David Benavidez is expected to take on rival Caleb Plant in the all-important 168-pound bout Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Here are five questions — and answers — about the much-anticipated pay-per-view battle.
What makes the game attractive?
This was a fight between two elite boxers in their infancy, something that doesn’t happen often in boxing today. It was an interesting style match, a tough stalker versus a burly boxer that also had some highlights. The stakes are very high. The winner will be at the top of the line to challenge undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, possibly after the Mexican star challenges Dmitry Bivol again in the fall. The loser will have to rebuild, especially if the results are convincing. It can be a long and difficult process. And the seemingly real tension between the principals fueled an already attractive promotion. Indeed, this is the best possible 168-pound fight without Alvarez’s involvement.
Is Benavidez as good as he looks?
We shall see. Benavidez’s seek-and-destroy style has caused the majority of his opponents to lose, including knockdowns in his last six games. He seemed like a real threat to anyone, including Alvarez. Is him? Eye test says, “yes.” However, he didn’t face the level of opposition needed to prove he was one of the best boxers of his time. His most significant victory? Probably then-owner Anthony Dirrell, who was stopped by Benavidez for nine innings in 2019. Beyond Dirrell was a string of solid but limited opponents. Plant is arguably the best boxer Benavidez will face, meaning that a win – especially a convincing one – would help underscore the point that Benavidez is the real deal.
Can Plant do anything to Benavidez like he did to Anthony Dirrell?
Maybe, but probably not. Plant had only had three stops in his previous 10 fights but had proven to Dirrell he could end even a major skirmish in an instant, knocking his former owner unconscious with a perfect left hook. . That punch will hurt anyone. At the same time, Benavidez is not Dirrell. The second was a 38-year-old man with lots of miles on his odometer, someone who had been stopped by Benavidez three games earlier. He may have been ripe for such a disgraceful fate. Benavidez was a big, strong, fresh 26-year-old who took advantage of the best that all opponents threw at him. It’s hard to imagine an average boxer in history becoming the first to beat Benavidez.
This fight will be like Plant vs. Alvarez?
Maybe. Plant, a slick boxer, will probably give Benavidez a problem with his stick and move tactics early in the match but he’ll get more and more punches as the fight goes on, he says. will burn out and struggle for as long as he did in his match. 11lame pants-a knockout loss to Alvarez in 2021. Of course, most agree that Benavidez cannot fight as well as Alvarez. At the same time, he throws more shots than the Mexican and is the most accurate puncher in boxing, according to CompuBox. That could make up for any shortfalls in his technical skills – if any To be any shortcoming – and relatively inexperienced in big battles. That’s why I predict that Benavidez will fall and eventually stop Plant at some point during the championship rounds.
Can the winner beat Alvarez?
Depends on Alvarez. The weightlifter convincingly defeated Plant, rose to the top on the scoreboard and then stopped the challenger in the penultimate round. There is no doubt about who is the better boxer. Plant would probably only be able to win the rematch if Alvarez, 32, falls into shape or gets in the way of injury, which seems to have happened in a few of the Mexican’s previous matches. We’ll see how Alvarez takes on John Ryder on May 6 and then, presumably, in a rematch with Bivol in September. Meanwhile, Benavidez will be the underdog but can compete with Alvarez. even when he’s at his best. The former was naturally large for a 168-pound man, had excellent firepower, and was in his prime physically. If nothing else, it will be fascinating to see how that fight plays out.
