Plant (23-3, 14 KOs) has lost three of his last five fights dating back to 2021 and will have gone a full year without fighting by May. The wins in that stretch came against an aging Anthony Dirrell and Trevor McCumby, which hasn’t done much to hold his position.
At 33, Plant is no longer spoken about as part of the top group at super middleweight in the way he once was, and the momentum that carried him into the Canelo fight has thinned out.
If the goal is to keep Sheeraz’s momentum rolling toward a massive payday, like the Canelo or Crawford fights Turki Alalshikh has been teasing for late 2026, Plant is the ultimate “safe” name.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) is moving in the opposite direction. The stoppage of Edgar Berlanga pushed him into the title picture at 168, and he’s now been ordered to face Alem Begic for the vacant WBO belt, with his name sitting near the top of the rankings. The focus, at least publicly, is on that title path rather than voluntary fights.
The reality is that Plant has become a bit of a “name-brand gatekeeper.” He has enough pedigree to make a victory look impressive on paper, but his actual win-loss record against top-tier talent is thin. His stock took a massive hit in May 2025 when he lost a split decision to Armando Resendiz, a fight that was widely considered a significant upset.
Plant brings name value and past championship pedigree, but without the same level of threat as some of the division’s more consistent performers. Fighters like Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias, and Lester Martinez represent a harder night, built on steady output and pressure that Sheeraz hasn’t yet had to deal with over a full fight.
Just like the Berlanga fight, Plant offers a high-profile target with a style that Sheeraz is physically equipped to dismantle. Sheeraz proved he can handle what many fans saw as a “hype job” by walking through Berlanga in five rounds; Plant offers more technical skill but significantly less durability at this stage.
“I think he’s a good fighter,” Plant said of Sheeraz. “I think he hits hard, I think he’s got a lot of heart, but I’ve seen some things in his game that I can capitalize off of.”
There are other routes Sheeraz could take. A second fight with Carlos Adames would carry its own appeal after the reaction to their first meeting in Riyadh, where many felt the result should have been a win for Adames.
After the Adames draw, Sheeraz’s team is likely looking for an opponent who is technically sound enough to look “dangerous” but physically fading enough to ensure a stoppage.
With Diego Pacheco recently withdrawing from the ordered WBO title fight against Sheeraz to focus on a new trainer, the path is wide open for a “big name” voluntary. Plant fits the Riyadh Season model perfectly: a recognizable American face who can be marketed as a “former world champion” to help build Sheeraz’s brand in the U.S.
Looking at Plant’s recent form, it’s hard to see him as anything more than a strategic stepping stone for Hamzah. He hasn’t had a truly dominant win against an elite, prime opponent in years, and at 33, his best days are clearly in the rearview.
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