Benavidez vs Plant Preview: Super-Middleweight Showdown
Former super-middleweight titleholders David Benavidez and Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant have had an intense dislike for each other for several years now, and the pair will finally get the opportunity to settle it in the ring this coming weekend.
On March 25th, Benavidez vs Plant will headline a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card on Showtime Pay-Per-View at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Benavidez (26-0, 23 KO) has been on the path towards regaining a world title since being stripped of his WBC belt after missing weight prior to his fight with Roamer Alexis Angulo in 2020. After getting past Angulo via 4th round TKO, Benavidez racked up three more stoppage wins over Ronald Ellis, Kyrone Davis and David Lemieux over the course of the next two years. In his most recent bout against Lemieux, he picked up a WBC interim title, bringing him one step closer to the full belt once again.
Plant (22-1, 13 KO), who formerly held the IBF title at 168-pounds, is just two fights removed from suffering the first and only loss of his career against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in November 2021. He managed to pick up a bounce-back win this past October, violently knocking out Anthony Dirrell in the ninth round.
This was arguably one of the knockout's of the year, with Plant sending Dirrell tumbling to the canvas unconsciously. That sweet one-punch KO was right up there with Leigh Wood's KO over Michael Conlan in Nottingham last year, and Joe Cordina's sensational knockout of Kenichi Ogawa in Wales when he became a world champion.
Currently, Canelo Alvarez holds all four world titles at 168-pounds and is a likely future opponent for the winner. With that said, a Benavidez win on the 25th could certainly be the more lucrative outcome, since Plant has already challenged and lost to Canelo before.
On paper, this fight is a barnstormer. A real 50/50 fight between two of the best super-middleweight's on the planet. Who will get their hand raised in Vegas on Saturday night? Only time will tell - this one is not to be missed!
Fighter’s Form (last 5 fights):
David Benavidez
David Lemieux - WIN by TKO 3 - 21/05/2022
Kyrone Davis - WIN by TKO 7 - 13/11/2021
Ronald Ellis - WIN by UD TKO 11 - 13/03/2021
Roamer Alexis Angulo - WIN by TKO after 10 - 15/08/2020
Anthony Dirrell - WIN by TKO 9 - 28/09/2019
Caleb Plant
Anthony Dirrell - WIN by KO 9 - 15/10/2022
Canelo Alvarez - LOSS by TKO 11 - 06/11/2021
Caleb Truax - WIN by UD (120-108, 120-108, 120-108) - 30/01/2021
Vincent Feigenbutz - WIN by TKO 10 - 15/02/2020
Mike Lee - WIN by TKO 3 - 20/07/2019
Event Information:
Date: March 25th, 2023
Time: 2 am (GMT), 6pm (PT), 9pm (ET)
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Channel: Showtime Pay-Per-View
Benavidez vs Plant Official Fight Night Poster (Photo: MGM Resorts Newsroom)
Elsewhere on the card...
In the co-main event, unbeatens Jesus Ramos (19-0,15 KO) and Joey Spencer (16-0,10 KO) will meet in a 10-round super welterweight bout. Also featured is lightweight contender Chris Colbert (16-1, 6 KO) taking on Jose Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KO) in a 10-round battle.