By Matt Lieberman: David Benavidez’s dad Jose says Caleb Plant has “no heart” with the way he’s ducking a fight against his son and he expects him to sit on the sidelines until September waiting for a fight that might not happen against Canelo Alvarez.
Eddie Hearn recently suggested that Plant and Benavidez battle it out in an eliminator-level bout, and the winner would take on Canelo in September in a huge match-up.
However, Plant has failed to take Hearn off on that offer. In fact, Plant has come out and said that he won’t fight Benavidez because he missed his chance by losing his title when he failed to make weight for his defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo last August.
Hearn feels that it would make for a much bigger fight if Plant faces Benavidez first rather than sit and wait until fighting Canelo in September.
Former WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) wants to fight IBF champ Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) after he takes care of his stay busy fight against Ronald Ellis on March 13th.
Benavidez expects Plant to sit until September
“Caleb Plant, I don’t think he has no heart,” said Jose Benavidez to Fino Boxing. “They built him and he’s been doing OK. We’re not desperate, but Caleb Plant doesn’t want to fight David.
“He never wanted to fight David. He said now that he’s not fighting David because he’s fighting Canelo. What is he going to do now? Is he going to sit for a whole year?
“Maybe that fight won’t happen. What’s going to happen? I think he should stay active and take other fights. Like Eddie Hearn said, why don’t you fight? Caleb and David would be a good fight.
“Whoever wins that fight, it’s a good fight or Canelo. I agree 100%. Do you imagine how big that fight would be with Canelo? He [Plant] didn’t impress me in fighting Truax,” said Benavidez.
After Plant’s successful title defense against Caleb Truax on January 30th, Plant showed off his swollen left hand, telling the media that he’d injured it.
To some boxing fans, it appeared that Plant may have been planting the seeds for him to justify sitting around until September before he fights again. That’s when Canelo is likely to fight Plant.
Plant is afraid to lose his title
“He’s afraid that he’s going to lose that belt, and lose his chance to fight Canelo,” said Jose.
That’s why he decided to sit and wait until Canelo fights him. He’s going to fight Yildirim, and then [Billy Joe Saunders], and then probably have that fight against GGG.
“In the process, he’s [Plant] going to be waiting all that time. I don’t think he’s got the heart, and he gets tired real quick.
“When Uzcategui fought him, and he decided to throw in one round, you could see his face was all messed up.
“He gets bruised right away. Imagine if David hits him. He’s going to drop him, and definitely hurt him. I’ve been studying him.
“He’s got really good feet, but we’re going to try and get that body. There’s no secret to this.
“We already know what we’re going to do with him. Work that body, and eventually, the head will fall down,” said Jose Benavidez.
Plant won’t admit that he’s afraid to lose his IBF title, but if he chooses not to fight until September, it’ll be confirmed.
Benavidez still wants Plant if he loses to Canelo
“No, I never had the opportunity [to fight Plant,” said Benavidez to
AKHi TV when told that Caleb had said that Benavidez had his chance for a fight.
“It’s typical for Caleb to say that because he thinks he’s Floyd Mayweather. He thinks he’s the A-side. ‘I had my opportunity.’
“He needs me as much as I need him. As much as boxing needs that fight, he’s not a shot-caller. I never got offered the fight [with Plant].
“Even if I have the belt or not, the fight should still happen. The best should fight the best at 168, and that fight should still happen.
“To answer your question, no, I never got offered a fight with him. Hopefully, the fight will still happen, even if he takes a loss to Canelo.
“I hope that doesn’t discourage him from fighting me because I still want to get that fight on. It don’t matter if he takes a loss. I still want to get Caleb Plant in that ring.
“I feel like we’ve been hyping the fight up for three or four years, so why not? Now is the best time to make it happen,” Benavidez added.
Looking at it realistically, Benavidez has very little chance of getting a fight against Plant if he loses to Canelo. If Plant gets beaten by Canelo, he’ll want to rebuild himself for a year or two, and maybe go after the WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight title.
David rates Plant as his easiest fight
“A lot of people want to see that fight,” Benavidez said about the Plant fight. “He can say he just wants to unify titles, but in his last fight, he didn’t unify a title.
“Me and him could have fought instead of him fighting Truax. Since he won the title, he’d had nothing but easy titles.
“He’s fought Mike Lee, Feigenbutz, and a washed-up Truax. Caleb doesn’t have that pop. I’ll knock his a** out, I’ll stop him,” said Benavidez in giving his prediction of a fight between him and Plant.
“It’s going to be a bloody fight. It’s going to be more of a personal fight. This isn’t about money or titles.
“I just want to get in there and make this guy hurt, and when I get in the ring with him, that’s what’s going to happen.
“The most difficult fight is against Canelo,” said Benavidez. “I would have to be a hater to say that he’s not because Canelo is very experienced.
“But I feel with a fighter like that, just the training camp alone would bring out the best in me.
“But he would be very difficult too, and I feel the easiest fight for me would be Caleb Plant,” said Benavidez.
When Benavidez says he rates Plant as the easiest fight, he’s obviously talking about among the top fighters. With Plant’s style of fighting, he wouldn’t be an easy fight or Benavidez.