Tag: Vincent Feigenbutz

Good, bad, worse: Ryan Garcia has our attention

Ryan Garcia still has a lot to prove but first-round knockouts — like the one he turned in Saturday — generate excitement.

GOOD

Ryan Garcia’s one-punch knockout of Francisco Fonseca only 1 minute, 20 seconds into their lightweight fight Friday doesn’t prove much because Fonseca is nothing special.

The excitement Garcia created with his second consecutive first-round stoppage is genuine, though. He’s blossoming into a potential star. That’s what happens when your results in the ring start to catch up to the hype.

Indeed, almost any fighter would love to be in Garcia’s position.

Of course, he still has a long way to go. Only 21, he still hasn’t faced a legitimate threat. Only a true test can give us an idea of how good Garcia truly is and can be.

It could come soon. Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia’s promoter, is eyeing a matchup between Garcia and former three-division titleholder Jorge Linares in July. If Garcia can win that fight – a big if, in my opinion – he will have made a strong statement.

I wonder whether Garcia’s handlers would live to regret the decision to fight the gifted Linares, who demonstrated in his fourth-round knockout of Carlos Morales on the Garcia-Fonseca card that he has more to give, but I would applaud the bold move.

Garcia, bubbling with confidence, definitely thinks big. He reeled off immediately after his stoppage of Fonseca a gauntlet of opponents he’d like to face in the near future – Linares, Luke Campbell, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney.

That’s quite a gauntlet he’s laid out for himself. We’ll see how many of them – if any – he fights and how he performs once he does.

In the meantime, Garcia has our attention. That’s more than all but a few professional boxers can say.

 

BAD

Referee Jack Reiss watches closely as a wild ending to the Abel Ramos-Bryant Perrella fight unfolds. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

The last-second stoppage of the Abel Ramos-Bryant Perrella fight on the Caleb Plant-Vincent Feigenbutz card Saturday in Nashville might’ve seemed cruel to Perrella, who was winning on all cards when he lost in an instant.

The fact is referee Jack Reiss was following the rules.

According to the Unified Rules of Boxing, under which that bout was fought, “A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round, including the final round.” That means, if I understand it correctly, an injured boxer must be in condition to fight even if the three minutes of the last round has expired.

Reiss judged that Perrella, who had gone down twice in the final seconds, was in no condition to continue and waved off the fight.

The frustration expressed by Perrella’s cornerman Michael Nowling in the ring immediately after the stoppage was understandable: “We won every round and they took it from us with 1 second left.”

The rules took it from Perrella, not “they.” And not Reiss. The referee, as trainer and TV analyst Joe Goossen said, isn’t a timekeeper. His job is to look after the welfare of the combatants in the ring with him and follow the rules.

That’s what Reiss did. Good stoppage.

 

WORSE

Vincent Feigenbutz (left) didn’t have the tools to compete with Caleb Plant on Saturday night. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

It seems to me that sanctioning bodies are supposed to have a champion and then rank the next 10 best contenders in each division.

The reality? The alphabet organizations rank their contenders based less on merit than on how much money they can make. The result of that is a matchup like Caleb Plant vs. Vincent Feigenbutz for Plant’s IBF super middleweight title.

Feigenbutz, ranked No. 1 by the IBF, is a strong, sturdy young man but he had no business in the ring with a fighter of Plant’s ability. The fact he was the mandatory challenger is yet another red flag that the system is a mess.

Plant’s title defense, which ended by 10th-round knockout, couldn’t even be described as a competitive fight. Feigenbutz, an eight-year pro, has rudimentary skills and courage but not the tools to give the titleholder a legitimate challenge. Aren’t title fights supposed to be competitive at least on paper?

Anyone watching that fight who didn’t feel sorry for the German in the latter rounds has no heart. And anyone not disgusted with the IBF has no sense.

Sadly, there is no solution is sight. Some sort of oversight body – ideally an international one – might help but that isn’t going to happen any time soon. I personally try to minimize the sanctioning bodies by mentioning them infrequently but that’s only a small gesture.

We’re stuck with the murky alphabet soup and mismatches like Plant-Feigenbutz. I just hope fans can see through their self-serving game.

