For the second time in a month, a pair of boxers meant to meet later in the year appeared on the same card in separate fights. The co-main event A side held up their end of the bargain while the main event saw the underdog upset the apple cart.
The plan was for Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo to meet later this year if they took care of their respective opponents on Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Their rivalry stems from a 2023 incident backstage at the weigh-in for Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence. Plant was seen on video slapping Charlo and said it was in response to the former champion disrespecting him by grabbing his beard. The two had made it clear that they wanted to fight each other, but if anybody wasn't going to make it to the fight, it was expected to be Charlo.
Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs) ended an 18-month layoff by defeating Thomas LaManna with a sixth-round TKO. However, Jose Armando Resendiz pulled off a massive upset by defeating Caleb Plant (23-3, 14 KOs) by split decision to win the WBA interim super middleweight title. The event mirrored the May 2 fight card in Times Square, where Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney competed in separate fights with plans for a highly anticipated rematch later this year. Haney outpointed Jose Ramirez but Ryan Garcia, a significant betting favorite, was upset by Rolando "Rolly" Romero.
How did this happen again?
The concerns were about the wrong fighter.
All eyes were on Charlo in the weeks leading up to his return fight with LaManna. The former two-division champion had been in action only twice since 2021 due to injuries and legal issues. In his last fight against an undersized Jose Benavidez Jr. in November 2023, Charlo didn't quite look like the fringe pound-for-pound fighter who made five successful defenses of the WBC middleweight title, but while LaManna was never perceived as a significant threat, he had enough ability to pull off the upset if Charlo wasn't focused. Instead, Charlo looked sharp behind a stiff jab and quickly put the right hand behind it to bust up his opponent. Charlo, 35, would drop LaManna three times before a ringside physician stopped the fight at the start of the sixth round. The fight was a clear confidence builder for Charlo and he was able to get some rounds in before the abrupt end.
"I'm just looking to stay well-known and relevant," Charlo said after outlanding LaManna, 67-19.
Plant's path to the Charlo fight was expected to be easier, with the only two losses on his résumé coming against pound-for-pound fighters David Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez. Few considered what kind of toll those losses may have had on Plant while completely underestimating the ability of Resendiz. Before the fight with Plant, Resendiz (16-2, 11 KOs) had campaigned primarily as a middleweight, with his biggest wins coming against a declining Jarrett Hurd and losses to Elijah Garcia and unheralded Marcos Hernandez. But Resendiz, 26, set traps, used smart pressure and simply outworked the former champion.
"I didn't really worry about what people say. I knew I was going to win," Resendiz said postfight. "I didn't worry at all, knew it was going to be a tough fight and we gave them a great fight. ... I'm ready to fight anyone."
The fight was competitive early, with Plant plucking away with the jab and Resendiz shifting between being a counterpuncher and the aggressor. However, the tone of the fight shifted drastically in the final seconds of the sixth round, when Resendiz rocked Plant with right hands. Plant never recovered, and one judge gave the final six rounds to Resendiz. Although the fight was officially scored a split decision, there was no question who the winner was as Resendiz outlanded Plant 186 to 108 in total punches, according to CompuBox.
Following the loss, Plant blamed an injured hand on his performance but he's going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what's next after going 2-3 in his past five fights.
Like the potential rematch between Haney and Garcia, the loss was supposed to put a significant damper on fan interest in a Charlo-Plant fight. However, Charlo still wants the fight. He stated that he has no interest in fighting Resendiz and would rather face Plant, regardless of Saturday's outcome.
"I'm not here to bash nobody or talk down on nobody, but Caleb Plant dropped the ball on this one," said Charlo." I still want my lick back. I don't care if he got the belt [WBA interim super middleweight title] or not. We can make a belt. They can make a belt. Somebody make a belt. I want my lick back."
Plant also stated he wanted the fight and would opt for that instead of triggering a rematch clause with Resendiz.
"I'd go right to the Charlo fight, but we got a rematch clause. I'm more than willing to run it right back," said Plant.
Right now, it appears that Plant will need to take some time off. He has a baby on the way in the coming weeks and should weigh his options before committing one way or another. At 32, Plant could be on the backside of his career. Against Resendiz, his timing and reflexes looked off. Could he have been looking past Resendiz? Perhaps. The way the fight played out, it was obvious Plant was in a dogfight as early as the third round. He never did anything to turn the tide as the fight started getting away from him, and that may have less to do with desire and more about his physical ability diminishing. His two wins since being stopped by Canelo in 2021 were to a faded Anthony Dirrell and a tough but athletically limited Trevor McCumby. Resendiz was younger and simply appeared to want it more.
The outcome of Plant-Resendiz may cause Premier Boxing Champions to put a pause on Plant-Charlo and push for an immediate rematch. Charlo-Plant will need a boost before the rivalry is revisited. Plant needs to get back into the win column before he gets the opportunity to face the unbeaten Charlo. Also, Charlo could use a legitimate top-10 opponent in the super middleweight division to see exactly where he's at in this stage of his career.
Ultimately, one has to wonder if the idea of putting two fighters expected to face each other on the same card in separate tune-up fights needs to be put to rest after what happened in Times Square and Las Vegas. If the plan is for them to fight anyway, why wait?