Caleb Plant does not intend to allow his next assignment to become a trap fight. 

His work ethic alone is enough of an indication that the former IBF super middleweight titlist treats every matchup like his opponent is out to steal food from his plate. That’s the mentality he carries into his upcoming clash with Armando Resendiz. 

Their bout tops a May 31 PBC on Prime Video show from Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

“Me and my team have been working very hard to ensure that we step on Armando, get my hand raised and then go on about our business,” Plant insisted during Wednesday’s promotional press conference at The Mayan in Los Angeles, California. “Make sure you tune in. It’s gonna be a show and I’m gonna step on him.”

Plant, 23-2 (12 KOs) puts his interim WBA super middleweight title on the line in the matchup, for which he is a -2000 favorite to prevail.  

The odds matter little once the opening bell sounds, however. The presence of Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, 17-2 (13 KOs) at Wednesday’s press event was a firm reminder. The Las Vegas native dropped and dominated Garcia over twelve rounds atop their May 1 DAZN Pay-Per-View from New York City’s famed Times Square. 

With the feat, Romero ruined – or at least significantly dulled – plans for Garcia to rematch Devin Haney later this fall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  

That is precisely why Plant has ignored the subplot to the May 31 show. The co-feature pits unbeaten former two-division titlist Jermall Charlo, 33-0 (22 KOs) against Thomas ‘Cornflake’ LaManna, 39-5-1 (18 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round super middleweight contest. 

It remains loose talk for now, but the idea is for Plant and Charlo – with wins on May 31 – to then meet later this year. Plant is on board for that fight, but only in the sense that he is down to take on all challengers. 

It’s why he dared to be great in a November 2021 defeat to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in their full unification bout. It’s also why he converted a years-long beef with David Benavidez into a March 2023 grudge match, won by Benavidez via unanimous decision.

Plant has fought just once since the loss to Benavidez. He recovered from a flash knockdown to stop unbeaten Trevor McCumby in the ninth round of their interim WBA title fight last September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

For now, the only future plans for Plant end with his May 31 dance with Mexico’s Resendiz, 15-2 (11 KOs). His only goal for that night is to remind the world that – given the shrinking availability of Alvarez – he is the man to beat at super middleweight.

“May 31st, I’m gonna take another step forward towards proving that. Then, whichever one of y’all (between Charlo and LaManna) gets your hand raised, we can get it on and cracking as well. May 31st first, though. A lot of fighters make the mistake of looking past the fighter in front of them and looking at what’s going on down the road. 

“They wind up not even winning the fight in front of them. We’ve seen that happen recently. Shout to my guy Rolly. I won’t make the same mistake. All you got to do is win and you get to fight each other. One of the fighters overlook their opponent and mess that up. I won’t make the same mistake. “

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.