like your a superstar. I think the money got to him,” said Trevor McCumby to the Probox TV YouTube channel, talking about Caleb Plant making a big production about his knockout victory over 38-year-old Anthony Dirrell two years ago, and he hasn’t won a fight since.
The payday that Plant got against Canelo was huge in 2021, and that fight was seen as a cherry pick by Alvarez because Caleb had never beaten anyone high level.
Plant seems to be involved in a lot of beef with different fighters, and it’s hard not to take notice. When you compare him to other fighters outside the ring issues, he stands out because it happens so frequently.
“I don’t let the stuff get in my mind. I’ve had 150 amateur fights and almost 30 pro fights. I’m hyper-focused on getting the job done,” said McCumby. “They can expect me to give my absolute all, and I promise you I’m going to beat Caleb Plant.
Plant’s “Emotional” Behavior
“Every time I see him, he’s mad. He always has got something going on inside. I call him ‘Emotional Caleb Plant.’ Just be yourself. He’s always mean-mugging somebody and trying to fight somebody. He mentioned [Jermall] Charlo pulling his beard. That was one time, but if it was that one time, he’s trying to smack Canelo.
“He’s always trying to get into altercations. Dude, you’re 32-years-old. Whenever I go out, I never have any issues with anybody. I don’t instigate stuff. He’s got a lot of emotions. He’s worried about Berlanga and being best friends with Canelo. I’m not worried about anything else but getting to Plant, and I’m going to get to him, and I’m taking his heart,” said McCumby.
It’s debatable whether Plant’s altercations are helping or hurting his career. He’s only fought two notable fighters in his ten-year career, Canelo and David Benavidez, and lost to both. If the altercations were helping Plant, he would have more notable fights than that. But then again, Plant made millions from those two fights, so maybe he doesn’t feel the need to keep busy.
