Mike CoppingerESPN1:51 AM ET4 minute read
David Benavidez scored the biggest win of his career with a unanimous decision win over Caleb Plant on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Plant took an early lead due to his jab and movement in the big 22 by 22 ring, but Benavidez was able to injure his opponent multiple times.
Benavidez’s constant pressure wore Plant down in the second half of the super middleweight bout, and Benavidez prevailed 115-113, 116-112, 117-111.
“I want to give Caleb Plant a big shout out,” said Benavidez, ESPN’s No. 2 super middleweight. “We fought like warriors in the ring and this guy is a hell of a fighter. … I did defense, head moves … and cut the ring really well. I hit him with many hard punches. “
Benavidez also challenged Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed champion at 168 pounds.
Alvarez, boxing’s star, will defend his four super middleweight titles against John Ryder in Mexico on May 6th – but Alvarez also always fights during Mexico’s Independence Day weekend in September.
Alvarez has called for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Alvarez in May, but Benavidez has now made his case as well.
“I have a lot of respect for Canelo Alvarez but he has to give me this chance now,” he said. “This is what everyone wants to see in September. … I don’t think he’s trying to avoid me. I just think he has a lot of options.”
David Benavidez, right, fell behind Caleb Plant early before taking over in the second half of Saturday’s fight, which Benavidez won by unanimous decision. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP
Plant, who lost his title to Alvarez in November 2021 due to his only previous loss via an 11th-round stoppage, displayed his impressive jab and footwork from the opening bell. Fighting from Las Vegas, the 30-year-old Tennessee native was able to keep the taller, longer Benavidez at bay with the leading hand.
Every time Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) was able to pin Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) on the ropes, Plant would do well to pivot to avoid danger. As Benavidez worked his way inward, Plant held every time.
The tactic was used skillfully, and veteran referee Kenny Bayless surprisingly let Plant through without much warning. Hall of Fame boxer Oscar De La Hoya later quipped on Twitter that Benavidez fought two men in the ring.
“Kenny Bayless is a hell of a referee, but he didn’t give Plant any warnings,” Benavidez said.
“I had to find a way around that,” he added.
Plant, ESPN’s No. 3 super middleweight, continued to rack up rounds in the first half thanks to his jab and distance control, but eventually Benavidez’s pressure broke through.
Benavidez, a 26-year-old Phoenix native who fights from Seattle, appeared to win the second half of the fight. In round 8, he buckled Plant with a hacking right hand that tripped the former champion. However, Bayless quickly halted the action after a clash of heads left Plant with a vertical wound down the center of his forehead that bled for the remainder of the fight.
Nicknamed the “Mexican Monster,” Benavidez began mixing bodyshots and a jab to accompany his best shot, the left hook. Under pressure from Benavidez and the boom of gunfire, Plant’s jab mostly disappeared.
And again in round 10, Benavidez had Plant in trouble, this time due to a series of left hooks that forced Plant to hold on desperately.
Benavidez kept pushing for his rival’s stop on the penultimate lap – a bunch of left hands and hacking rights left Plant’s legs shaking – but Plant never tasted the canvas. He showed tremendous heart throughout the fight, just like he did against Alvarez, making it to the final bell while still making a substitution.
“David’s a bloody fighter,” said Plant, who scored a spectacular KO of former defending champion Anthony Dirrell in October. “It’s a big rivalry but we came in here and we handled it like men. … I got in there and rumbled with the best in the world; I didn’t duck anyone.”
“There’s no excuse,” Plant added. “David was the better man tonight.”
Now Benavidez will wait and see what happens between Alvarez and Ryder in May while hoping for his own shot at boxing’s most bankable fighter.
Benavidez has twice held a super middleweight title, losing it both times outside the ring.
He was stripped from the WBC in 2018 after testing positive for cocaine. After regaining the title, Benavidez was forced to relinquish it in 2020 after failing to earn £168.