Caleb Plant said he has fought 359 rounds since his last fight and that was evident in the ring on Saturday.
Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) defeated Trevor McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs) by technical knockout in the ninth round to win the interim WBA welterweight title in his first fight since March 2023.
“It was pretty tough to get used to it and then, you know, the word on the street is I can’t fight inside, but I think I proved tonight that I can,” Plant, who grew up in Ashland City, said after the fight.
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Plant had just come off the longest layoff of his career and his second loss ever. But just like after his loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2021, Plant came back and scored a knockout. The fight was cheered by the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena with plenty of action throughout.
Plant fell to the ground twice, but the referee ruled both knockdowns. Then, in the fourth round, McCumby caught Plant with a left-handed punch to the arm that knocked Plant off balance and knocked him to the ground for only the third time in his career.
“He caught me pulling out and hit me on the shoulders,” Plant said. “I lost my balance and fell. I wasn’t hurt, but that’s part of the game. He came with wild punches and that’s part of the game. But shake it off, stay focused and I’m a true champion; I can fight through anything.”
From there, Plant gained momentum and towards the end of the ninth round, Plant backed McCumby into the ropes and started throwing some powerful punches. Just as the bell rang to end the round, McCumby fell to the mat and even though the round was over, the referee stopped the fight.
Plant has repeatedly reiterated his goal of becoming a two-time world champion and although there is no title fight in sight, Plant is well positioned at super middleweight.
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Canelo Alvarez, the full-fledged WBA champion, will not be required to fight Plant anytime soon as he faces WBA No. 1 contender Edgar Berlanga in Saturday night’s main event on the same card Plant competed on.
Plant has been verbally feuding with Berlanga in recent months and the two exchanged words during a pre-fight press conference in Los Angeles. Plant said whether he wins or loses, he would like to fight Berlanga next, who will be one of many options for the former super middleweight champion.
Earlier this year, Plant told the Tennessean that he wanted to hunt for a big-name opponent after winning his comeback fight.
Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
