By Adam Baskin: Canelo Alvarez’s trainer Eddy Reynoso is leaning towards the younger, stronger interim WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) doing the business against Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) next Saturday night.
The hand speed, power, and consistency of the former two-time WBC 168-lb champion Benavidez make Reynoso pick him to get the W against highly technical Plant in this battle of contrasting styles.
Benavidez’s size & aggression will make it challenging for the 30-year-old Plant because it will force him to stay in motion for the entire fight.
If Plant stops for any time, Benavidez will dig into the body with hard power shots and machine-gunning him with rapid-fire combinations to the head.
What will be interesting to see is how long Plant’s stamina holds out before he gasses out.
In Plant’s most brutal career fights against Canelo and Jose Uzcategui, he faded in the championship rounds from the pressure those two guys put on him, and they weren’t putting the type of heat that Benavidez typically puts his opponents under.
Reynoso will be scouting the Plant-Benavidez fight, looking to spot weaknesses so that he can put together a game plan for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo can use against the winner, be it, Benavidez or Plant.
“A good technical fight. A technical fight from Caleb Plant,” said Eddy Reynoso to Little Giant Boxing on next Saturday’s Caleb Plant vs. David Benavidez bout in Las Vegas.
“A lot of speed, combinations, and power from Benavidez. I’m going to lean towards Benavidez because he’s a stronger fighter and more consistent in the fight,” Reynoso continued.
“Well, if he wins, we shall see,” Reynoso said when told that Plant wants to fight Canelo Alvarez next if he’s victorious against Benavidez on Saturday night. “It’s a complicated fight but a good fight.
“He’s a tremendous fighter, one of the best in the world, and his time will come to elevate to the next level,” said Reynoso when asked his opinion of Benavidez.
“He’s young, and he loves being in the gym. He has a lot of future ahead of him. He’s very young, he’s trained good, and he has a lot of potential.
“A s**t load of people are asking me for tickets. We have to give tickets to our people of Guadalajara,” said Reynoso when asked if boxing fans are asking him for tickets for Canelo’s next fight against John Ryder on May 6th at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“Enjoy your champion. There are not too many that come around like Canelo, and to the fan, go celebrate your champion,” Reynoso said when asked what message he has for Canelo’s fans.
