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David Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant by a unanimous decision in a pivotal 12-round 168-pound fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Here are images from the fight. All photos by Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports.
David Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant by a unanimous decision in a pivotal 12-round 168-pound fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Here are images from the fight. All photos by Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports.
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David Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant by a unanimous decision in a pivotal 12-round 168-pound fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Here are images from the fight. All photos by Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports.
David Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant by a unanimous decision in a pivotal 12-round 168-pound fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Here are images from the fight. All photos by Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports.
[lawrence-related id=36328,36307,36309,36312,36304]
David Benavidez chased down and beat up Caleb Plant to win a wide decision in their 168-pound showdown Saturday in Las Vegas.
All David Benavidez needed was time.
Caleb Plant danced and held his way to an early lead but Benavidez caught up to him, beat him up and ran away with a unanimous decision victory in their 168-pound showdown Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In the process, Benavidez left no doubt that he’s the biggest threat to undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez wants that fight – badly.
“I have a lot of respect for Canelo Alvarez,” Plant said in the ring after his victory, “but he has to give me that shot now. It’s what everybody wants see, me versus Canelo. Let’s make it happen in September.”
Alvarez might not be in a hurry to accommodate Benavidez after what transpired on Saturday.
Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) looked sharp early in the fight, taking advantage of the oversized ring he demanded by getting close enough to his powerful opponent to land punches here and there and then either moving out of harm’s way or holding, which was his greatest weapon in the end.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) stalked the quick, athletic Plant but had difficulty cutting off the ring. Plant led on all three cards halfway through the fight and appeared to be in a strong position to pull off an upset.
However, by Round 6, Benavidez began to close the distance and land hard punches to both the head and body. And he connected on more and more as the fight progressed, which word Plant down and forced him to hold incessantly merely to survive.
Plant’s co-trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards told Plant late in the fight that he wanted to see more from his protégé or he’d save him from himself.
The loser fought with courage until the final bell, holding his own in the final round even though he was badly beaten and blood from a cut suffered in Round 8 obscured his vision. However, Benavidez had run away with the fight.
The official scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. All three judges gave Benavidez Rounds 6 through 12, a clear indication of his dominance in the second half of what became a brutal beat down.
Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Benavidez, eight rounds to four.
Benavidez didn’t throw as many punches as he typically does, which is attributable at least in part to Plant’s reluctance to engage him. At the same time, he made the ones he threw count: He connected on a healthy 43% of his power shots, according to CompuBox.
There wasn’t much Plant could say afterward.
“No excuses. David was the better man,” he said.
Now Benavidez must wait and hope that his Mexican rival is willing to step into the ring with him.
Alvarez, who stopped Plant in 11 rounds in 2021, is scheduled to face John Ryder in a homecoming fight on May 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Then he’s expected to seek a rematch with his conqueror and 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol in September, although nothing is set.
Benavidez was asked whether he believes Alvarez is avoiding him. He answered in the negative.
“I just believe that he has a lot of options,” he said. “Now fans are calling for this fight, the legends are calling for this fight. So let’s make it happen.”
[lawrence-related id=36307,36309,36312]
David Benavidez chased down and beat up Caleb Plant to win a wide decision in their 168-pound showdown Saturday in Las Vegas.
All David Benavidez needed was time.
Caleb Plant danced and held his way to an early lead but Benavidez caught up to him, beat him up and ran away with a unanimous decision victory in their 168-pound showdown Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In the process, Benavidez left no doubt that he’s the biggest threat to undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez wants that fight – badly.
“I have a lot of respect for Canelo Alvarez,” Plant said in the ring after his victory, “but he has to give me that shot now. It’s what everybody wants see, me versus Canelo. Let’s make it happen in September.”
Alvarez might not be in a hurry to accommodate Benavidez after what transpired on Saturday.
Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) looked sharp early in the fight, taking advantage of the oversized ring he demanded by getting close enough to his powerful opponent to land punches here and there and then either moving out of harm’s way or holding, which was his greatest weapon in the end.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) stalked the quick, athletic Plant but had difficulty cutting off the ring. Plant led on all three cards halfway through the fight and appeared to be in a strong position to pull off an upset.
However, by Round 6, Benavidez began to close the distance and land hard punches to both the head and body. And he connected on more and more as the fight progressed, which word Plant down and forced him to hold incessantly merely to survive.
Plant’s co-trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards told Plant late in the fight that he wanted to see more from his protégé or he’d save him from himself.
