Caleb Plant was successful in his ring return against Trevor McCumby on the Canelo vs Berlanga undercard on September 14 live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Nashville’s former world champion defeated the previously unbeaten contender of Yorkville, Illinois via TKO. On his way to victory, the 32-year-old suffered a knockdown in the fourth round.
The scheduled for 12 rounds championship bout ended prior to the final bell. As Plant was unloading another barrage of punches, referee Allen Huggins stepped in and waved the fight off to save his opponent from further punishment. The official time was 2 minutes and 59 seconds into the ninth round.
With the victory, Caleb Plant landed the interim WBA 168 lbs title, improved to 23-2, 14 KOs and returned to winning ways. The Las Vegas-based 32-year-old was in action for the first time since last March, when he dropped a unanimous decision against David Benavidez.
“It was a pretty tough fight, I was just easing in. I proved that I can fight on the inside tonight and I did what I had to do to get that WBA belt,” Plant said. “He caught me pulling out and hit me in the shoulder, but that’s part of the game. He came in with wild punches and I just had to stay focused. That’s what champions do.”
“I knew I had him hurt and had to go to work. It was time to get my belt. Now I’m ready to go home and play with my daughter.”
Glendale, Arizona-based Trevor McCumby dropped to 28-1, 21 KOs and suffered his first career defeat. Although the 31-year-old didn’t succeed to pull an upset, one can say, the fight was fairly close to deliver or steal the show, as promised.
“I noticed that he wanted to fight more on the inside,” McCumby said. “When I was sparring I had caught a lot of guys with left hooks while I was back on the ropes. It was one of my better shots. I was trying to catch him but I couldn’t get him clean enough. He adjusted well.”
Best fight of the night, thanks for sharing.