David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant is on.
The 168-pound contenders, who have exchanged trash talk from a distance for years, will face off on pay-per-view March 25 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, sources have confirmed to Boxing Junkie.
The matchup pits arguably the Nos. 2 and 3 super middleweights against one another, after undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) already is a two-time world titleholder at 26, having lost his belts first by testing positive for cocaine and then by missing weight.
The strapping Phoenix native is a skillful pressure fighter who generally breaks down and then stops his opponents, even the good ones. He has knocked out his last six opponents, the last one being David Lemieux this past May.
Many observers believe that he would pose the stiffest challenge to Alvarez among 168-pounders.
Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) also is a former super middleweight titleholder. He lost his belt to Alvarez by an 11th-round TKO last October, a fight in which he gave a solid performance.
The native of Nashville, a slick boxer, rebounded to stop Anthony Dirrell with a single left hook in in the ninth round in October, a 2022 Knockout of the Year candidate. Plant had been outboxing his veteran opponent.
The matchup is also a big step for both fighters from a business standpoint. Benavidez has never fought in a pay-per-view main event. Plant played a supporting role in his PPV with Alvarez.