Caleb Plant is confident in his victory over Jose Armando Resendiz when the pair square off at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on May 31. The 12-round super middleweight bout headlines the event, live on Prime Video. Plant’s WBA interim title is on the line.
Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) aims for his second straight victory since dropping a unanimous decision to David Benavidez in March 2023. The former IBF 168-pound champion won his previous bout last September via ninth-round TKO against Trevor McCumby, overcoming a knockdown in the fourth round along the way.
Ahead of his next fight against Resendiz, the Nashville, Tennessee native said he was the “A-Team” and was more experienced than his opponent.
“Expect fireworks,” Caleb Plant said during a virtual press conference on Thursday. “Me and my team have been grinding hard and once that bell rings, I’m gonna step on him.”
“Armando thinks he can beat me, and that’s enough to piss me off. He knows what’s coming to him.”
“I’m not gonna be distracted from the fight that’s in front of me. It’s happened so many times where fighters get so worried about the next fight, and they don’t win the fight in front of them. I’m not letting that happen. Armando is coming to take my spot, but I’m not gonna let that happen.”
“The first thing on my mind is to put on a great performance on May 31. I want Charlo, Edgar Berlanga, Jaime Munguia, Diego Pacheco, and anyone else who’s up there. Then I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be. I’m gonna pick them off one by one.”
“Some fighters lose and their confidence is shattered. Maybe their confidence was fake to begin with. A loss has never made me think I couldn’t do what I’m capable of. I take those experiences and learn to make adjustments, which a lot of fighters aren’t able to do.”
“Experience isn’t something you can buy or borrow. You have to walk through the fire. I’ve been on the biggest stages in boxing. Each time you get those experiences, you take it over to the next fight.”
“I’m too strong, I’m too fast, and I’m too slick for Armando. I have a great team with me. We’re the A-Team. We’re coming to win and we’re going to win.”
“I have the desire to win and the desire to be a champion. Even with the success I’ve had, that desire doesn’t dim at all.”
“I feel strongly that you should have fun doing what you love to do. Boxing is the place where I can let go. When that bell rings, that’s when I can be myself.”
‘I have the tools to overcome this challenge’
Mexico’s Resendiz (15-2, 11 KOs) also aims for his second win in a row, since suffering an eighth-round TKO against Elijah Garcia in September 2023. The 26-year-old returned to the ring in February, scoring a fifth-round stoppage of Fernando Paliza.
Resendiz, who sparred Caleb Plant ahead of the latter’s fight against Canelo Alvarez in November 2021, commented on their sparring sessions, also saying he felt confident in a victorious outcome.
“I’m really looking forward to this fight,” Jose Armando Resendiz said. “I’m in excellent shape because I’m facing an elite fighter who’s accomplished a lot. My dream has always been to fight against the best and this is making my dream come true. We’re going to give the fans a great fight.”
“I know that Caleb remembers me from those sparring sessions. I believe it was right before the Canelo fight. I know that I have the tools to overcome this challenge.”
“I think Caleb has some selective memory about our sparring. They took me out of the gym for a reason. I’m gonna show him exactly how much I’ve grown on May 31.”
“I don’t care about anyone else but my team and my family. I’m here making my dreams come true. I’m a Mexican fighter and people are gonna see what I’m capable of. It’s not because I think I can win, it’s because I know I can win.”
“Training camp has been going great and I’ve had really good sparring sessions. I’m feeling really confident and I’m ready to get it on.”
“Like the Mexican fighter that I am, I always put my best foot forward. I believe in what I can do. My career has had highs and lows, but I’ve realized that there’s no opponent that I will fear.”
“The fights that I’ve had in the past will allow me to be even stronger this time around.”
The co-feature on the card pits two-division champion Jermall Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) of Lafayette, LA against Thomas LaManna (39-5-1, 18 KOs) of Belleville, NJ. The pair battle it out in a 10-rounder at super middleweight.