Boxing

David Benavidez, Caleb Plant started a war of words that led to a fight


David Benavidez and Caleb Plant are both sure they’ll be behind when they meet in a pay-per-view 168-pound title elimination on March 25 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They just speak in different ways.

Benavidez sometimes speaks as if he is fighting, abandoned. The two-time former champion isn’t shy about describing what he intends to do to his opponent.

“On March 25, I guarantee that I’ll knock out Caleb Plant before round six,” Benavidez told Plant at Thursday’s inaugural press conference in Los Angeles. “This is a war that has been going on for the past five years and it comes at a better time. Right now I am in the best state mentally and physically. On March 25, I finally got my hands on Caleb Plant.

“When you lie on the ground bleeding, you learn to respect a real boxer. I am what you want to be. You are an asshole.”

Plant was more restrained but basically said the same thing.

“I will come,” he said. “Prepared. I’ve been at this level before and I know what it takes. Between now and March 25 it’s just a matter of who can train the hardest and keep the gas pedal on.

“…This is a legacy fight for me and my team. On March 25, I found myself raising my hand.”

Benavidez and Plant have not been polite to each other over the years, perhaps helping to promote a fascinating fight they consider inevitable. Or maybe they really don’t like each other.

Either way, this fight has been building for years. And while both are confident, the fight wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t have some degree of mutual respect as warriors.

Plant is about to have the most sensational victory of his career, the ninth round with a single punch knockout Anthony Dirrell in October after his 11thorder-round injury-time loss to undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez causing him to lose his belt in November 2021.

Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) acknowledges Plant’s most recent performance and implies that it adds brilliance to the upcoming matchup.

“He had a sensational win over Anthony Dirrell and I can’t take that away from him,” he said. “This is the best time this war can happen. It was the right move for both of us. I have wanted to fight him for a long time and now the winner of this fight will be a must for Canelo Alvarez. I’m super motivated.

Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) had no problem with his opponent’s rude talk, he said: “This rivalry only started because we agreed to disagree on who is better . And that’s fine, he should feel that way. That is the feeling of great warriors.”

And the last thing he wants to do is downplay Benavidez because he wants nothing to do with below average opponents. He wants to face the challenge in every fight, just as he will in this one.

“I never said David was a bad fighter because I have no interest in fighting bad fighters,” he said. “I want to fight good fighters and hit big. This is the best fight that can be made in division.

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