By: Sean Crose
So now it’s official. Former titlists Caleb Plant and David Benavidez will square off in Las Vegas on the 25th of this March in the main event of a Showtime pay per view card. Aside from the fact that this would be a wonderful fight for Showtime to broadcast on its flagship station instead of pay per view, this is a very interesting matchup. First off, both fighters are quite skilled. What’s more, the winner becomes a WBC mandatory for Canelo Alvarez’ super middleweight crown. Lastly, the fact Plant and Benavidez don’t seem to like each other much adds extra tension to the proceedings.
Plant was the IBF super middleweight titlist until he was knocked out by Alvarez in the penultimate round of their grueling 2021 fight. It was the first fight the man known as “Sweet Hands” had lost, but he came back strong by turning out the lights in nearly frightening fashion on Anthony Dirrell in the ninth round of their match this past October. Plant has longed to get a second shot at Canelo and, should be beat Benavidez, he may just get his chance. The question, of course, is can he beat Benavidez?
Like Plant, Benavidez is a former world titlist. Unlike the 22-1 Plant, the 26-0 Benavidez has never tasted defeat. He has, however, allowed his fans to taste plenty of disappointment by ending not one, but two world title reigns via a distinct lack of discipline. In 2018, Benavidez lost his WBC title because he was popped for having cocaine in his system. Then, after regaining the belt with a win over Dirrell the following year, Benavidez went on to once again lose his title, this time due to missing weight for his 2020 fight with Alexis Angulo.
Since that time, however, Benavidez has gone on to win three in a row, all within the distance. In his last fight, which went down this past May, Benavidez stopped David Lemieux in three, subsequently earning himself the WBC interim super middleweight title in the process. Indeed, it can be said that Benavidez is defined by his power, as he’s only gone the distance three times in over twenty-five fights. Plant, however, showed how powerful he can be when he blasted Dirrell last autumn. Throw in the fact that Plant has considerable boxing ability and it’s understandable why boxing’s fanbase is intrigued with this matchup.