Read more:

Ryan Garcia needs only 1:20 to knock out Francisco Fonseca

Abel Ramos shocks Bryant Perrella with controversial 10th-round stoppage

Caleb Plant stops Vincent Feigenbutz in 10th round of hometown debut

 

Season 3 of WBSS to start in ‘September, October’

The World Boxing Super Series will return for a third season later this fall, according to WBSS organizer Nisse Sauerland.

The third season of the World Boxing Super Series has a working date, but the weight classes are still up in the air.

Nisse Sauerland, who runs the WBSS with his brother Kalle, told FightHubTV at the Caleb Plant-Vincent Feigenbutz post-fight press conference in Nashville that he expects the next installment of the tournament will begin in the last quarter of the year.

“We’re gearing up for season three, which will start September, October time,” Sauerland said.

The season two cruiserweight finals between Yunier Dorticos and Mairis Briedis has been set for March 21 in Riga, Latvia.

Sauerland, however, wouldn’t tip his hand as to which weight classes they would be concentrating on for their next installment. 

“Me and my brother have sort of given up calling weights,” Sauerland said. “Because whenever (somebody says), ‘ah, that would be a great weight, middleweights,’ then suddenly loads of things happens and it just doesn’t become possible. It’s just like a dream that doesn’t come true.We’ll start calling that closer to the time. Boxing can change very quickly.”

Sauerland says he expects to finalize which weight classes will be featured in the next season by “May, June time.”

As for the weight classes that he’s most personally keen on, Sauerland cited a few.

“Lightweights would be great. There’s a lot of weight classes I like at the moment,” he said. “Middleweight, super middles again. Lots of interesting weights out there.” 

Since its inception in 2017, the WBSS has been heavily lauded for finding a way to get the best fighters to face each other in an otherwise fragmented sport beleaguered by internal politics. Cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk and super middleweight Callum Smith were anointed as the winners of the first season. Last year, the WBSS crowned Josh Taylor and Naoya Inoue as (partially) unified titleholders in the junior welterweight and bantamweight tournaments, respectively.

Ramos-Perrella ref Jack Reiss: Timing of stoppage not valid criticism

Referee Jack Reiss said he couldn’t win either way when he stopped the Abel Ramos-Bryant Perrella fight with one second remaining.

Referee Jack Reiss was already on the hot seat for what some believe was a long count in the first Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury fight. The temperature was turned up another notch on Saturday.

Reiss worked the welterweight fight between Abel Ramos and Bryant Perrella on the Caleb Plant-Vincent Feigenbutz card in Nashville. Perrella was leading on the cards when he went down twice in the final moments of the scheduled 10-round fight and didn’t respond well to commands, prompting Reiss to stop the fight.

There was only one second remaining.

The result immediately brought back memories of the first Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor fight, which was stopped by Richard Steele with 2 seconds left in a fight Taylor was winning. It also made Reiss the centerpiece in another controversy.

Perrella, hoping to become a 147-pound contender, was ahead comfortably on all three cards when he went down from an uppercut with about 35 seconds left in the fight and then got up shaky legs. He went down again in the final seconds. Again, he got up, but this time Reiss didn’t like what he saw and waved off the fight.

Perrella seemed to accept his fate. His trainer, Michael Nowling, was angry.

“We won every round and they took it from us with 1 second left,” he said moments after the fight ended.

Here’s what Reiss saw at the end:

“Perrella seems to be winning the entire fight. He got caught really good in the 10th round. When he got up, I would say he was only at about 60 percent. He didn’t walk well, he wasn’t stable. I wanted to give him every opportunity so I let it go and watched how he responded.

“I want a fighter to run or hold. The worse thing they can do is stand there and fight back. That’s instinctual. When they run or hold, it’s thoughtful. The second shot was even more devastating. I said, “Walk over there and come back. He couldn’t control his body. He walked straight across the ring and stumbled. That told me he was not able to defend himself.

“Forget the clock. The clock had nothing to do with it. There are no rules in the book that say, ‘If the end of the fight in near, you should stall and let it continue.’”

Of course, the clock is what everyone is focused on. Had Perrella been allowed to continue for just one more tick of the clock, he would’ve been victorious. That’s why some have been critical of Reiss.

The veteran referee, one of the most respected officials in the business, said he ended up in a no-win situation.

