By: Hans Themistode
Canelo Alvarez has quite possibly the biggest target on his back. With the pound for pound star dipping his toes in multiple weight divisions, he’s been picked out by numerous fighters as their main choice for the person they would love to face the most.
For former super middleweight champion David Benavidez, he also has his eyes set on Alvarez. However, the Mexican superstar isn’t number one on the Hitlist of Benavidez.
“I want Caleb Plant more than Canelo right now,” said Benavidez during an interview with FightHype.
The feud between Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) and IBF belt holder Caleb Plant has been ongoing for several years now. The nonstop trash talk between the two hasn’t resulted in an actual showdown coming to fruition though.
At one point, matching them together was number one on the agenda of Plant. But with Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) letting his feelings known that he would also like to face the IBF titlist, Benavidez has been thrown on the back burner.
While the Arizona native isn’t thrilled that Alvarez has seemingly skipped him on the line to face Plant, he fully understands. The 24-year-old believes that a preceding matchup with himself would put an immediate nail in the coffin of a showdown between Plant and Alvarez.
“Since he’s about to fight Canelo for big-money, obviously they’re going to take that fight. They’re not going to put me in with Caleb Plant because that’s too much of a risk for Caleb Plant. When I beat him he would miss his big payday. At the end of the day, that’s all we’re here for, big pays.”
Before Mexico’s Alvarez dismantled Callum Smith and ripped away his WBA/Ring magazine super middleweight titles on December 19th, Plant was thought to be in the driver’s seat for a possible mega showdown. That, of course, didn’t happen due to various reasons.
Still, Alvarez has expressed a desire to win every world title in his new weight class. Meaning, as long as Plant holds onto his IBF crown, a showdown with the pound for pound star is inevitable.
If, in fact, a unification bout between the pair does take place, Benavidez has a strong hunch on who would emerge victorious.
“They’re both world champions but I feel like Canelo has a little more experience and hits a little bit harder. Caleb Plant has 10 knockouts in 21 fights. For him to beat Canelo he has to be perfect and not get touched. I feel like for Canelo’s rivals, it’s a slim chance of them winning even if they win the fight. They have to win by knockout.”