Team Benavidez Working on a September Fight with Caleb Plant
Within the super middleweight division there exists a long-standing rivalry between Caleb “Sweethands” Plant (21-1, 12 KO’s) and David “Red Flag” Benavidez (25-0, 22 KO’s). The two have woofed at one another in person and over social media for years. In fact, their two camps even had a physical altercation back in 2018. Despite their animosity and disdain for one another, they were never able to pen a bout.
Benavidez puts the majority of the blame firmly on Plant’s shoulders. While Sweethands did consistently express interest in the fight, he was the one who did shy away from the showdown. To his credit though, Plant fell back on the fight once when Benavidez lost his WBC 168-pound title on the scales and when he had a chance to fight boxing poster boy Canelo Alvarez.
Unfortunately for him, Plant would go on to be stopped by Canelo in the eleventh round of their November 6, 2021 showdown. Not only did he lose the fight and his belt, he lost the opportunity to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion in history. Now, Plant is ready to begin rebuilding and he’s looking to do that with Benavidez.
PUTTING IT ALL ON THE LINE
True, neither boxer holds a title but they still are unquestionably two of the best fighters in the division. Even now, Plant is ranked #4 (WBA) and #5 (WBC), while Red Flag holds the #1 (WBC) and #2 (WBO) standing. Therefore, not only is this a very fan-friendly fight, it’s a dangerous and significant match for both men. Thankfully, not only is Benavidez not snubbing the bout, he and his whole team have embraced the idea of an impending duel. In fact, according to his father, Jose Benavidez Sr, they are closing to finalizing paper work on a match up!
Red Flag has done regular interviews over the last several weeks expressing his desire for a significant prizefight. Ultimately, he would love a showdown with Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, but that does not seem to be in the cards any time soon. Due to this, Benavidez has spent time drumming up interest in a contest with WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade who is posed to jump up in weight at any time.
HIGH STAKES/HIGH REWARD
While Benavidez versus Andrade is a fantastic match, few would lose their mind if Red Flag opted to finally hash out his beef with Plant. As for Plant, this is the breathing definition of high risk/high reward. Naturally, if he emerges victorious over Benavidez, he just beat one of the most dangerous boxers in the division, saddled him with his first professional loss and proven he is not damaged goods. If Sweethands losses however, he will have suffered back-to-back losses and no doubt will be ridiculed by a routinely finicky fanbase. Likewise, a loss for Benavidez would be as equally detrimental. So, let’s see if all this current tough talk produces this potentially treacherous fight that could not be contracted in the past.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By: Bakari Simpson
3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
Comments are closed.