Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby were supposed to clash over the summer before McCumby suffered an eye injury. The pair finally met on Saturday night during the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga and it was Plant who overcame a game challenge from the heavy-hitting McCumby to score a TKO in the ninth round of their interim WBA super middleweight title fight.
McCumby struck first with a huge left hook in the second round. Plant went down but it was after McCumby had shoved him to the ground. Still, Plant was on rubber legs as he went back to his corner once the bell sounded.
McCumby again threw Plant to the canvas after a big shot to start the third round and Plant seemed to settle down from that point and get into a rhythm, popping hard jabs and choosing the right spots to throw power punches with accuracy.
Despite the positive momentum, Plant got caught in the fourth round, dropped to the canvas and nearly went through the ropes. Plant seemed on steady legs and the knockdown was from a punch to the arm that caught Plant off balance.
Plant changed tactics in the fifth round, pushing McCumby to the ropes and daring him to win a phone booth battle. McCumby had moments, but Plant seemed to have flipped the switch, tagging McCumby with power punches regularly and mixing in a heavy dose of taunting after McCumby’s taunting in the early rounds.
Once Plant flipped the switch, there was no looking back. McCumby continued trying to fire away with powerful counter shots but he was outgunned by a more accurate fighter unleashing a constant flow of punches, including an increased focus on thudding body punches.
At the end of Round 9, Plant unloaded his full arsenal with McCumby pinned to the ropes once again. As Plant fired shot after shot, McCumby began to slump against the ropes and the referee jumped in to call a halt to the action just as the bell sounded to end the round.
“It was pretty tough just easing in,” Plant said after the fight. “Word on the street is that I can’t fight on the inside but I think I proved I can tonight. It feels good to be WBA interim champion.”