The loser fought with courage until the final bell, holding his own in the final round even though he was badly beaten and blood from a cut suffered in Round 8 obscured his vision. However, Benavidez had run away with the fight.
The official scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. All three judges gave Benavidez Rounds 6 through 12, a clear indication of his dominance in the second half of what became a brutal beat down.
Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Benavidez, eight rounds to four.
Benavidez didn’t throw as many punches as he typically does, which is attributable at least in part to Plant’s reluctance to engage him. At the same time, he made the ones he threw count: He connected on a healthy 43% of his power shots, according to CompuBox.
There wasn’t much Plant could say afterward.
“No excuses. David was the better man,” he said.
Now Benavidez must wait and hope that his Mexican rival is willing to step into the ring with him.
Alvarez, who stopped Plant in 11 rounds in 2021, is scheduled to face John Ryder in a homecoming fight on May 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Then he’s expected to seek a rematch with his conqueror and 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol in September, although nothing is set.
Benavidez was asked whether he believes Alvarez is avoiding him. He answered in the negative.
“I just believe that he has a lot of options,” he said. “Now fans are calling for this fight, the legends are calling for this fight. So let’s make it happen.”
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Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos dropped, pounded and stopped overmatched Joey Spencer in seven rounds Saturday in Las Vegas.
Jesus Ramos overwhelmed Joey Spencer.
The 154-pound contender put Spencer down late in the first round and pounded him relentlessly thereafter, ultimately giving the latter’s corner no choice but to stop the scheduled 10-rounder.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:25 of Round 7.
The opening round was competitive until Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) put Spencer (16-1, 10 KOs) down with a left hook with about 25 seconds remaining.
It was a rout after that, with Ramos landing almost at will round after round. Spencer never stopped trying and had some good moments but he couldn’t get out of the way of Ramos’ hard shots.
As a result, by the time the seventh round rolled around, Spencer had taken a fearful amount of punishment. His cornermen decided he had taken enough and stopped the fight to save their brave fighter from taking undue punishment.
With the victory, Ramos, only 22, moves a step closer to his first shot at a world title. Spencer, who had been a hot prospect, will now have to rebuild.
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Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos dropped, pounded and stopped overmatched Joey Spencer in seven rounds Saturday in Las Vegas.
Jesus Ramos overwhelmed Joey Spencer.
The 154-pound contender put Spencer down late in the first round and pounded him relentlessly thereafter, ultimately giving the latter’s corner no choice but to stop the scheduled 10-rounder.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:25 of Round 7.
The opening round was competitive until Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) put Spencer (16-1, 10 KOs) down with a left hook with about 25 seconds remaining.
It was a rout after that, with Ramos landing almost at will round after round. Spencer never stopped trying and had some good moments but he couldn’t get out of the way of Ramos’ hard shots.
As a result, by the time the seventh round rolled around, Spencer had taken a fearful amount of punishment. His cornermen decided he had taken enough and stopped the fight to save their brave fighter from taking undue punishment.
With the victory, Ramos, only 22, moves a step closer to his first shot at a world title. Spencer, who had been a hot prospect, will now have to rebuild.
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Chris Colbert survived a first-round knockdown to defeat Jose Valenzuela by a questionable decision Saturday in Las Vegas.
Unanimous decision for Chris Colbert?
The boos that emanated from the MGM Grand when Colbert was awarded the nod over Jose Valenzuela after their 10-round lightweight bout on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant fight Saturday might’ve been justified.
Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, putting Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) on the canvas and hurting him with a wide left about 30 seconds into the fight.
Colbert survived the rest of the round and never took a shot quite as big as the one that knocked him down but he absorbed many more hard, eye-catching shots from the hard-punching Valenzuela, who generally pushed the action.
To his credit, Colbert, the quicker, slicker boxer, had some success when he jabbed and fired off combinations from the outside and he got the better of some inside exchanges, too.
However, Valenzuela continued to land heavy punches with consistency, which is why Boxing Junkie scored it 96-93 for him, six rounds to four.
The judges saw it differently, evidently favoring Colbert’s jab and quick combinations over Valenzuela’s heavy blows. All three had the same score: 95-94, six rounds to four for Colbert.
Valenzuela, who was shocked when the decision was announced, made it clear to Colbert that he believes he was cheated out of a victory.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the judge and I’m not a sore loser,” Colbert said. “I’m a man. I can take it on the chin like a man. He’s a sore loser. I out-boxed him and hit him with more jabs.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a man and he had his spurts. He hit me with some good shots but then he stopped and I jabbed and I jabbed and I jabbed. He got the knockdown but it’s a 10-round fight.”
