[[David Benavidez vs Caleb Plant Rivalry]] How Did the Rivalry Between the Two Start [[LIVE WATCHING]]
The boxing calendar for 2023 is filling out nicely and fans are eagerly anticipating Saturday’s super middleweight shootout between former world champions David Benavidez and Caleb Plant,
which takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast on Showtime PPV.
Outside of Canelo Alvarez, the 26-year-old Benavidez is generally regarded as the premier 168-pound fighter in the world.
The two-time WBC super middleweight king has an immaculate 26-0 (23 KOs) record, blazing hand speed,
concussive hitting power, and the type of presence that has many fans and experts convinced he’s a superstar in waiting.
The 30-year-old Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) is also an elite-level player in this weight class.
The former IBF champ suffered his only loss at the hands of Canelo but bounced back in emphatic fashion to score a Knockout of the Year contender over former titleholder Anthony Dirrell.
“Sweethands” has adept movement, quality technique, and bundles of ring craft.
According to SkyBet, Benavidez is the -250 favourite, whereas Plant is the +750 underdog. However,
opinions vary on how this matchup will play out. The Sporting News reached out to their in-house boxing experts
to provide some insight into this intriguing super middleweight collision and offer their thoughts on who will emerge victorious:
Winner: Benavidez def. Plant via late stoppage
This is the perfect clash of styles between two fighters who clearly don't like each other.
As great as he is, the issue for Plant is that he will have to fight an absolutely perfect fight for 12 rounds in order to raise his hands in victory.
He lacks the power to hurt Benavidez and will have to rely heavily on his movement and speed to keep "The Mexican Monster" off balance.
The problem is that Benavidez is a fighter who is a lot like a snowball rolling downhill that eventually becomes
a full-blown avalanche. If Plant can't gain his respect early,
expect Benavidez to walk him down and pummel his bitter rival along the ropes. The accumulation of punishment will eventually become
too much for Plant to overcome and he (or his corner) will be forced to succumb in the latter half of the fight.