“That’s boxing,” he said. “I didn’t knock him down. I’m not the one who let my guard down in the 10th round. I’m the one who had to deal with it. If I stalled and let it go, I would have been crucified the other way. I would’ve robbed Ramos of the TKO he deserved. Everyone would’ve said I’m a cheater. ‘Why didn’t you wave it off?’ I was between a rock and a hard place.

“I’m not happy about the way it was stopped but the only issue is the clock. And that’s not a valid argument.”

Caleb Plant will continue to push for a showdown with David Benavidez

Caleb Plant said he wants to unify the 168-pound titles, which is why he called out David Benavidez after his title defense Saturday.

Editor’s note: This story was originally posted on Tennessean.com.

***

Moments after successfully defending his super middleweight title for the second time, Nashville’s Caleb Plant made it clear Saturday who he wants to fight next: undefeated David Benavidez, who also holds a 168-pound belt.

The 27-year-old Plant (20-0, 12 KOs) retained his title by a 10th-round technical knockout against mandatory challenger Vincent Feigenbutz (31-3, 28 KOs) of Germany at Bridgestone Arena.

Plant has made it clear his goal is to unify the title, which is why he called out Benavidez (22-0, 19 KOs). In fact, Plant said he first let Benavidez know he wanted a fight when Benavidez won the title two years ago from Monday.

Caleb Plant (left) has his eye on title unification after stopping Vincent Feigenbutz on Saturday in Nashville. Brett Carlsen / Getty Images

“I want to unify, I want that fight with David Benavidez,” Plant said. “When he won that world title against Ronald Gavril (Feb. 17, 2018) I was standing at the bottom of the stairs. Before he could even get to the bottom of the stairs, I was standing there asking him, ‘When are we going to make this happen?’

“I don’t see too many other fighters standing at the bottom of the stairs right after somebody wins saying, ‘Hey, when are we going to get it cracking?'”

Benavidez has a mandatory defense coming up in the spring against Avni Yildirim. Plant said he hopes to fight at least once more this year.

Plant realizes it may be too soon for a fight to come together with Benavidez but said he will continue to push for it.

“I’ve been wanting that, I’ve been pushing for that,” he said. “I know we’re both young in our career. I know they’re trying to build us up and turn that into a bigger fight, but I’m a fighter. There ain’t no sense in waiting.”

Benavidez responded to Plant on Instagram after Plant’s win Saturday and seemed to be just as eager to fight.

“Let’s get this done don’t want to keep the fans waiting,” Benavidez posted.

Benavidez’s last fight was on Sept. 28, when he knocked out Anthony Dirrell in the ninth round in Los Angeles. Benavidez regained his title in that fight. He had been stripped of it after testing positive for cocaine in 2018.

Read more:

Caleb Plant stops Vincent Feigenbutz in 10th round of hometown debut

Caleb Plant stops Vincent Feigenbutz in 10th-round of hometown debut

Caleb Plant made short work of Vincent Feigenbtuz stopping the German – in style – in front of his hometown crowd of Nashville.

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.”

Abel Ramos shocks Bryant Perrella with controversial 10th-round stoppage

On the Caleb Plant-Vincen Feigenbutz undercard, Abel Ramos authored a stunning knockout of Bryant Perrella after trailing early.

Once again, boxing lives up to its reputation as the so-called Theater of the Unexpected.

It looked like welterweight Bryant Perrella was well on his way to a relatively breezy 10-round decision on the Caleb Plant-Vincent Feigenbutz card at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. But with 20-odd seconds left in the final round, Abel Ramos, a virtual punching bag for most of the fight, landed a booming uppercut that decked Perrella. Perrella went down again from a right hand. In a pivotal sequence, referee Jack Reiss asked Perrella to walk to his left, saw that he stumbled, and decided to wave off the bout. Ramos howled in joy. There was one second left in the round.

The stoppage brought to mind the controversial ending to the 1990 junior welterweight title bout between Meldrick Taylor and Julio Cesar Chavez, in which Taylor had largely outboxed Chavez, before succumbing to a knockdown in the final round. With a few seconds left, referee Richard Steele made the fateful decision to stop the bout.

Both Perrella and Ramos were cognizant of this piece of boxing history.

