Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Benavidez settles rivalry with win
After war of words, ‘Mexican Monster’ earns unanimous decision over Plant
The bad blood finally boiled over Saturday night inside the boxing ring at the MGM Grand Garden, ending one of the sport’s best rivalries with an unlikely embrace and exchange of salutations.
“The best rivalry of the year,” unbeaten super middleweight David Benavidez said, moments after defeating Caleb Plant by unanimous decision. “The best rivalry of the last five years.”
The best victory of Benavidez’s burgeoning career.
Benavidez retained his WBC interim super middleweight title — and secured mandatory positioning for a bout with undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez — with a 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 victory over his bitter rival before a sellout crowd of 13,865.
The fight concluded five years of back-and-forth between two of the best fighters in the division — and an entertaining rivalry that summoned the best in both men on Saturday night.
But the 26-year-old from Phoenix won the war of wills by penetrating Plant’s guard and overwhelming him on the inside with flurries of shuddering shots despite far too much involvement from referee Kenny Bayless.
“We fought like warriors in the ring, and this guy is a (expletive) hell of a fighter,” Benavidez said, prompting the exact same compliment from Plant. “He’s a tough fighter man. … We gave the fans a hell of a fight.”
The bout brought together two former champions, armed with drastically different styles and the equal drive to ascend toward the top of
the division. Plant, a speedy, slick boxer, spent the first four rounds circling Benavidez and changing levels, preventing the former two-time WBC champion from finding his rhythm.
But Benavidez (27-0, 23 knockouts) worked his way through it, using a stiff, snapping jab to close the distance. His thudding body shots required Plant to hold, a defensive technique allowed far too often by Bayless that let the 30-year-old Nashville,
Tennessee, native endure into the championship rounds and deny Benavidez the knockout he’d promised.
The man touted by heavyweight legend Mike Tyson as the “Mexican Monster” rightfully touted the toughness of Plant, who stood in the pocket and absorbed hook after uppercut after hook after uppercut without falling to the canvas the way he twice did against Alvarez at the exact same venue in their undisputed title fight.
“I hit him with a lot of hard shots. I would talk (expletive), but I like this guy now,” Benavidez said with a smile. “I took his hardest shots. He took my hardest shots. Good thing is we’re still standing at the end of the day.”
Benavidez landed 210 punches, per Compubox, compared to 91 from Plant (22-2, 13 KOS) as his output fizzled amid the fatigue.
Of the 210, 18o were power punches, leaving Plant’s face bruised and battered — and his heart.
“I feel good. My mind is right and I feel fine,” Plant said. “It’s a big rivalry but that’s what boxing is about. … I take nothing from David. We’re not the best of friends. We got into the ring and settled it like men. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
With the signature victory over Plant behind him, Benavidez called for a challenge with Alvarez — drawing ovation from a crowd comprised mostly of his supporters. Alvarez is due to defend his title next month in his native Jalisco, Mexico, against WBO mandatory challenger John Ryder.
A fight against Benavidez is one of the biggest commercial matchups in boxing.
“I have nothing but respect for Canelo Alvarez,” Benavidez said. “But he has to give me that shot now.”