David Benavidez takes shots at Caleb Plant
For the most fleeting of moments, it appeared that IBF world super middleweight champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant (20-0, 12 KO’s) had hit the big time. Numerous boxing outlets were running with the story that Plant was first in line to face boxing cash-cow WBA super world middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO’s) this December. Unfortunately for Sweethands, that bout appears to have fizzled out.
Now that his calendar has temporarily opened back up, David “Red Flag” Benavidez (23-0, 20 KO’s), his biggest divisional rival, is calling him out again. Taking to his social media, Benavidez took the time to call Plant a bunch of pussies and openly question his heart.
GOOD FIGHT, BAD TIMING!
While a Benavidez v Plant prizefight would make for a terrific showdown, it is unlikely that Sweethands will take the bait. The two talented boxers have shared a very public and acrimonious feud for quite some time. Over the course of their longstanding bickering, both have accused the other of being the hold-up. Yet, even while Alvarez v Plant is kaput for December, that does not mean that Sweethands will not get the call early in 2021.
It is speculated that the only reason that he did not get the nod this time was due to insufficient time to promote the bout. Provided that Canelo gets his December bout, and is victorious, he very well could opt to fight Plant on his coveted Mexican Independence Day weekend. This would easily be the biggest fight of Plant’s career.
Bearing that in mind, it is very unlikely that Sweethands would risk that huge stage, and payday, to duke it out with Benavidez. Red Flag, a former two-time world champion, is definitely at the top of the food chain in the 168lbs division. With this being said, there is no guarantee that Plant will defeat him. And even if the IBF champion was successful, there is no telling what battle damage he could potentially acquire. So rather than risk the Canelo showdown, it’s highly probable that Caleb Plant will simply listen to Benavidez bark a little bit longer.
By: Bakari Simpson