Said Valenzuela: “I beat him. … I thought I won. I was hitting him with the harder shots. I dropped him. I dominated. But it is what it is. It’s boxing.
Colbert, who moved up from 130 pounds to 135 for the fight, bounced back from his one-sided unanimous decision loss to Hector Luis Garcia in February of last year.
Meanwhile, Valenzuela has now lost two in a row. He was stopped by Edwin De Los Santos in September.
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Chris Colbert survived a first-round knockdown to defeat Jose Valenzuela by a questionable decision Saturday in Las Vegas.
Unanimous decision for Chris Colbert?
The boos that emanated from the MGM Grand when Colbert was awarded the nod over Jose Valenzuela after their 10-round lightweight bout on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant fight Saturday might’ve been justified.
Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, putting Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) on the canvas and hurting him with a wide left about 30 seconds into the fight.
Colbert survived the rest of the round and never took a shot quite as big as the one that knocked him down but he absorbed many more hard, eye-catching shots from the hard-punching Valenzuela, who generally pushed the action.
To his credit, Colbert, the quicker, slicker boxer, had some success when he jabbed and fired off combinations from the outside and he got the better of some inside exchanges, too.
However, Valenzuela continued to land heavy punches with consistency, which is why Boxing Junkie scored it 96-93 for him, six rounds to four.
The judges saw it differently, evidently favoring Colbert’s jab and quick combinations over Valenzuela’s heavy blows. All three had the same score: 95-94, six rounds to four for Colbert.
Valenzuela, who was shocked when the decision was announced, made it clear to Colbert that he believes he was cheated out of a victory.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the judge and I’m not a sore loser,” Colbert said. “I’m a man. I can take it on the chin like a man. He’s a sore loser. I out-boxed him and hit him with more jabs.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a man and he had his spurts. He hit me with some good shots but then he stopped and I jabbed and I jabbed and I jabbed. He got the knockdown but it’s a 10-round fight.”
Said Valenzuela: “I beat him. … I thought I won. I was hitting him with the harder shots. I dropped him. I dominated. But it is what it is. It’s boxing.
Colbert, who moved up from 130 pounds to 135 for the fight, bounced back from his one-sided unanimous decision loss to Hector Luis Garcia in February of last year.
Meanwhile, Valenzuela has now lost two in a row. He was stopped by Edwin De Los Santos in September.
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Welterweight contender Cody Crowley outworked Abel Ramos to win a majority decision Saturday in Las Vegas.
Hard work often produces good results.
Welterweight contender Cody Crowley proved that once again against Abel Ramos, pressuring Ramos from beginning to end to win a majority decision on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant show Saturday in Las Vegas.
The officials scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112, eight rounds to four.
Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs) pinned Ramos (27-6-2, 21 KOs) against the ropes and fired away round after round, simply outworking his more-experienced opponent.
Ramos also had success in a competitive fight, finding openings to land many of the cleanest shots of the fight.
That was particularly obvious in Round 11, in which Ramos landed a right hand that appeared to force Crowley to touch the canvas for a knockdown. However, a ringside official ruled before the start of Round 12 that the glove hadn’t hit the mat.
In the end, the fight seemed to come down to math: Crowley landed more punches, which generally wins fights.
The fight was billed as a WBC title eliminator. Crowley is ranked No. 3, Ramos No. 6.
Welterweight contender Cody Crowley outworked Abel Ramos to win a majority decision Saturday in Las Vegas.
Hard work often produces good results.
Welterweight contender Cody Crowley proved that once again against Abel Ramos, pressuring Ramos from beginning to end to win a majority decision on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant show Saturday in Las Vegas.
The officials scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112, eight rounds to four.
Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs) pinned Ramos (27-6-2, 21 KOs) against the ropes and fired away round after round, simply outworking his more-experienced opponent.
Ramos also had success in a competitive fight, finding openings to land many of the cleanest shots of the fight.
That was particularly obvious in Round 11, in which Ramos landed a right hand that appeared to force Crowley to touch the canvas for a knockdown. However, a ringside official ruled before the start of Round 12 that the glove hadn’t hit the mat.
In the end, the fight seemed to come down to math: Crowley landed more punches, which generally wins fights.
The fight was billed as a WBC title eliminator. Crowley is ranked No. 3, Ramos No. 6.
