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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