By Dan Ambrose: Jose Benavidez Sr says he sees Canelo Alvarez as being an “easier fight for his son David Benavidez than Caleb Plant because he lacks foot speed.
Canelo could be a punching bag for Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) to beat the stuffing out of if he gasses out early like he did in his last two fights against Gennadiy Golovkin and Dmitry Bivol.
The Mexican star blamed those subpar performances on a hand injury, but that doesn’t explain why he faded after three rounds. Canelo’s left hand had nothing to do with him getting tired. That was caused by poor cardio and possibly age as well.
Unfortunately for Jose Sr, Benavidez might not ever get the chance for him to prove his theory about Canelo being an “easier” fight because he’s not shown much interest in fighting him.
Moreover, he might retire if Canelo loses to John Ryder on May 6th or in his rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September. Canelo getting beaten by a mediocre fighter like Ryder would surely be the straw that broke the camel’s back, making him realize that he’s shot.
Compared to Plant, Canelo has no mobility and will be there to be hit by Benavidez. Jose Sr says he feels that David did a better job beating Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) than Canelo, as he gave him a beating and put him in the hospital in their fight last month on March 25th.
Canelo is already booked up for the remainder of this year with his fights against Ryder and Bivol, so the earliest we could see him fight Benavidez is next year in May if his promoter Eddie Hearn doesn’t find someone else he wants him to face from Great Britain.
Jose Sr: Canelo “easier” fight for Benavidez
“It all depends on how you see it,” said Jose Benavidez Sr to Fighthype when asked if David Benavidez did better against Caleb Plant than Canelo Alvarez did in his victory over old ‘Sweethands’ in 2021.
“Caleb Plant was doing very well. He was frustrating Canelo, but Canelo came out with one shot and hurt Caleb Plant. After that fight, Caleb Plant went back, got better, got a lot of confidence. He was in a big stage.
“David kind of did the same thing, but he gave him a beating. Caleb ended up in the hospital. I think he got a lot of punishment in this fight, an accumulation of punches.
“It all depends on what you like more and what the people like more. Is it one shot or an accumulation of punches? I think David hurt him [Plant] more because he ended up in the hospital and he got hit a lot.
“The corner could have stopped that fight, or the referee could have stopped that fight. They protected him. David had him hurt. If that referee wasn’t there, David could have taken him out. You have to understand that the referee protected Caleb Plant a lot.
“Look at how Caleb Plant looked against Canelo. Look at how Caleb Plant looked against David. The only thing that happened is we know that Caleb Plant does not have the stamina. He’s a true fighter, and he is going to give a lot of people a lot of problems.
“Now, you’ve got two f***king animals coming forward, and somebody is going down. I guarantee you that. With Canelo and David, Canelo does not have the same footwork as Caleb Plant has, so it’s going to be easier for us,” said Benavidez Sr.
Jose Sr says Morrell will be problem
“We seen that against Bivol. All the defense worked against Bivol, right?” said Jose Sr. “He was getting hit a lot. Did he have a lot of defense when he fought GGG? And he fought an old GGG. Where’s the defense?
“I’m going to give that to Caleb Plant,” said Benavidez Sr when asked who is the hardest fight for David Benavidez. “That was the hardest fight we ever had. We risked a lot. Caleb Plant is the best fighter we ever fought.
“I think so because of the way he moves,” said Benavidez Sr when asked if he thinks Plant is more difficult for David than Dmitry Bivol, Demetrius Andrade, David Morrell, or Artur Beterbiev.
“The only thing is the conditioning. If he had a little more gas in the tank. “I don’t know why he [Plant] got tired or gets tired. Can you imagine at least ten rounds the way he fought?
“He looked the same way against Canelo. I don’t think Bivol has the same legs. I don’t think Beterbiev has the same legs. I don’t think Boo Boo has the same legs. Charlo doesn’t have the same legs.
“The other one that could give us problems is David Morrell, but I think right now, he needs more experience. But I think as the time goes on, he’s an Olympian. He’s young, and I think that could be a big problem for us in the future. Not right now. I think David stops him too because he needs a little more experience, but he’s a good fighter, too.
“All these other guys. Boo Boo, he hasn’t been active, and he’s a little guy at 160-pounder. He doesn’t move like Cale Plant does. I think it’ll be a little bit easier fight. I don’t think he has a big punch, either. Charlo hasn’t fought in two years, and every time I see him, he’s drunk, so I don’t know what to say about that.
“We’re not better than nobody, but what I tell you is that with everything that happened in David’s life, that was a blessing in disguise. He’s super motivated, super focused, and super disciplined. He
“He came out at 166.7. He could have come out at 167.8. Look at the discipline now. That’s why I’m so sure what he can do, and he gives me the confidence to talk s**t because we got to back it up. If not, I wouldn’t be doing that, and that’s why I don’t think there’s nobody that can beat him.
“Sometimes, you got to think like that because if you’re thinking, I have doubts, then you’re f***ed,” said Benavidez Sr.
