Facing former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant means you better be ready for those ‘Sweethands’ to fly, and it appears that Trevor McCumby of Yorkville, Illinois is. The duo will lock horns on September 14th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga for the vacant interim WBA super middleweight title. 

Heading into the fight, Plant is a massive favorite against McCumby, who is rather unknown in the community despite having a decent record. But the question is, can the 31-year-old hand Plant his third career loss? Or will McCumby fold at the hands of Caleb Plant? While the possibility can never be ruled out completely, here’s what most likely will happen on the Mexican Independence Day weekend. 

Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby: The numbers don’t lie

Let’s begin with Caleb Plant, the No. 5 ranked IBF super middleweight. The man was dominant throughout his career, putting an end to his fights with power, precision, and style. His first major clash came when he took on the then No. 2 ranked IBF super middleweight Rogelio Medina on February 17, 2018, to become the mandatory contender for the IBF title. 

Plant showed off brilliant boxing skills to pepper Medina throughout the fight, winning it via a unanimous decision. This win led him to a title fight against Jose Uzcategui. Despite injuries before the fight, Plant dominated Uzcategui and dropped him in the second and fourth rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory thereby winning the IBF title.

‘Sweethands’ would go on to defend his title three times against the likes of Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz, and Caleb Truax. However, the fourth defense of his title proved to be his downfall. He met Canelo Alvarez in the center of the ring and got dropped twice in the 11th round, losing the fight via 11th-round technical knockout. 

After losing his first fight and his title, Plant made one of the more dominating comebacks against Anthony Dirrell. Plant managed to knock out the former WBC champion in the 9th round to put his name back among the elites. However, this didn’t last long, as in the very next fight, David Benavidez defeated Plant via a unanimous decision.

Now, Caleb Plant boasts an impressive professional record of 22-2-0. His achievements extend beyond the pro ranks. As an amateur, he compiled an outstanding record of 97-20. He claimed the Golden Gloves title in 2011 in the light heavyweight division. That said, it’s time to look at Plant’s opponent, Trevor McCumby.

Unlike Plant, McCumby still has his zero intact with 28-0-0, but also unlike Plant, he is yet to face the upper echelon of opponents. However, he does have 95 professional rounds of boxing experience since he turned pro back in 2010 as a teenager. McCumby even made it to the semifinals of the 2009 USA Junior National Championship as an amateur.

While he has lacked in the quality opponents’ department, McCumby, No. 8 ranked super middleweight, does have solid wins over Milton Nunez, Brian Holstein, Dion Savage, Donovan George, Jessie Nicklow, Felipe Romero, Vicente Martín Rodríguez and Rodolfo Ezequiel Martinez. However, none of these seem too comforting for him in his fight against a skilled opponent like Plant. 

The fight will most likely end up being a one-sided affair, as Caleb Plant uses his technical superiority and persistent jab to chip away at McCumby. While Plant is not really known for his knockouts, if McCumby can’t stop Plant from using the ring to his advantage, the fight could see a stoppage in Plant’s favor. 

The tale of the attributes

Plant, 32, enters the fight with a slight height advantage, standing at 6’1″ (185 cm), compared to the 31-year-old McCumby, who is 6’0″ (183 cm). Both fighters share an identical reach of 74 inches (188 cm). The official weigh-ins will determine their final weight, but historically, Caleb Plant has consistently weighed between 166 to 168 pounds in his last three bouts, suggesting he should comfortably make weight.

Trevor McCumby, on the other hand, typically weighs between 167 to 168 pounds for his fights. His last three weigh-ins were 167½, 167½, and 168¼ pounds. However, McCumby, who previously competed in the light heavyweight division, may find the cut to super middleweight a bit more challenging. Despite these physical attributes, neither fighter appears to have a significant advantage in this matchup.

Who is more likely to get put to sleep?

Knockouts are always exciting—the majority of boxing fans buy pay-per-view and venue tickets, hoping to see the fighters get hit with the snooze button. But the question is, will this fight see a thundering punch that sends one of the boxers crashing onto the canvas? It can’t be ruled out completely, but given the numbers, the chances of it happening seem low. 

Caleb Plant, for example, is very technically gifted, but his knockout ratio, 59.09%, speaks for itself. Out of his 22 victories, Plant managed to stop the fight before the final bell on 13 occasions. This includes his win over Dirrell most recently, Vincent Feigenbutz in 2020, Mike Lee in 2019, and Carlos Galvan in 2016. The knockouts themselves were great, but the frequency casts a shadow of doubt. 

On the contrary, McCumby has quite the power packed in his punches. With an impressive 75% knockout ratio to back him up, the 31-year-old has won 21 of his 28 victories by the way of a knockout. In his two fights in 2023, McCumby knocked out his opponents in 1st and 5th rounds, giving him an edge over Plant. 

He also put out knockout performances quite frequently throughout his career and a knockout win in 2024 is yet to come. However, the Glendale, Arizona resident, has not faced an opponent at the same level as Caleb Plant before, which means McCumby will have to set up a knockout first to catch Plant with it. And if you know Plant, that is not an easy endeavor. 

The fight is most likely to go the distance, with Plant working on McCumby throughout the fight. The fight may see a knockdown, but it’s more likely to be in Plant’s favor. The final prediction is Plant wins the bout on the judges’ scorecard via a unanimous decision. But there is always a chance for an upset.

That being said, the Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby fight should be an interesting matchup to lead into the more exciting clash between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga. If Plant wins the WBA interim title, he might just get a second shot at Canelo Alvarez, given Canelo wins his fight against Berlanga. Who do you think will win?