By Norm Frauenheim
It wouldn’t exactly be a rematch. Let’s just call it a sequel, Slap 2.
It’s been all but inevitable ever since Caleb Plant slapped Jermall Charlo nearly three years ago in perhaps the biggest slap since Will Smith delivered an open-handed right to Chris Rock’s face at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Neither Smith nor Rock got an Oscar for that one. There was just an apology from Smith and a ready supply of punch lines for Rock’s stand-up rivals. They called it Slapgate, The Slappening and The Slap Heard Round The World. Social-media went slap-happy. Yet, there was no sequel.
But this is boxing where one good slap always sets the stage for another. That’s exactly what a card featuring Plant against Armando Resendiz in the main event and Charlo against Thomas LaManna Saturday in Las Vegas is all about. It’s supposed to be the sequel for later in the year.
Plant confirmed as much Thursday at a final news conference and throughout the days before first bell at Mandalay Bay on a card streamed live by Amazon Prime.
“I’m going to fight two times this year,’’ said Plant, a former International Boxing Federation super-middleweight champion who will be fighting for the second time since his dramatic scorecard loss to Phoenix-born David Benavidez in 2023, also in Vegas.
When asked if Charlo was the planned opponent for the second fight, Plant said:
“Yes, as long as he takes care of business.’’
On a card with both Plant and Charlo heavily favored, Charlo is the key question. Nobody knows what to make of the former middleweight champion, who last fought an undersized Jose Benavidez Jr. — David’s older brother. Charlo won easily, but only after failing to make weight in November 2023. Charlo came in several pounds heavier than the limit. Sources told 15 Rounds/The Boxing Hour that Charlo paid Benavidez $75,000 for every pound he was over 160.
Charlo, one of boxing’s most prominent prospects a decade ago, has had issues outside of the ring, all of which have fans and pundits wondering about his readiness for an always-prepared Plant. Throughout much of Thursday’s live stream of the newser, both Plant and Charlo appeared to be respectful. There were a few glares. There might have been a couple of words. But not a single slap.
The slap that ignited the rivalry happened after the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence weigh-in July 28, 2023, the day before Crawford’s defining welterweight victory at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Plant and Charlo ran into each other in a nearby parking lot. They began to exchange insults. Then, Charlo, Plant said, began pulling on Plant’s beard amid an escalating torrent of obscene insults. That’s when Plant countered, delivering the slap that has generated most of the questions this week.
Those questions are no surprise, at least not for Plant, who addressed them to reporters after the formal portions of the newser.
“I’ve been prepared,’’ said Plant, who returns to the ring more popular than ever after a solid stoppage of Phoenix super-middleweight Trevor McCumby last September on a card featuring Canelo Alvarez’ victory over Edgar Berlanga. “I knew this would happen. I’m on my mark, completely focused on my next opponent. But I also knew that everybody would be asking questions.’’
Charlo knew they were coming, too. Thursday, he mocked LeManna, who was quick to counter with some of his own pointed mockery. LaManna, Charlo said Thursday, was only there because he put him there. Charlo promised to knock him out if he made a mistake or got too close. Other than that, Charlo dismissed LaManna as only an opponent for the beginning of a comeback.
“I need to get some rounds in,’’ Charlo said. “It’s been a while, you know.’’
Charlo also confirmed Plant’s plans beyond Saturday.
“We got bigger things in the future,’’ he said.
Yes, Plant said.
“We’ve definitely got unfinished business,’’ Plant said in a tone that suggests he’s anxious to slap a finisher onto this rivalry.
