David Benavidez and Caleb Plant had been in a collision course for years, and after all the trash talk and build up in bad blood, the two super middleweights settled their rivalry Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After 12 rounds, Benavidez was the unanimous decision recipient, taking with him division supremacy and the WBC interim super middleweight title.
Benavidez Gets the Nod Over Rival Plant
Incredible showdown 🥊
Relive @Benavidez300‘s win over #CalebPlant Saturday at 11:05PM ET on @Showtime. pic.twitter.com/O1bCWBw1wU
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 30, 2023
When the bout began, Plant was off to strong start, showing good foot work, staying out of harms way while unleashing quick combinations behind a sneaky jab. Benavidez looked flustered and a bit offensively shy compared to his usual steam rolling style.
Benavidez’s patience however paid dividend as he began to damage Plant methodically and asserted his game-plan to the point he exploded for a near finish in Round 8.
Throughout the fight referee Kenny Bayless bailed Plant from some nasty situations and seemed very one sided in his judgment issuing Benavidez several warnings while never pointing out excessive clinching to Plant.
As Benavidez saw Plant at his most vulnerable, the action was stopped by Bayless over a cut over Plant’s eye due to an accidental clash of heads, because of that momentary pause Plant managed to collect himself and survive the round.
Despite many bones being thrown Plant’s way from the referee, Benavidez had a strong grip on the fight and continued a strong, constant pressure on Plant to the point ‘Sweet Hands’ was mainly on defense that by the end of the fight, Benavidez recorded a staggering 210 punches to Plant’s 91.
Once the final bell rang, both fighters embraced as well as visiting each others corners, catching everyone by surprise given the fact both men repeatedly said no matter the outcome the rivalry doesn’t end there. However it was a development of respect between rounds nine and twelve where you can see both fighters had truly met the perfect antagonist for the other.
Plant despite losing showed a true testament of will and heart, powering on till the end and going out on his shield, while Benavidez displayed a true dominance that can only be respected by any adversary, which lead to the two men shaking hands. A true movie story feel to the ending.
After both men exchanged compliments and respect towards the other, the attention shifted to what is next for ‘The Mexican Monster’ as Benavidez holds a claim to be the next in line for the undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez as his mandatory and Benavidez had this to say:
“I have a lot of respect for Canelo Alvarez, but he has to give me that shot now, That’s what everyone wants to see. Let’s get in the ring in September.”
Canelo currently has a fight scheduled May 6th against his WBO mandatory John Ryder and has his eyes set on a rematch against WBO Light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in September should Bivol opt to not unify against three belt 175 lbs champion Artur Beterbiev.
Though there are many variables, all fight fans can agree that Canelo against Benavidez is at an all time high demand after this fight on Saturday.
Image:Embed from Getty Images
