Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby went at each other during Tuesday’s Los Angeles press conference ahead of their upcoming interim super middleweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 14.
Plant (22-2, 13 KOs), a former 168-pound titleholder, was upset with McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) for mocking him on Instagram about being so inactive after getting big paydays. Nashville’s Plant has been out of the ring for 16 months, since his loss to David Benavidez in March 2023.
Despite his long layoff, Plant believes he would come out tops in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been using my time wisely and I’m proud to say that you’ll see the best Caleb Plant of my career on Sept. 14,” Plant said. “On Sept. 14, I get my hand raised in fashion. This is his first and last [opportunity].”
Plant, 32, has gone 2-2 since winning the first 20 fights of his professional career. But the defeats were against the two biggest (and arguably best) fighters at 168 – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and David Benavidez. Plant was stopped in the 11th round by Alvarez in November 2021, and although he went the distance with Benavidez in his most recent outing, in March of last year, he took a beating.
Plant says McCumby, who has compiled a sterling record but is virtually untested as a pro, isn’t ready for the step up.
“Trevor wants to be part of the big leagues,” Plant said. “What he thinks he’s gonna get and what he’s actually gonna get are way different. I live by the sword and die by the sword. Make sure you save that money, Trevor, because this is gonna be your first and your last payday.”
McCumby, a 31-year-old from Glendale, Arizona, ended a nearly five-year boxing hiatus in May 2023. He returned to record a fifth-round stoppage victory over Vicente Rodriguez in May 2023 before dispatching Rodolfo Martinez in the first round a month later. Most recently, in January, McCumby won a wide 10-round unanimous decision over Christopher Pearson.
“We’re here,” McCumby said of what is far and away the biggest fight of his career. “We’re training really really hard, and I’m gonna show everyone what I’m all about on Sept. 14. We’ll see if he gets on his bike or if he wants to fight in the center of the ring. I’m ready and I’m training hard. I promise you this is gonna be a great fight.
“I’m not really concerned about what Caleb says or what he does. I think he’s kind of insecure. I’m a grown man and I conduct myself a certain way. We’re definitely gonna see it on Sept. 14. I’m not sleeping in silk sheets, he is.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com.