David Benavidez to fight Morrell, Andrade & Charlo after Plant

By Boxing News - 02/13/2023 - Comments

By Sam Volz: Jose Benavidez Sr says his son David is under contract for three huge fights after he faces Caleb Plant on March 25th on Showtime PPV.

After Plant, WBC interim super middleweight champion Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) will be fighting David Morrell, Demetrius ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade, and Jermall Charlo.

Canelo Alvarez could be in there somewhere if he chooses to face Benavidez, but no one is counting on that happening. He knows his limitations.

The first order of business for the 25-year-old Benavidez is former IBF super middleweight champion Plant on March 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Plant has got on Benavidez’s last nerve, and he wants to tear him apart in this fight to shut him up.

According to Benavidez Sr, Plant was asking for a lot of different things in the negotiations, and he felt that if they had turned down his request on any one item, he wouldn’t have taken the fight.

Benavidez Sr felt that it was interesting how Plant wanted to be announced as the champion, even though it’s David that holds the title, albeit it is the interim WBC 168-lb strap and not the full one, which is held by Canelo. Plant has no title after losing his IBF 168-lb title in a knockout loss to Canelo in 2021.

Benavidez under contract for three big fights

“Going back to Caleb Plant, I think he felt pressure, and when they said you’ve got to fight this guy, he came up with all these ridiculous requests,” said Jose Benavidez Sr to Fighthype. “One was Rival gloves, a 22-foot boxing ring.

“We have a contract for three fights right now. If I didn’t think he could make 168, we’ll definitely go to 175. We have a lot of good fighters. At 175, we have Zurdo Ramirez, Bivol, Beterbiev.  All these guys we can make fights that are so good.

“These guys will fight. These guys are not dodging anybody. We’re not ready to go to 175. We’re here at 168. We have a contract with David Morrell, Boo Boo, and Charlo. Those are dangerous fights, really good fights. We’re going to stick at 168 right now and see what happens,” said Benavidez Sr.

It’s hard to believe that Andrade & Charlo would agree to fight Benavidez because those two fighters have fought no one of note during their careers.

“He wants the blue corner. He wants to be announced as the champion,” Benavidez Sr continued about the demands Plant had during negotiations for their March 25th fight. “David is the [WBC] interim world champion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8IR-qrVRYE

“I said, ‘Yes, give him everything he wants. Let’s make it happen. If that’s what he wants, let’s make it happen. I’m not complaining. We gave him everything he wanted,” said Benavidez Sr.

Plant wanted to be A-side

“Right now, they’re divas. They ask for so many things,” Benavidez Sr said. “If I would have said no to the blue corner. He would have said, ‘No.’ That wouldn’t have made the fight. I gave him everything, and he had no excuse to complain.

“We don’t care if you want to be announced as the champion or if you want the blue corner. We’re super excited to fight Caleb Plant. He fought Canelo. He was doing really well. He knocked out Anthony Dirrell in a faster way.

“He’s a good fighter. I don’t like him as a person. I don’t have respect, but his boxing skills, I do. He’s going to give us a lot of problems. He’s going to box and move around, and when you have a fighter like that, it’s very difficult to stop. I guarantee you that if he stops, he’s going down.

“I don’t think he’s going to do that. He’s going to try and box David. A lot of people are saying he’s going to outbox David. That’s the beauty about it. We’re going to see if David can cut the ring off and finally put him out. That’s a big challenge.

“I’m super excited. David has never been so excited about this fight. He motivated David to do extra. David works really hard. The poor guy. Whatever he touches, Caleb Plant, he’s going to get hurt,” said Benavidez Sr.