Two power-hitting rivals will settle their beef in the ring on March 25. Former world champions David Benavidez and Caleb Plant battle it out in what could be a brutal super-middleweight classic.
The fight takes place inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The winner is expected to face undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
This rivalry has been going on for quite a while. Plant has called him out at various points. Benavidez has shown up in the front row at Plant’s fights to egg him on.
When is David Benavidez vs Caleb Plant?
Date: Saturday, March 25 | Sunday, March 26
Start time: 9 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT
Main event: 12 a.m. ET | 4 a.m. GMT | 3 p.m. AEDT (approx.)
Benavidez vs. Plant takes place on March 25. The main card starts at 9 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT. Benavidez and Plant should make their way to the ring around 12 a.m. ET | 4 a.m. GMT | 3 p.m. AEDT, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Benavidez vs Plant: What has been said?
Benavidez:
“We’re both at the top of the division,” Plant stated. “This rivalry only started because we agree to disagree on whose better. And that’s fine, he should feel like that. That’s how great fighters are supposed to feel. It’s slowly built up over time… I never said David’s a bad fighter because I have no interest in fighting bad fighters. I want to fight good fighters and make big fights. This is the best fight that could be made in the division.”
Prediction:
This fight comes down who will be able to implement their game plan perfectly on fight night.
Could Plant counter and move on the back foot and set traps for Benavidez to walk onto? Or will Benavidez stand at mid-range and power in those big straight right hands and fast combinations of hooks to head and body to break Caleb down over time?
Benavidez really can’t stand Caleb, desperate to inflict pain upon his bitter rival, which is a worry that he could get a carried away with all that built-up anger and aggression. If anyone is going to walk onto one, then I’d have pick Benavidez. He is the more likely of the two to let emotions spill over.
My advice to Caleb would be to stick to his boxing, superior movement and use his angles. Don’t go looking for the knockout, just let it come naturally, and if there’s a sign of vulnerability, then turn up the heat.
As a boxer who is smart and a smooth, fluid mover, I would also suggest not going with the same look in every round. Any sign of predictability will be a red flag to the guy they actually call the “Red Flag”. When Benavidez starts throwing his combinations, you have to punch back, accurately, to break his rhythm. You can’t allow him to get into a groove because then it’s going to be a long, hard night.
There’s an old saying, ‘You can’t punch and block punches at the same time.’ If Benavidez is throwing punches, which he does so often and in numbers, then throw one right down the pipe, with venom, to try to break his rhythm and upset his tempo. Those accurate counters could catch the judges’ eyes at ringside and rack the rounds up in his corner.
The best bet for Benavidez would be to pressure constantly, as is his custom, and to know how to cut the ring off intelligently without getting tangled up. Try to make Caleb move the way that he wants to move him, so being one step ahead of him for a change, which he won’t like, and then it’s about timing. David is fast, he’s big, he can jab, but he has to cut off the ring to slow Caleb down and move him into the position where he wants him to be, which is when and where he can attack with punches in bunches.
It’s such a great fight, by far the best matchup of the year yet, but I am going to go with my gut feeling that the stronger, more aggressive David Benavidez wins by late KO between rounds 9-12.
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