Caleb Plant tells Trevor McCumby: “I’m a real fighter, not a bum”

Caleb Plant insisted he is “not a bum” but a “real fighter” during today’s final press conference for his fight against undefeated Trevor McCumby on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

(Credit: Rey Del Rio/Premier Boxing Champions)

Plant Seeking Validation

The former IBF super middleweight powerhouse (22-2, 13 KOs) sounded unsure of himself as he delivered what felt like a rehearsed speech at the podium, trying to build his credibility through words rather than deed, which he in didn’t do it twice. he has faced world-level opposition in the past three years in losses to 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. Of course he was overtaken by the young go-getters, who were hungry, ambitious and willing to fight.

‘Sweethands’ Plant is no bum, but he doesn’t fight often anymore and has lost two of his last three fights. He is coming off an 18-month layoff and a 12-round knockout in his previous fight against David Benavidez in March 2023. Given all that, Saturday’s Plant vs. McCumby battle a 50-50.

Plant and the undefeated McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) will meet in a 12-round WBA interim 168-lb title contest on Saturday night. This is a crucial 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 probably wouldn’t have agreed to fight the Illinois native and would have ignored him in favor of someone else who could be beaten.

Plant (32) is obviously on the downside of his career and there to be beaten by top contenders, but it remains to be seen if McCumby has what it takes to beat him.

Caleb Plant: “Trevor himself knows 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 only fought bums, but he’s not fighting a bum right now. I get that belt around my waist on Saturday night. I don’t look past it.

Trevor McCumby: “Caleb is emotional and lets people get into his head too easily. Saturday you will see what I can do in the ring. You have to tune in to this one because it’s going to steal the show.”

It will say a lot if the Plant-McCumby fight does “steal the show” from the main event between Canelo and Edgar Berlanga. A win for McCumby would be the final nail in Plant’s career, signaling that it is time for him to retire.