By Mark Eisner: WBC super middleweight interim champion David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) started slowly in the first half but then came on strong to defeat former IBF 168-lb champion Caleb Plant (22-2, 12 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The scores were 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. Boxing News 24 scored it 8-4 for Benavidez.
Plant did a great job for the first four rounds, but then fell apart from Benavidez’s pressure and high work rate over the last eight rounds.
Undercard results:
- Super featherweight contender Chris Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) saved his career tonight with a narrow 10 round unanimous decision win over Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs). Colbert was surprisingly dropped in the first round. The scores were 95-94, 95-94, and 95-94. Like in his previous defeat against Edwin De Los Santos last September, Rayo, 23, gassed out in the second half of the contest, which is what saved Colbert from losing. Colbert lost his last fight against Hector Luis Garcia last year in February. Tonight, Colbert didn’t look much better. The difference was Colbert was facing a young kid with poor stamina in Rayo.
- Welterweight Cody Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs) defeated Abel Ramos (27-6-2, 21 KOs) by a 12 round majority decision in a WBC 147-lb title eliminator. The scores were 116-112, 115-113 for Crowley, and 114-114.
- Unbeaten light welterweight Oreste Velasquez (7-0, 6 KO’s) defeated Marcelino Lopez (37-3-1, 22 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision. The scores were 99-91, 99-91, and 97-93.
- Super bantamweight Kevin Gonzalez (26-0-1, 13 KOs) beat the recently knocked out Jose Sanmartin (34-7-1, 21 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision. The scores were 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93.
Preview: When will Plant vs. Benavidez fight?
Caleb Plant and David Benavidez will be fighting tonight, March 25th, on Showtime pay-per-view in their 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“Me, I would have to sit and fight sometimes. With a guy like Benavidez, he’s going to be tough for anybody to beat,” said Shakur Stevenson to Fighthype, when asked about his thoughts on tonight’s fight between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant.
“His style is relentless. You got to box and bang. You got to box at times and bang at times and then go back to boxing and banging. You got to win on both sides of that.
“I think that it’s going to be a great fight, and I can’t wait to watch. No prediction. I’m just watching as a fan,” said Shakur.
“I’m feeling good. Energy is great, weight is on point, and I’m just relaxed on an even keel, ready to rock,” said Caleb Plant to Behind The Gloves about tonight’s fight.
“Yeah, I feel centered, I feel balanced, I feel confident, and I still talk my s**t. I’ve said everything that I want to say and need to say, but it’s just not how he [Benavidez] goes about it if he thinks me not wanting to get in a shouting contest with him over who is the bigger b**ch or something silly like that.
“If I don’t get into that with him, then I’m scared, but that’s just not my style to get into a shouting contest with some dumb a**. Since 2017 or 2018,” said Plant when asked how long he’s been beefing with Benavidez.
“It’s been doing on for some time, and I’m ready to put it all to rest. I’m ready to get my hand raised. I’ve worked extremely hard, not just in these camps. I don’t wait for the big moment to get to me before I do things right. I’ve been doing things right my whole life, and I’m ready to fight.
“Like I said up there, he’s a good fighter, and that’s why I’m interested in doing this. I’m not interested in fighting bad fighters. I’m not interested in fighting bums. You let him tell it; I’m a bum and all this stuff.
How to watch Plant vs. Benavidez?
Boxing fans can watch Caleb Plant battle David Benavidez for his WBC super middleweight interim title tonight on Showtime PPV, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
“He knows that’s not true. I don’t feel like lying to the cameras because I know the truth. He’s a good fighter and that’s why I’m interested in fighting. Not just for the fans and pushing boxing forward but for my own legacy, most importantly.
“We know what we got in front of us, but he better know what he’s got in front of him. The biggest thing I took away from the Canelo fight was the experience.
“Experience isn’t something you can buy. You’ve got to go to the fire to get it. I’ve done that. I’ve done it gracefully, and I went out on my shield [in 11th round knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez in November 2021 in their undisputed super middleweight championship bout in Las Vegas].
“I bounced right back and showed that just because things don’t go my way. A lot of times, a loss can make or break a fighter. I’ve shown that, but at any point in my life, anytime something like that, I’m going to come back better; I’m going to come back stronger and sharper.
“I did that against [Anthony] Dirrell, and [tonight], you’ll see the best Caleb Plant. Not too much,” said Plant when asked if he questioned himself after his loss to Canelo and looked at some of the people around him as not being good for him.
“A couple of changes got made to the team, but I’m just interested in moving forward with those people. I feel like I’m grateful to everyone that I’ve had on my team. Some things work, some things don’t, and that’s not a knock on anybody, but that’s sometimes how the dice roll sometimes.
“I got a great team, and I’m just looking forward to rolling with them and getting my hand raised and becoming the interim champ and moving forward to bigger and better.
“Just tune in, live on pay-per-view. Boxing fans have been asking for big fights like this. Me and David have lifted our end of the couch to give y’all that, and now it’s time for the fans to do their part. Tune in, buy that pay-per-view, and put on a show,” said Plant.
David Benavidez defends his WBC super middleweight interim title in tonight’s mega-bout against Caleb Plant at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight card starts at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, live on Showtime PPV.
There’s a lot of mutual dislike between Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) and Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) that has been building up for the past three years, and tonight they’ll get to settle their differences inside the ring.