Caleb Plant’s plans for a Charlo fight wither and wilt
10 quick talking points from the weekend’s action and beyond
Looking too far ahead is a mistake that boxing’s powerbrokers continue to fall foul of. Twice in the same month, as it happens. Over the weekend we saw the fall of Plant, rise again of Charlo and Coe, plus a quality eliminator scrap. In the wider news cycle, there are trips to Japan, injured stars and PED mishaps. Let’s get stuck in.
1. Caleb Plant shocked by relentless Resendiz
When will boxing promoters learn? At the beginning of May, the best-laid plans for a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch were scuppered when Garcia lost to interim foe Rolando Romero.
On Saturday evening in Las Vegas, the PBC held two effective semi-final bouts for Jermall Charlo and Caleb Plant to both win, look good and set up a showdown later in the year.
Plant was outworked, stunned to both head and body by former sparring partner Jose Armando Resendiz and beaten by split decision (it should’ve been a UD).
It seems like Plant is on the slide. He was never the strongest down the stretch, even in his prime. Now that he’s on the wrong side of 30, those issues will not be resolved. Quite where ‘Sweethands’ goes from here is unclear. Fair play to the winner, who was cool, calm, humble and likeable throughout fight week.
2. Jermall Charlo is back, but now lacks a dance partner
With Plant out of the picture, Charlo will probably face the man who snatched his title - Armando Resendiz. Charlo has been crippled by inactivity, due to personal issues and alleged substance concerns.
While I wish him well and a speedy recovery from any ailments, I’m not sure I completely agree with interviewer Brian Campbell’s assertion that 2025 is a great year to have the Charlo brothers back. I haven’t really missed them that much at all. Maybe you think differently?
3. Bek bullies Fulghum in Las Vegas
A revitalised and resurgent Bektemir Melikuziev outlasted Darius Fulghum on Friday evening in their world title eliminator. Fulghum showed he could mix at this level but was just outworked at all the right times by the Uzbek ‘Bully’, who will be a problem for the top guys, if not favoured to beat them.
4. KO for Coe, who scores Mexican revenge
What a performance from Khalil Coe, who pushed last year’s knockout loss to Manuel Gallegos clearly in the rearview mirror. Coe started strongly and got even stronger as his beautiful jab busted the Mexican up, forced him onto the back foot and made him pay for every mistake. Gallegos was pulled by his corner before the sixth round could begin. Coe is a player once again in the light-heavyweight division - for now, at least.
5. Akhmadaliev limbers up for Inoue test with a knockout
Murodjon Akhmadaliev smashed away the last remaining barrier to a fight with Naoya Inoue, as he dealt sufficiently with Luis Castillo on the Gallegos-Coe 2 undercard. The smooth Uzbek southpaw was understandably conservative, seeking to get in and out unscathed.
Once the heavy leather landed, brave Castillo was floored twice and stopped in eight. A nice rust shedder before stepping into the lair of the Japanese ‘Monster’ in September. MJ is a former unified world champion with elite boxing skills and power. Lesser fighters have caused Inoue issues in recent fights, so Akhmadaliev represents a legitimate test.
6. Hernandez is part of the new breed of attack-minded Cubans
It’s hard to tell at this stage, but so far Yoenli Hernandez is ticking boxes. Going the 10-round distance in Las Vegas at a fierce pace was another one. Only Kyrone Davis’ experience and skill set kept him in the fight.
While Hernandez’s KO streak is over, he’ll have learned so much. The new breed of attacking Cubans, previously mentioned on this Substack, has shaken off the shackles of their supremely skilled yet entirely negative forebears and come with a license to thrill.
7. Canelo camp under scrutiny after Munguia mistake
Boxing’s seemingly endless drug scandals keep on coming. The latest potential offender to find PEDs floating mysteriously in their cereal is Jaime Munguia. VADA informed all parties that an adverse finding had turned up in his post-fight pee test after beating Bruno Surace.
Munguia now boxes under the Eddy Reynoso banner and, casting no aspersions, you’ll understand, this is fast becoming a suspect camp. Canelo has previous “tainted beef” offences under his belt, as does Oscar Valdez. The likes of Ryan Garcia and Luis Nery have also passed by Hotel Reynoso. Not a good look, is it?
8. Professional life not too tasty for Delicious Orie
After just one fight, former amateur prospect Delicious Orie decided to pack in the fight game and head to the city to make his fortune instead. Having signed with Frank Warren, he’ll have to hand the signing-on bonus back.
Having a choice between pro boxing and WWE, Orie chose to punch for pay. An underwhelming debut in April, where he “showcased” a style hardly conducive to fan-friendly excitement, has obviously persuaded him to pursue a path minus the head shots.
9. When will Anthony Joshua return to the ring?
I have to admit I’m kind of missing the lack of AJ we’ve been suffering from lately. Last seen getting bombed out in September by Daniel Dubois, the former unified heavyweight king has disappeared from view, sidelined by an elbow injury, apparently.
For all of his flaws, weird faux aphorisms and the Eddie effect, Joshua is a buzz-inducing heavyweight most of the time who brings an air of excitement to British boxing.
10. Brian Norman’s visit to Japan will be tough
Japanese fight cards on Wednesday or Thursday lunchtimes have become a welcome addition to the boxing calendar. Next up, on June 19, Brian Norman Jr travels to Tokyo to defend his WBO welterweight crown against Jin Sasaki.
This won’t be an easy task for Norman, in my estimation. While he is unlikely to get bopped back to America like Stephen Fulton was by Naoya Inoue, the Atlanta man will need to switch on early to take advantage of Sasaki’s relentless, rolling assaults and porous defence. Anything less, it could be a long, hard evening’s work.
Image Credits: Big Fight Weekend, Matchroom Promotional, BBC,
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
Contact: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com
Agree with you on AJ. The sport misses him, or at least whilst he's in limbo. Once he's retired I don't think he's the type to come back and then we can put his career in perspective.
Canelo... The GGG/Kovalev fights have always been suspect to me and because of that I can never give him the credit that he maybe deserves.