David Benavidez vs Caleb Plant is finally here!
Mexican monster David Benavidez is finally set to clash against trickster Caleb Plant in a WBC Interim super-middleweight title clash
The two have been feuding for a long time, the bad blood between them finally rising to a climax this weekend. Stars did not align for them to meet in the ring until now. Boxing's most exciting division, two former champions and fearsome competitors, and an incendiary grudge between two – boxing fans must be drooling for this mega-fight.
How did David Benavidez and Caleb Plant get here?
David Benavidez got his hands on the WBC title in the 168-pound division twice. He went on to become the youngest champion in the division's history, clinching a victory against Ronald Gavril, back in 2017. However, he was stripped off the title due to a failed cocaine test in 2018. After regaining the title, he lost it yet again for missing the weight limit by around three pounds in 2020.
On the other hand, Caleb Plant won the IBF title in 2019. This allowed him to compete with Canelo Alvarez, a shot which Benavidez was supposed to get, had he not been stripped off the belt. Caleb, however, incurred his only career loss against Canelo. Despite that, Benavidez must have had a grueling grudge against him for this very reason.
Caleb did bounce back with one of the top knockouts of 2022, against Anthony Direll. However, he has a measly knockout ratio of 56.22%. Which is why this fight is going to be a battle between power and finesse. Question remains whether Caleb's slick movements will be enough to evade the relentless power-packed punches from Benavidez.
One thing is for sure that these two will not hesitate to knock each others' brains out as the WBC interim title could be in the mix. There's an anticipation around Canelo moving up a division to fight against Dmitry Bivol, which further incentivizes these two, along with their heated face-off and years of acrimony.
Full Card (with the undercard)
David Benavidez (26-0) vs Caleb Plant (22-1) – WBC interim super middleweight title
Cody Crowley (21-0) vs Abel Ramos (27-5-2) – Welterweight
Jesus Alejandro Ramos (19-0) vs Joey Spencer (16-0) – Super-Welterweight
Chris Colbert (16-1) vs Jose Valenzuela (12-1) – Lightweight
Kevin Gonzalez (25-0-1) vs Jose Sanmartin (34-6-1) – Super-Bantamweight
Orestes Velazquez (6-0) vs Marcelino Lopez (37-2-1) – Super-Lightweight
Demler Zamora (10-0) vs Jesus Abel Ibarra (15-0) – Super-Featherweight
Daniel Blancas (5-0) vs Nicholas Molina (4-1-1) – Super-Middleweight
Fight Odds
According to UFC ODDS, Benavidez is way ahead of Plant, with -310 in favour of him at Draftkings. Caleb is stacked at +285 at Wynnbet. For over/under the line the estimated accumulation is o10-125 at BetMGM.
Fight Prediction
The fight is heavily favoured around 80-20 in favour of Benavidez. Caleb hardly has any chance of going the distance, let alone win the fight. Benavidez might finish things off within the tenth or eleventh round.
When and where to watch?
The undefeated David 'El Bandera Roja' Benavidez (26-0, with 23 KOs) will try to bludgeon Caleb 'Sweethands' Plant (22-1, with 13 KOs) inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 25. The bout will be hosted by PBC (Premier Boxing Champions). It will be aired on SHOWTIME Pay Per View Event at 2 AM GMT/9 PM ET.