By: Sean Crose
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas hosted boxing’s first major bout of 2023 on Saturday night as it featured a super-middleweight grudge match between former boxer David Benavidez and former boxer Caleb Plant in a scheduled 12 inning match. With that in mind, there were a number of Showtime pay-per-view card matches set to go down before Benavidez and Plant entered the ring for the main event. First, Abel Ramos 15-3-2 played the undefeated Cody Crowley 21-0 in a throw-in scheduled for the 12th.
Crowley made good use of his height and south-facing stance in the first game. Ramos slipped near the end of the second half. With that said, both men shot close to the line for most of the round. Things are still interesting in season three, but the pressure created by Crowley may have made it suffer for the Nevadan (via Canada). Ramos had to be cautioned for repeatedly hitting low in the fourth inning. With that being said, the man still has a strong ring.
Ramos had some excellent shots early in the fifth inning. The strength of the man began to show on Crowley’s face. However, there’s no denying Crowley’s aggression in season six. It’s no doubt a tight, tough, and exciting fight at the halfway point. The seventh war is the same – if following the same war means a war of attrition. Ramos deserves a lot of praise in the eighth inning, as he won’t let Crowley’s aggression simply bring him down. With that in mind, Crowley leaned on his man in ninth place.
The fight was largely tense in the tenth, with each man shooting from medium range. In the eleventh inning, the umpire announced Crowley had been beaten badly because his glove had touched the carpet. Crowly quickly got to his feet and the match was decided “no knockdown” thanks to boxing’s relatively new instant replay rules. The twelfth and final round saw each of the rugged and exhausted warriors all come out into the middle of the ring.
The judges ultimately ruled in Crowley’s favor through a majority decision.