“I saw the Julius Ceasr Chavez-Meldrick Taylor fight over and over again, but I never thought I would be in a similar fight,” Ramos said.

“That was like Meldrick Taylor and Chavez,” Perrella said.

The southpaw Perrella (17-3, 14 KOs)boxed intelligently off the backfoot, pumping his jab and mixing in left hands to the body and head. For his part, Ramos (26-3-2, 20 KOs) tried to wade in and make it a brawl on the inside, but had little luck connecting on consequential shots. Instead, it was Perrella who not only threw more punches, but he landed the harder shots as well.

In Round 4, Perrella momentarily rocked Ramos with a hard straight left. He also noticeably hurt Ramos in Round 9 with a body shot.

Perrella had a decent Round 5, but it turned out to be an anomaly. Perrella quickly got back on track, picking apart Ramos with uppercuts and hooks, while continually circling to his right.

It appeared to be Perrella’s bout to lose, until Ramos stormed back in the final twenty seconds of Round 10, scoring two knockdowns and the eventual stoppage.

The official time of stoppage was 2-59 of Round 10.

Asked if he thought Reiss was wrong to wave off the bout, Perrella took the high road, saying “I don’t know, I don’t want to take anything away from my opponent. I was rocked.”

Perrella’s trainer was less cordial, and perhaps, rightfully so.

“Why would you stop the fight with one second left?” he said.

A rematch, one figures, should be in order.

Also on the undercard, the night was set for Nashville native Austin Dulay to impress the hometown crowd, but Diego Magdaleno made sure to play spoiler. After a slow start the veteran Magdaleno took control, outworking the younger Dulay with a dedicated attack to the body en route to a 10-round unanimous decision.

Scores were 97-91, 96-92, 96-92, all in favor of Magdaleno.

Dulay (13-2, 10 KOs) came out sharp, tagging the slower Magdaleno with jabs and straight lefts. But the tide began to turn in Round 3, as Magdaleno (32-3, 13 KOs) began to settle down and land combinations, especially to the body. Some punches strayed low, one of which resulted in a point deduction in Round 7. But it was Magdaleno’s round anyway, as he came back to drop Magdaleno, this time with a clean shot to the body.

 

Caleb Plant promises knockout victory in homecoming fight

Super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant promised to stop Vincent Feigenbutz in his homecoming fight Saturday in Nashville.

Editor’s  note: This story originally appeared on Tennessean.com.

***

Caleb Plant will fight for the first time as a professional in Tennessee on Feb. 15 when he defends his IBF super middleweight world title against Vincent Feigenbutz of Germany.

The Premier Boxing Champions bout on Fox will be broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Plant, 27, who is from Ashland City held a news conference at the arena Wednesday and talked about how important it is for him not to suffer his first defeat in his home state.

He also promised a knockout win.

Vincent Feigenbutz (right) will be fighting in the U.S. for the first time when he faces super middleweight champ Caleb Plant on Saturday in Nashville. AP Photo / Mark Humphrey

“It’s great to be back in my hometown and my home city,” said Plant, who is 19-0 with 11 knockouts. “I’m even more excited to be bringing home a world title and to defend it at Bridgestone Arena. It’s been a dream of mine since as long as I could remember. Since I was a little kid.”

Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Plant winning the IBF 168-pound title in a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui in Los Angeles.

Plant defended his title in July in Las Vegas with a third-round technical knockout of previously unbeaten Mike Lee.

The nearest to Nashville that Plant ever has fought as a pro was in Birmingham, Alabama.

“I’m working harder than ever to make sure that I have my hand raised on February 15,” he said. “I’m looking to do it in spectacular fashion, before the 12th round. This fight is going to end in a knockout on my behalf. I want everyone who’s going to be in the building and tuned in to know that this world title is staying right here in Tennessee.”

Feigenbutz, 24, is 31-2 with 28 knockouts and will be fighting for the first time in the United States. He has won 10 consecutive fights after losing an 11th-round technical knockout to Giovanni De Carolis in the 2015 world title bout.

“I’ve heard Feigenbutz is strong and physical and he thinks he’s going to come in and knock me out,” Plant said. “Mike Lee thought he was going to knock me out, and Jose Uzcategui said he was going to knock me out, but how’d that go for them? At the end of the day, boxing is hit and do not get hit. I have plenty of skills to spare. I’m not playing with this guy.

