Plant (23-3, 14 KOs) has lost three of his last five fights dating back to 2021 and may have gone a full 12 months without fighting by May. The wins in that stretch got here against an aging Anthony Dirrell and Trevor McCumby, which hasn’t done much to carry his position.
At 33, Plant is not any longer spoken about as a part of the highest group at super middleweight in the way in which he once was, and the momentum that carried him into the Canelo fight has thinned out.
If the goal is to maintain Sheeraz’s momentum rolling toward a large payday, just like the Canelo or Crawford fights Turki Alalshikh has been teasing for late 2026, Plant is the last word “protected” name.
Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) is moving in the other way. 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, along with his name sitting near the highest of the rankings. The main focus, at the very least publicly, is on that title path quite than voluntary fights.
The fact is that Plant has turn into a little 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 large hit in May 2025 when he lost a split decision to Armando Resendiz, a fight that was widely considered a big upset.
Plant brings name value and past championship pedigree, but without the identical level of threat as a few of the division’s more consistent performers. Fighters like Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias, and Lester Martinez represent a harder night, built on regular output and pressure that Sheeraz hasn’t yet needed to cope with over a full fight.
Similar to the Berlanga fight, Plant offers a high-profile goal with a mode 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 feel he’s fighter,” Plant said of Sheeraz. “I feel he hits hard, I feel he’s got lots 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 response to their first meeting in Riyadh, where many felt the result must have been a win for Adames.
After the Adames draw, Sheeraz’s team is probably going in search of an opponent who’s technically sound enough to look “dangerous” but physically fading enough to make sure a stoppage.
With Diego Pacheco recently withdrawing from the ordered WBO title fight against Sheeraz to concentrate on a brand new trainer, the trail is wide open for a “big name” voluntary. Plant suits the Riyadh Season model perfectly: a recognizable American face who will be marketed as a “former world champion” to assist construct Sheeraz’s brand within the U.S.
Plant’s recent form, it’s hard to see him as anything greater than a strategic stepping stone for Hamzah. He hasn’t had a very dominant win against an elite, prime opponent in years, and at 33, his best days are clearly within the rearview.