The WBA has acknowledged the upcoming super middleweight contest between Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby as a title bout after confirming the interim WBA 160 lbs title will be made available for their fight. The two are scheduled to fight on the undercard of the September 14th Alvarez-Berlanga event, set to be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mixed feelings surround the fact the interim WBA super middleweight (168 lbs) will be able to be won by either Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KO’s) or Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KO’s), as the sanctioning body thus far has been flagrantly inconsistent in handing opportunities to beltholders other than a division’s world champion.

The case of Venezuelan fighter Ismael Barroso (25-5-2, 23 KO’s) is perhaps the best-known example of the WBA’s inconsistency or arguable bias, with Barroso having been forced to watch at least two lightweight (135 lbs) contenders in Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KO’s) and Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KO’s) receive an opportunity to challenge for the WBA super lightweight (140 lbs) title before himself―despite the interim title he possessed.

At super middleweight, the WBA has also deprived other beltholders of opportunities to face the holder of the WBA world title, Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO’s), having conveniently neglected to order a match between WBA “regular” champion David Morrell (11-0, 9 KO’s) and Alvarez throughout his undisputed reign from 2021 to 2024.

Following Morrell’s move up to light-heavyweight (175 lbs) in August, the Cuban has decided to remain there after winning the WBA “regular” light-heavyweight title, underscoring the harsh reality of WBA’s non-world champions given the lack of opportunities they face. Since Morrell’s departure, the WBA world title still remains in Alvarez’ grasp but without the “regular” or “super” title distinctions.

The winner of Plant-McCumby will relish at having a crack at any of Canelo Alvarez’ remaining three world titles nonetheless, but will have to be cautious of what being an interim champion means going forward given the WBA’s past.

Notably, the WBA also has not indicated whether the upcoming bout between Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby will be a “final eliminator” bout¹, meaning the mandatory challenger position will not be available to be earned.

That, in itself, already puts doubt into the exact reasoning by the WBA to make the interim 168 lbs title available, with motives not necessarily indicating the winner will actually get an opportunity to face the winner between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KO’s). Very likely, the availability of the interim title is just one manner for the WBA to connect its name to high-profile contests―as Alvarez’ fights tend to be.

1. Bouts held between two top-ranked contenders to determine the mandatory challenger of a division pertaining to a specific sanctioning body. ↩︎