LAS VEGAS – Caleb Plant recovered from a knockdown and delivered a good beating to Trevor McCumby, finally stopping him at the very end of the ninth round of a highly entertaining and challenging super middleweight bout on the undercard for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s bout with Edgar Berlanga on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) had made it clear during fight week that he didn’t particularly like McCumby – and he liked McCumby’s family even less, who repeatedly yelled at the Tennessee-born, Vegas-based fighter as a “bum.” McCumby, he pointed out, had never fought anyone on Plant’s level before. But even though Plant backed that up with an impressive win, McCumby did more than enough in defeat to suggest that the super middleweight division has a new big-name challenger – and certainly one who knows how to entertain.
“We had a lot of fun,” McCumby said after his defeat. “It was a great show. I wanted to show him that I’m athletic too.”
After a first round that was more of a feeling out, McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs) landed a heavy right in the second that knocked Plant off balance, though he promptly shook his head defiantly. McCumby continued to apply pressure, landing a right that knocked Plant back and a left in the corner that snapped his head back before McCumby wrestled him to the floor.
At this point, McCumby was putting Plant under physical pressure, landing a left and a right, knocking Plant to the mat again. However, Plant remained composed and compact, focusing on the task at hand. In the fourth round, a hook from McCumby landed on Plant’s shoulder with enough force to knock him down, and Plant looked to be in trouble. This would be McCumby’s high point, however, as the turning point of the fight came in the next frame.
After being staggered by an explosive right-left from McCumby, Plant turned him over and pushed him against the ropes, smothering his opponent’s punches and forcing him inside with short, snappy strikes to the body and head, with his uppercut being the highlight that couldn’t miss.
“He caught me pulling out and hit me on the shoulder, but that’s part of the game,” Plant said after the fight. “He was hitting wildly and I just had to stay focused. That’s what champions do.”
Rounds 6 and 7 were similar: McCumby threw powerful punches at Plant in the middle of the ring, but Plant remained calm, pushed McCumby to the ropes and worked him over a long period of time with short hooks and uppercuts.
The pace slowed a bit in the eighth round as Plant caught his breath, but by the ninth he was back on top, again pinning McCumby to the ropes. An uppercut was followed by a flurry of upward punches, and then, after a pause to rebuild, Plant slammed a right hand to McCumby’s jaw, which had a punishing effect. McCumby was hurt now, and when Plant saw his chance, he struck with both hands. A left hand exploded to McCumby’s jaw, and as McCumby slumped on the ropes, referee Alan Huggins stepped in to stop the fight just as the bell rang to end the round. The official time of round 9 was 2:59.
“I knew he was hurt and needed to get to work,” Plant said. “It was time to get my belt. Now I’m ready to go home and play with my daughter.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written about boxing, broadcast, and podcasted for HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and Reuters, among others. He is also a regular contributor to National Geographic, has written several books about the Arctic and Antarctic, and is happiest when spending time with wild polar bears. His website is kieranmulvaney.com.
