TOMORROW night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Canelo puts his three remaining 168-pound belts on the line against Edgar Berlanga. The main event features an eclectic mix of fighters ready to show they still have it.
In fact, that seems to be the main theme of the undercard: Do I still have what it takes at the top? Let’s see who PBC has brought in to keep the show going.
Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia
This fight was supposed to take place last year, but was ultimately temporarily canceled and postponed. Despite her age and diminishing mobility, Lara’s skills, timing, and punching power remain intact.
Garcia has been increasingly inactive while steadily climbing. He could still drop to 154 pounds for another run if he loses to Lara. Regardless of the outcome, Garcia could add his credibility and star power to the stagnant 160-pound weight class tomorrow night.
Danny is tough and strong, doesn’t throw many punches but has great timing and can set up large punches. But has his power carried him to such a high weight class?
What’s more, how much longer does Garcia want to devote to boxing? He’s been in the sport for a long time and has business interests outside the ring.
Meanwhile, Lara, now 41, has faced some large men in his career. There’s no shame in losing to the likes of Jarrett Hurd and Canelo, two large physical individuals who are also competitive to the extreme. With no match for them, the smaller Garcia will need to be on his toes to avoid a large loss.
Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby
This fight revolves around levels. McCumby has been playing a character all week long, trying to get under Plant’s skin. We already know how good Plant is. What level is McCumby? This could prove to be a large step up in the class. One look at his record (which looks nice at first glance) reveals that he’s never even messed around in this class before.
Plant has the ring IQ, speed and punching ability. McCumby is tough and direct. Can he replicate Benavidez’s approach for 12 rounds? If not, he could be custom-made for Plant’s skill set.
That said, Plant hasn’t been very vigorous lately. If fatherhood and business interests were taking up that much of his mind, then the pressure and physicality of McComby might bother him later. Assuming McCumby is still alive at that point.
McCumby will see Caleb as a man who has reached the top and is now sliding back down. Plant will apply his opponent’s aggression against him, baiting him into taking shots.
One of the long-standing themes of Plant’s career has been his conditioning. We saw him wilt in the second half of his fights against Uzcategui, Canelo and Benavidez, all better blockers. Despite that, he managed to clinch two of those three fights.
Getting rid of Trevor McCumby is a must if he’s going to get back in the game with the likes of Canelo and Benavidez. David Morrell has moved up to lightweight heavyweight. Christian Mbilli or Diego Pacheco could fancy a chance if Plant looks beaten here. Jermall Charlo could come out of hiding in what would be a brand-new move for the PBC matchmakers.
In his last Pro Box appearance, after a forceful start to Christopher Pearson, McCumby’s approach became plodding and predictable. Plant showed against Dirrell that his power carries. This could be competitive for a while and could end very abruptly.
Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro
This fight, the second fiddle for the Philadelphia team after Danny Garcia and Carlos Castro, will tell us a lot about Stephen Fulton, who a year after being defeated by the relentless fists of Naoya Inoue.
Once highly regarded in some circles, Castro suffered back-to-back losses to Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa, which led to Castro finishing his 2022 season to remember. Since then, he’s reeled off three straight wins, albeit against opponents well below Fulton’s level.
Or Fulton’s previous level, before the Japanese barrage. Both men have solid foundations, so it could be a chess match early on. Fulton will have four extra pounds to play with at the modern featherweight limit. Castro has decent size.
Now training under Bozy Ennis, if he can get back to his pre-Inoue level, Fulton is the favorite on points. The fight could be both mental and physical, with 10 tough rounds.
Rolando Romero vs. Manuel James
Rolly is back and ready to add his own blend of humor and complexity to the undercard. People like to watch him, mostly to see him lose or do badly. Romero hasn’t let them down lately.
Under modern trainer Ismael Salas, Rolly may finally be ready to abandon the physical, awkward style that made him famed in favor of a more cautious, punching-based style of boxing. The elbows, grappling, hooks, and wrestling suited him, and while these changes may be right in principle, the fighter loses the benefits of unpredictability.
Jaimes is a little-known fighter who digs in and uses volume to overwhelm opponents. Romero will look for openings and hurt Jaimes by rolling forward and throwing combinations.
If Romero’s strength doesn’t affect Jaimes, this could turn into a real fight. Romero struggled with the amount of punches Isaac Cruz threw at him, and Jaimes will be putting the same amount of pressure on him. The longer this goes, the more intriguing it could get.
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