One of the most-anticipated pay-per-view matchups in boxing this weekend will feature former super middleweight champion David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. This is a highly-anticipated clash of contrasting styles that will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The two have a long history of beef. Their upcoming fight is a chance to settle their grudges.
What to Expect
David Benavidez and Caleb Plant are set to go head-to-head in a super-middleweight clash that is sure to grab attention. It’s a battle that has been years in the making, and one that will likely determine who gets their shot at Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the future.
The two have been hurling insults at each other for months, and they finally have a chance to get in the ring and settle their differences in front of an audience. It’s a grudge match that could very well decide the fate of both fighters in their careers, and it looks like it’s going to be a great fight!
Plant is a talented and experienced boxer, but it’s still tough to know what to expect from him in this fight. He’s had his share of problems in the past, and while he’s been working on improving them in the lead-up to this fight, there are still areas where he needs to improve if he wants to win another big fight at the top level.
For starters, it seems like Plant is going to have to find a way to avoid getting hit in the early rounds. His footwork and head movement are still not very good, and so he’ll have to find a way to keep Benavidez from getting too close.
That said, Benavidez is also going to need to find a way to get in close quickly and consistently. If he can’t do that, then it’s hard to see how Plant can keep his opponent off balance and out of range.
If he can, though, he should be able to keep the pace slow and steady for several rounds. That should buy him enough time to regain his footing and reset if Plant is in a position to start getting close.
But that’s where the trouble lies. He’s still not good at resetting to range, and it’s a problem that will be exacerbated by the fact that Benavidez is a powerful puncher with a lot of power.
This is a problem that is only going to grow worse as he moves up in weight, because he’s not going to have the gas tank to consistently push forward at that kind of pace without getting hurt.
Benavidez’s Style
Benavidez is an intelligent, hard-working boxer with lightning-quick reflexes and a beautiful technique. He can stalk you, break you down through dazzling combinations, and stop you in your tracks.
Plant, on the other hand, is a clever fighter with a lot of experience and speed. He is not a carbon copy of Canelo Alvarez, but he will force you to navigate the space between defensive slickness and planting your feet to exchange punches.
The last time these two boxers fought, Benavidez won a grueling 12-round unanimous decision in front of a sold-out crowd in Las Vegas. The fight was a great showcase of two talented super middleweights coming together, but it was also a grudge match.
In fact, this has been an ongoing feud that dates back to when both fighters were high school amateurs. Both fighters have thrown personal barbs at each other and have even referred to one another as “fake.”
However, the long-standing grudge will be squashed Saturday night when Plant defends his interim WBC 168-lb title against the undefeated Benavidez in Las Vegas. Both fighters have the talent to win this fight, but they will have to overcome their chemistry to do so.
It will take a strong performance from Benavidez to beat Plant. He hasn’t had much of a challenge since his title loss to Canelo Alvarez, but his opponent is an extremely powerful and skilled boxer with a high knockout percentage.
Benavidez will have to be patient and try to figure out Plant’s style, which is a tricky task. He’ll need to be able to use his lead hand with effective and intelligent variety, as well as avoid Plant’s power shots, in order to keep the fight on the cards.
He will need to keep Benavidez off balance, and he needs to be able to outwork him and set up his own devastating knockout blows. If Plant can keep Benavidez off balance for the entire fight, he’ll have a good chance to upset the undefeated champion.
The winner of this fight takes the interim belt and will face Jermell Charlo for the full world title in November. Caleb Plant has a lot of experience and has beaten some tough opponents, but he may have a hard time keeping up with Benavidez on Saturday.
Plant’s Style
The super middleweight division has a flurry of big matchups coming up, and Saturday’s fight between WBC interim champion David Benavidez and former IBF champ Caleb Plant checks a lot of boxes. Both fighters have contrasting styles, and both boxers are hungry for a title shot.
Benavidez has a reputation for being a tough fighter who will go toe-to-toe with his opponents and is known for pounding out big knockouts. However, he can also be a patient, methodical fighter who works to slow down his opponent and prevent him from landing any big shots.
On the other hand, Plant is a technical, slick fighter who uses his movement to prevent his opponent from landing any big shots. That’s why he has won all of his fights so far, including a stunning 9th-round knockout win over Anthony Dirrell in 2022.
In his last four bouts, Plant has gone the full 12 rounds, winning all of them by unanimous decision. If he can continue to outbox his opponent like he did against Dirrell, he has a good chance of taking this fight.
Despite his recent defeat, Benavidez still has a great record of 27 wins and 0 losses. He has stopped 23 of his opponents, so he is a strong contender to win this fight.
He is a highly skilled and well-rounded fighter who has fought a number of different types of opponents, including boxers with lower records. He has a very quick and powerful jab, and he is able to land big hooks.
A 2011 Golden Gloves gold medalist, Plant turned pro in 2014 and has gone the full 12 rounds in his past five fights. He won the IBF super middleweight belt in 2019 and defended it multiple times before being defeated by Canelo Alvarez in November.
His most recent victory was a spectacular KO win over Anthony Dirrell in October, and it sent the former IBF champ back to the top of the division where he feels he belongs.
While he’s still young, Benavidez has been working on his skills since he was a kid and he is one of the best middleweights in the world today. The Phoenix native is a true warrior and will show up on fight night with all his might, but he has to keep his emotions in check to be successful.
Final Words
Plant and Benavidez have been trading insults for years, a feud that’s only been exacerbated by their upcoming fight. And while the two have stayed professional in the build-up, there are still deep emotional wounds between them that have not been resolved.
The two have traded verbal snipes and scuffles, both in the media and in the ring, but they also have been determined to beat each other. A victory for one would secure him top contender status in the Super Middleweight division, and a victory for the other could lead to a shot at the 168-pound undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez.
This 12-round showdown is a must-see for boxing fans, but it’s going to take a lot more than good luck. It’ll require a cool-headed, hard-working boxer with a high ring IQ to keep his opponent off balance and frustratingly push him backward.
Benavidez is known for his power, but he’s also a fighter who can work angles and use timing to frustrate his opponent. His jab is solid, and he has the ability to set up quick, accurate combinations that often result in knockouts.
He also has the ability to throw a scary one-punch KO, as evidenced by his impressive ninth-round knockout of Anthony Dirrell this past October.
After a bruising, unanimous decision win over former world champion Caleb Plant in the main event of Saturday’s SHOWTIME PPV from Las Vegas, undefeated two-time super middleweight world champion David “The Mexican Monster” Benavidez retained his Interim WBC Super Middleweight title.
In a battle of two undefeated fighters with a combined record of 23-1, Benavidez landed a powerful barrage that sent Plant to the canvas and sent the crowd into a frenzy. He sunk in a series of body shots to tear down Plant and took advantage of a looping jab from his foe, allowing him to control the pace of the fight.
It was an impressive performance that could make Canelo Alvarez feel uncomfortable turning down a chance to challenge Benavidez in a meaningful bout for the Super Middleweight championship. But the biggest winner of this fight is probably a long-standing grudge between these two warriors.
