There is no love lost between Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby. At the final pre-fight press conference, Nashville’s former world champion and the unbeaten contender of Yorkville, Illinois traded barbs and went face to face.
Plant and McCumby battle it out for the interim WBA title at super middleweight. The contest is featured on the PPV card topped by Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga. The event airs live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 14.
Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) said he was primed for his ring return, and that McCumby hadn’t faced a “real fighter”. The 32-year-old former world champion goes through the ropes for the first time since last March, when he dropped a unanimous decision against David Benavidez.
“Trevor himself knows that I’m not a bum, and that’s why he wants to fight me. He wants to be on the big stage, and that means facing a real fighter, Caleb Plant said from Studio Ballroom at MGM Grand. “Right now, he’s looking at a real fighter. He’s fought only bums, but he’s not fighting a bum now.”
“We’ll see what he brings on Saturday. He’s undefeated and he’s looking to stay that way. So he’ll come motivated.”
“Family means the world to me. It means a lot to have my whole family in the gym with me. Having a team like that makes the whole process so much better.”
“I know a lot of people say it, but this is the best camp I’ve had and the sharpest I’ve ever boxed. I’ve been staying busy, looking sharp and we’ll see what he’s able to do against it.”
“I’m getting that belt around my waist on Saturday night. I’m not looking past that. Whatever happens after that, we’ll be ready.”
‘A win is huge because Caleb is a name’
McCumby said there was “no bad blood” between him and “emotional” Caleb Plant. Nevertheless, when it came to the face-off at the end of the press conference, the 31-year-old told his opponent he would make him “really cry”.
“We’re ready to fight,” Trevor McCumby said. “It’s very motivating to be on a card with all of these great fighters and I’m grateful to be up here with them for this great event.”
“There’s no bad blood on my side, I’m just ready to fight. Things are gonna be said at these press conferences and I think Caleb needs to make his opponent the villain when he gets in there. I don’t really let things get in my head like that. I go in there to handle business.”
“The back and forth we’ve had adds a little bit of motivation. Caleb is emotional and lets people get into his head too easily.”
“On Saturday, you will see what I can do in the ring. There’s no animosity from me, but I’m coming for his heart.”
“A win is huge because Caleb is a name. We’re trying to go through each other and that makes it a match made in heaven. I don’t know how he’s gonna come out, but you have to tune into this one, because it’s gonna steal the show.”
In the main event, Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez defends his unified WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight titles against unbeaten Puerto Rican Edgar Berlanga. In the co-main event, Cuban Erislandy Lara defends his WBA middleweight belt against Danny “Swift” Garcia of Philadelphia. Kicking off the action, former world champion Rolando Romero of Las Vegas and Manuel Jaimes of San Jose, California clash at super lightweight.