By Robert Segal: David Benavidez needs to exhaust every effort possible to make a fight against Caleb Plant to help increase his chances of getting the chance to battle Canelo Alvarez.
Without getting a major belt under his belt at 168 to lure Canelo into fighting him, Benavidez (26-0, 23 is going to be left out in the cold, fighting less popular fighters like Jose Uzcategui, David Lemieux, and Ronald Ellis.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn feels that Benavidez needs a fight against Plant to help his efforts at getting Canelo to share the ring with him.
Hearn doesn’t understand Benvidez’s move to face former IBF 168-lb champion Jose Uzcategui in January because that fight won’t do anything for him to get the Canelo fight.
Uzcategui has already been beaten by Plant, which makes it a ridiculous choice for Benavidez.
If this is his promoter’s doing, he must consider moving on after his contract ends.
“I saw the knockout, and I thought it was a tremendous left hook, but apparently, the fight wasn’t particularly great to that moment,” said Eddie Hearn to DAZN Boxing Show about Caleb Plant’s ninth round knockout win over Anthony Dirrell on October 15th.
“I don’t think we can really start looking at Dirrell as a top-tire elite 168 guy. Listen, he’s a world-class guy, a former world champion, but he won his last fight in a messy fight with a great knockout.
“Caleb Plant is a very good fighter. He gave Canelo a good fight. He was losing the fight and got stopped, but he’s still an outstanding fighter. For me, I can’t believe we didn’t get Spence-Crawford, but I can’t believe we can’t get Benavidez-Plant.
“Benavidez-Plant is a really good fight. Plant is coming off a huge gate, albeit against Canelo Alvarez, big numbers. He’s a great fighter, he’s got a great back story, and has got a great narrative, and Benavidez is a tremendous fighter.
“That’s the kind of fight that needs to be made, and it’s a great fight for the division. You know, if Benavidez wants to fight Canelo Alvarez, that’s the kind of fight that he’s got to be in to make a statement, in my opinion, to make everybody go, ‘Wow, Canelo, you must fight Benavidez.’
“To fight Jose Uzcategui is just bizarre. Plant-Benavidez, same camp, same network, big fight. It should be a given,” said Hearn.
