Nashville has a new act in town.
In a rousing hometown debut at the Bridgestone Arena, super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant ran roughshod over unknown German Vincent Feigenbutz, peppering his hapless foe all night with a barrage of creative combinations en route to a dominant 10th-round stoppage.
Referee Malik Waleed waved the bout off at the 2:23 mark.
A mismatch through and through, the fight, scheduled for 12 rounds, nevertheless attracted a strong turnout in a city not known for its boxing. If Saturday night was any indication, that could soon change. This was Plant’s second straight successful title defense after winning the IBF belt in a points win over Jose Uzcategui in 2019.
“I could have gone all night,” Plant said. “I felt great. I was relaxed, sharp. I told you I was going to stop this fight before the 12th round.”
Working behind an educated left hand, Plant (20-0, 12 KOs), who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, picked apart Feigenbutz (31-3, 28 KOs) with surgical precision, at times landing four-to-eight unanswered punches. And they were a beauty in their variety: uppercuts, hooks, straight rights and hard lefts to the body. It was a masterclass from a fighter who was largely obscure a couple of years ago.
Feigenbutz, who did not have an amateur career, made a rare spirited effort in Round 6, rushing at Plant with a barrage of punches, few of which landed. At the end of the salvo, Plant shook his head and blew a kiss, much to the crowd’s delight. That pretty much summed up the night. One could say Feigenbutz flashed something of an iron chin in withstanding the punishment, but he showed little else.
The fight slowed down briefly in the second half, but Plant picked up the pace in Round 9, bamboozling Feigenbutz with a long combination to start the round. The finishing touches came in Round 10, when Plant showered Feigenbutz with yet another series of unanswered punches, prompting referee Waleed to stop the bout.
Postfight, Plant made it clear he has his eyes set on facing fellow titleholder David Benavidez next.
“Everybody knows I want that unification bout with David Benavidez,” Plant said. “Everybody knows who the best 168-pounder is. If you want it, you have to come see me. I’ve been asking for his fight forever, I’m tired of waiting.”