Caleb Plant vs. Vincent Feigenbutz: 5 things to know

Caleb Plant defends his super middleweight title against Vincent Feigenbutz on Saturday in Nashville.

Editor’s  note: This story originally appeared on Tennessean.com.

***

Nashville native Caleb “Sweethands” Plant will realize a childhood dream Saturday when he defends his super middleweight title against mandatory challenger Vincent Feigenbutz from Germany.

The bout will be Fox’s PBC Fight Night main event from Bridgestone Arena.

“‘I’ve worked very hard for this moment for many years,” said Plant, 27, (19-0, 11 knockouts). “There was a point in time when there were no cameras in front of me. There were no cheers. It was just me and my little team that’s grown into a big team working in the dark. Now I’m on the big stage and we’re prepared.”

Here are five things to know about the event:

Plant’s long-term goal

Plant, who now lives in Las Vegas, has often said becoming a super middleweight champ was a goal but not the goal. He defeated Jose Uzcategui on Jan. 13, 2019, and successfully defended by stopping Mike Lee in July.

The goal, Plant said, is to become the first undisputed super middleweight champ.

“There’s four world titles in each weight class, so to be undisputed that means you have to hold all four at the same time,” Plant said. “There’s never been a super middleweight to do that so I want to be the first. I want to be pound-for-pound, I want to be a legend. I want to be immortal in this sport; a name that never fades.

Predicting a knockout

It will be Plant’s first professional fight in Tennessee and the first in the U.S. for the 24-year-old Feigenbutz (31-2, 28 KOs).

Plant said he would knock out Feigenbutz when the fight was set in January and on Wednesday said he is sticking to that prediction.

“(Feigenbutz) can wave the white flag or I can wave it for him,” Plant said. “I know he’s got a lot of fights, got a lot of knockouts, and I know he’s coming to spoil my plans. But he’ll fall short.”

Plant said he is excited to be back in Nashville and fighting in front of his home crowd, but he is treating the fight the same as any other.

For instance, he is staying in a hotel downtown instead of at his parents’ home.

“It’s just going to be another day at work,” he said.

Recalling his roots

Plant graduated from Sycamore High in 2010. He was on the school’s wrestling team as a sophomore.

Plant also played youth football until he reached junior high.

But at the age of 9 Plant decided he wanted to be a boxer. He started training in kickboxing when he was 12 and boxing at 13.

After winning his title last year Plant was invited back to Sycamore for a homecoming celebration.

Plant said he has not had time since arriving in Nashville for Saturday’s fight to make it back to Ashland City for a visit.

Challenger turned pro early

Feigenbutz does have a lot of bouts and knockouts for a young fighter because he turned pro early. He was only 16 when he won his first fight in 2011.

Feigenbutz has won his last 10 bouts, including eight by knockout.

“I was only 20 years old when I last lost,” Feigenbutz said. “I’m a man now, and I’m much more experienced and have everything I’ll need to beat Caleb Plant.”

Feigenbutz realizes he is going up against the hometown favorite but said he has felt welcomed in the Music City.

“We’re all very excited to be here in Nashville,” Feigenbutz said. “My whole family loves Johnny Cash and all the music here. The people are very nice, and I’m looking forward to winning a world title here.”

13 KOs) from Las Vegas in a lightweight bout.

► More: How to watch Caleb Plant’s IBF Super Middleweight title defense vs. Vincent Feigenbutz

► More: Caleb Plant promises knockout win at Bridgestone Arena in homecoming fight

► More: Boxing champion Caleb Plant hosts turkey drive in hometown Ashland City

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter at @MikeOrganWriter. 

Caleb Plant promises knockout in homecoming fight

Super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant promised to stop Vincent Feigenbutz in his first fight in his hometown of Nashville.

Caleb Plant will fight for the first time as a professional in Tennessee on Feb. 15, when he will defend his super middleweight title against Vincent Feigenbutz of Germany.

The Premier Boxing Champions bout on Fox will be broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Plant, 27, who is from Ashland City, held a news conference at the arena Wednesday and talked about how important it is for him not to suffer his first defeat in his home state.

He also promised a knockout win.

