By Sean Jones: David Benavidez & Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant will meet this Thursday, February 2nd, for their kickoff Los Angeles press conference to discuss their March 25th fight on Showtime pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The press conference beings at 1:00 p.m. PT.
The unbeaten former two-time WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) and former IBF champ Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) will battle on March 25th to position themselves to face Canelo Alvarez for his four belts.
Benavidez will have his interim WBC 168-lb title on the line against Plant in a fight that shapes up to be a cat & mouse affair with Caleb doing a lot of moving around the 22-ft ring, trying to elude the pressure from David.
It’ll be the same type of fight that we saw from Plant in his last contest against Anthony Dirrell last October. Plant spent most of the fight, moving & moving, trying to get battered by the stronger puncher Dirrell.
At times, the fight was virtually unwatching able because Plant was basically running from the 38-year-old Dirrell. However, in the ninth round, Plant stopped moving long enough to fire off a hard left hook that caught Dirrell by surprise, knocking him out cold.
Plant needs this fight
“I’m glad he’s got a big fight like that, and I’m glad Plant decided to fight him,” said former trainer Abel Sanchez to K.O. Artist Sports about David Benavidez facing Caleb Plant on March 25th on Showtime PPV.
Well, the only reason Plant is taking this fight is that if he didn’t fight Benavidez, his chances of getting a rematch with Canelo Alvarez would be slim & none. There’s no reason why Canelo would voluntarily give Plant a rematch after knocking him out in 2021.
Plant knows that there’s no one else for him to fight that is well-respected enough for him to earn a rematch with Canelo other than Benavidez.
There are only two popular fighters at 160 Gennadiy Golovkin & Jermall Charlo, and neither of them will fight Plant. At 168, the only popular fighter that Plant can face to potentially get a second fight with Canelo is Benavidez.
“Also, it’s a good fight for Plant too,” said Sanchez. “Plant needs this kind of fight to put him back on that big stage. Plant fought a guy on his way out, as we’re supposed to do as trainers and managers to find opponents that will give you the best bang for your buck,” said Sanchez about Plant’s victory over 38-year-old Anthony Dirrell last October.
“Dirrell, four, five, or six years ago would have been a different fight than it was. Plant is a very good fighter, with good hand speed. I’m glad Stephen [‘Breadman’ Edwards is in his corner now because that’s a guy that is knowledgable about the whole sport, the whole sport,” said Sanchez.
Six to ten years ago, Plant would have been in trouble fighting Anthony Dirrell, because he was a special fighter in his prime. Up until the knockout in the ninth, the fight was essentially even, with Dirrell pressuring Plant, and chasing him all around the ring in a boring fight.
If you’re a fan that likes watching runners, this was the fight for you because Plant was taking it to another level, running nonstop and looking scared.
We can only hope that Plant doesn’t fight that way against Benavidez because that’s going to be hard on the eyes, and the boxing fans that are paying to watch it on Showtime PPV won’t be happy seeing that kind of a contest.
“So if he’s in his corner, he’s going to get a little more input on that higher level, but he’s fighting a guy [Benavidez] that is difficult to beat at this stage,” said Sanchez about Plant. “When he gets a little bit older and undisciplined, it’ll maybe get a little easier, but at this point, it’s going to be difficult to beat David Benavidez. Anybody except for Bivol.
Benavidez will set traps
“Bivol and him [Benavidez], that fight I would pay to go see,” said Sanchez. “David and Canelo would be a good fight because of what Canelo is to me with our history,” said Sanchez. “But Bivol and Benavidez would be a heck of a fight. The Bivol fight is one where there’s more of a chance of David losing.
“Him and Canelo, and I’ve said it for a long time, that’s the one guy who a year ago or two years ago, I said Golovkin, David Benavidez, and Beterbiev, before Bivol beat Canelo, would have been the guys, in my opinion, because of their style, because of their pressure style.
“If Golovkin had fought the way I wanted in the second or the first fight consistently, it would have been a different outcome. But you have to press Canelo; you can’t let Canelo work on his own terms. And from what I understand, I didn’t see the fight, but what I said, Bivol did the exact same thing.
“He pressed him, he pressed him, and he pressed him,” said Sanchez about Bivol dominating Canelo Alvarez with his pressure last May. “I don’t mean throwing punches, but being in control of the fight. If you let Canelo work, he’s good at that.
“So the fight that would be most difficult for David would be Bivol. The Canelo fight would be a 50-50 one for me, but I would love to see both fights.
“David is very good at setting traps. David is exceptional at setting traps. David is exceptional at planning what he wants to do next. The only problem I see with David is he gets lackadaisical when it’s too easy for him, and in his mind, it’s too easy for him in the ring. So he gets a little lazy.
“Plant is a good fighter, so he’s going to have to stay on his p’s & q’s there. I just see David breaking him down little by little, little by little, and maybe not a destructive knockout at the end, but I think he stops him late, or it’s a 116-112 or a 117-112 kind of fight,” said Sanchez.
