Next Caleb Plant fight on same card as Jermall Charlo in May
Caleb Plant is reportedly set to return to the ring in May, keeping one eye on a highly anticipated showdown against former middleweight champion Jermall Charlo.
Plant (23-2) will face Jose Armando Resendiz (15-2) in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card from Las Vegas on May 31, The Ring's Mike Coppinger reported on Tuesday. The co-feature will see Charlo (33-0) fight Thomas LaManna (39-5-1), with the aim being to match Plant and Charlo against each other if both prevail in May, per the report.
Plant, a former super middleweight champion and Ashland City native, last fought in September on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga when he picked up a ninth-round stoppage against the previously unbeaten Trevor McCumby.
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It was Plant's first fight in 18 months following a decision defeat to David Benavidez. With the win he claimed the interim WBA super middleweight title, taking a step closer to his goal of becoming a two-time world champion.
Plant and Charlo have been linked to a fight ever since an incident backstage during Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence fight week in 2023, where Plant slapped Charlo after he touched the Tennessee native's beard while exchanging words.
"Obviously, that's something I want," Plant told The Tennessean last year, in regard to facing Charlo. "That's something I want to do and I think it'd be a big fight for boxing. Obviously, anyone who follows boxing is asking for that fight, for good reason ..."
Charlo has fought just once since 2021 and will end an 18-month layoff when he faces LaManna. He last fought in November 2023, earning a convincing unanimous decision victory over Jose Benavidez Jr., after missing weight by over three pounds.
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LaManna enters the bout on a nine-fight win streak since being knocked out by current middleweight champion Erislandy Lara.
Plant's opponent Resendiz has already picked up a knockout win this year against a non-descript opponent in his native Mexico. That fight ended a 17-month layoff for Resendiz after he was stopped in the eighth round by Phoenix native Elijah Garcia in 2023.
The event will be a non-PPV broadcast on Prime Video, per The Ring's report, with further details on the undercard to come.
Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Caleb Plant's next fight on Jermall Charlo card in May | Report
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