Caleb Plant lands Trevor McCumby en route to the 9th round technical knockout on September 14th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Photo credit: German Villasenor
Caleb Plant turned a near-disastrous night into a showcase performance.
The former IBF super middleweight titlist overcame a fourth-round knockdown to knock down and stop Trevor McCumby in the ninth round. A flurry of punches left McCumby defenseless and caused the end at 2:59 of round nine Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Plant—an Ashland City, Tenn.-raised talent now based in Vegas—picked up the interim version of the WBA super middleweight title.
“We beat the hell out of him here, just like I said I was going to do,” Plant said after the win.
McCumby started strong. Plant has not fought since a March 2023 points loss to David Benavidez and has shown signs of ring rust. At times, he also showed signs of uncertainty about his next step. Arizona’s McCumby was able to impose his will during several moments in the early rounds.
Plant was lucky to avoid a strikeout call late in the second. McCumby connected with his left hook, which landed throughout the round. Plant hits the deck shortly before the bell seconds after taking one such shot. Umpire Allen Huggins waved it off as a slip.
A similar sequence occurred early in the third. Plant was once again on the canvas after McCumby landed a punch, but again called a slip. This did not deter McCumby, who continued to take the fight to his larger and far more experienced foe.
McCumby was eventually credited with a strikeout in the fourth. A left hook landed on Plant’s right bicep. The Las Vegas-based boxer lost his balance when another left hook hit his shoulder and he fell through the ropes. The series was deemed a strikeout, forcing Plant to play catch-up.
“He caught me undressing,” Plant admitted afterwards. “I was on my way back. He hit my shoulder and I lost my balance. It was what it was.”
Plant could get it back into blood.
The tide changed drastically in Plant’s favor after he took the advice of renowned trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards. The urge not to fall for McCumby’s shoulder roll was followed up by Plant, who forced an infighting. McCumby struggled to adjust as Plant chipped away at the body and also landed several right hands over the top.
Plant played against his adoring home crowd throughout the sixth round. McCumby had the look of a battered enemy as Plant grew in confidence.
McCumby took one last stand in a competitive seventh. However, this was not enough to deter Plant.
The clock finally struck midnight on McCumby’s Cinderella story in the ninth. Plant pushed the action and was confident he would deliver the stoppage, despite his modest percentage in that category. McCumby was bloodied and pinned along the ropes as Plant unloaded a barrage of punches. The bell rang just as Huggins stepped in to protect McCumby from further punishment.
A slight protest was made by McCumby’s corner before they resigned themselves to the boxer’s fate.
It was a valiant effort by the previously undefeated but mostly untested McCumby, who fell to 28-1 (21 knockouts). He came on the heels of a ten round win over Christopher Pearson earlier this year.
McCumby previously recorded a career-best first-round knockout of Donovan George. However, it was converted to a No Contest when McCumby tested positive for a banned substance after their November 2016 meeting. The case was under litigation, which pushed the verdict until the following September.
A nine-month suspension followed, during which McCumby strongly considered retirement. He had a change of heart and had won five in a row since returning in 2018 before Saturday’s loss.
Meanwhile, Plant can look to the future, but not before reminding the world of his life in the present.
“The word on the street is that I can’t fight. I think I showed that tonight,” Plant noted. “We got back up and went to work and we got the break.”
Plant improves to 23-2 (13 KOs). He did so through a blistering attacking performance. He hit 207 of 385 for a blistering 53.8%, compared to 99 of 305 (32.5%) for McCumby.
It was Plant’s first win since his one-hit knockout of Anthony Dirrell in October 2022. The feat was recognized by many outlets as the 2022 Knockout of the Year.
It came eleven months after Plant lost to Alvarez by eleventh-round knockout in their full unification bout in November 2021 to end his IBF title reign. His win over Dirrell was followed by a quick in-ring return, but in a loss to Benavidez followed by a career-long 18-month layoff. His extended absence since the Benavidez loss ended has forced him out of The Ring’s 168-pound rankings. He was number three before that point.
Plant-McCumby was part of the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga PBC on Prime Pay-Per-View undercard.