“It’s great to be back in my hometown and my home city,” said Plant (19-0, 11 KOs). “I’m even more excited to be bringing home a world title and to defend it at Bridgestone Arena. It’s been a dream of mine since as long as I could remember. Since I was a little kid.”

A large crowd attended a news conference Wednesday in Nashville to welcome home Caleb Plant, who fights there for the first time on Feb. 15. Photo courtesy of Nashville Tennessean

Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Plant winning the IBF 168-pound title in a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui in Los Angeles.

Plant defended his title in July in Las Vegas with a third-round technical knockout of previously unbeaten Mike Lee.

The nearest to Nashville that Plant ever has fought as a pro was in Birmingham, Alabama.

“I’m working harder than ever to make sure that I have my hand raised on February 15,” he said. “I’m looking to do it in spectacular fashion, before the 12th round. This fight is going to end in a knockout on my behalf. I want everyone who’s going to be in the building and tuned in to know that this world title is staying right here in Tennessee.”

Feigenbutz (31-2, 28 KOs) will be fighting for the first time in the United States. He has won 10 consecutive fights after losing an 11th-round technical knockout to Giovanni De Carolis in the 2015 world title bout.

“I’ve heard Feigenbutz is strong and physical and he thinks he’s going to come in and knock me out,” Plant said. “Mike Lee thought he was going to knock me out, and Jose Uzcategui said he was going to knock me out, but how’d that go for them? At the end of the day, boxing is hit and do not get hit. I have plenty of skills to spare. I’m not playing with this guy.

Caleb Plant latest example of exploiting hometown fan base

Caleb Plant will defend his super middleweight title against Vincent Feigenbutz on Feb. 15 in Nashville, Plant’s hometown.

Caleb Plant’s next title defense certainly doesn’t whet the appetite. The super middleweight titleholder is set to take on unheralded German Vincent Feigenbutz on Feb. 15, it was announced last week.

Feigenbutz? Rumor is that he and Tom Schwartz have the same Bavarian agent.

To compound matters, Plant is coming off what was already an underwhelming matchup in his last bout, on July 20, a breezy win over “Subway” Mike Lee that ended swiftly in the third round. A talented southpaw in his prime who otherwise had a breakout year by wresting a piece of the super middleweight crown from Jose Uzcategui in January, Plant, it seems, has been put on the slow track for his title reign.

Yet by deciding to stage Plant’s next fight at the Bridgestone Arena in his hometown of Nashville, it’s clear what strategy his handlers have in mind for their top fighters.

“I’m very excited to bring my world title home to Nashville in my second title defense,” Plant said in a release by Premier Boxing Champions. “It’ll be in front of all of my family and friends, and I plan to put on a spectacular performance. Vincent Feigenbutz is a very tough, rugged European fighter. He’s got a big knockout ratio, but this is my backyard, and I will not let any man come in here and rain on my parade.

“On February 15, I’m representing my hometown and my home city with pride. I believe this will be the first of many fights that we hold at The Bridgestone in Nashville. This fight isn’t going 12 rounds. Nashville, stand up!”

When was the last time a title fight took place in Nashville? Exactly.

Plant may not get the hearts of fight aficionados racing by facing an unknown German, but that likely won’t matter to his hometown supporters. Indeed, the fight is the latest example of a new box office market in boxing, the local market. In recent years, fighters like Jose Ramirez and Terence Crawford have drawn upwards of 12,000 fans in their hometowns of Fresno, California and Omaha, Nebraska, respectively. The PBC showcased Jermall Charlo in his native Houston and gave rising lightweight Gervonta “Davis a considerable homecoming in Baltimore. Indeed, this past Saturday, more than 14,000 spectators showed up in Atlanta to see Davis score a 12th-round stoppage against Yuriorkis Gamboa. In the spring, Dallas native Errol Spence drew 47,000 people to see him fight Mikey Garcia in a pay-per-view show in nearby Arlington.

Plant-Feigenbutz could have taken place at one of the totemic casinos in Las Vegas, where Plant lives and trains, and no one would have batted an eye. If boxing wants to grows, it needs to move away from money streams that have both sustained and marginalized it over the past few decades.

Plant-Feigenbutz could be another step in something special. Let’s just hope next time Plant goes to Nashville, it’s against a live body.