Caleb Plant Emerges As A Top Contender For Canelo Alvarez's Next Fight

Victory Over McCumby Positions Plant for a Rematch

Caleb Plant could face Canelo next May /

By Moses Ochieng

After securing a victory over Trevor McCumby, Caleb Plant is now a strong candidate for Canelo Alvarez’s next fight in May. The former IBF super middleweight champion, Plant, is an appealing option to draw fan interest.

Canelo is running out of notable opponents at 168 lbs who can generate significant market interest. While talented fighters like Christian Mbilli and Osleys Iglesias could pose serious challenges for Canelo, they lack the name recognition to drive pay-per-view sales in the U.S. Although these fighters might be more dangerous than Plant and could potentially defeat him, they don’t carry the same star power.

For Canelo to remain at 168, his next opponent in May will need to be someone who can create buzz, engage in trash talk, and draw attention. That’s where Plant fits in. With a record of 23-2 and 14 KOs, Plant claimed the WBA interim super middleweight title by knocking out McCumby in the ninth round last Saturday on the Canelo vs. Edgar Berlanga undercard in Las Vegas. This win puts Plant in line for a rematch with Canelo, who currently holds the WBA title.

“I thought, ‘No way, nobody wanted to see that,’ and then I saw how popular he was this weekend. I was like, ‘Oh, no, this can definitely happen,'” Chris Algieri stated to Inside Boxing Live about Caleb Plant’s performance.

Caleb Plant’s bout against Trevor McCumby was the highlight of last weekend’s Canelo-Berlanga card at the T-Mobile Arena. Plant's ability to bounce back after being knocked down and hurt by McCumby was particularly impressive. While it wasn’t ideal that Plant struggled against a relatively one-dimensional fighter like McCumby, it’s typical of Plant’s style. He may not be the top fighter in the 168-pound division, but he consistently makes his fights entertaining.

“Canelo is coming into an area where he’s going to have rematches with Plant and Munguia. It’s just a matter of time before one of these guys beats him. Caleb Plant looked so good over the weekend. It seemed to me he fought Canelo; he wasn’t ready for that level of a guy. I think he learned a lot from that fight that he brought into the Benavidez fight,” added Algieri.

Caleb Plant hasn’t shown much improvement since his 11th-round knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez in November 2021. The punches that Canelo used to hurt Plant in that fight would likely have had the same effect if they had fought again last weekend. While McCumby managed to hurt Plant, he didn’t have the range of punches needed to finish him. Canelo, on the other hand, capitalized on Plant’s tendency to lean forward by landing uppercuts and would probably exploit the same flaw in a rematch.