By Sean Jones: David Benavidez says he views Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant as not among the upper tier in the super middleweight division. He’s just a guy that picked up his IBF title against the badly flawed Jose Uzcategui in 2019 and then lost it against the first quality fighter he faced in Canelo Alvarez.
‘Sweethands’ Plant is just a body for Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) to chop down in March to use as a stepping stone to undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Of course, with Canelo, there’s a high probability that he’ll vacate the WBC title at light speed, treating it like a hot potato that he can’t get rid of fast enough.
Benavidez’s list of top 168-pounders:
- David Morrell
- Demetrius Andrade
- Canelo Alvarez
Benavidez will be defending his interim WBC 168-lb title against ‘Sweethands’ Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) next March, likely on SHOWTIME, and from there corner Canelo, forcing him to defend or vacate his WBC belt.
“We got this fight with Caleb Plant, we signed it, and we’re still looking for the date. It’s a fight that I’ve wanted and a fight that a lot of fans wanted,” said David Benavidez to Fighthype.
“I don’t consider Caleb as one of the best,” said Benavidez when asked if Plant is one of the best at 168. “You know, he got a title before, but he’s up there for a reason. He was a world champion for a reason.
“There’s Boo Boo Andrade, there’s Canelo, and there’s David Morrell. He’s really, really good. There are a lot of great fights. I just want to make these fights, and may the best man win.
“I feel like I’m the best mentally and physically. I have more power and more speed. I’m ready to put everything on the line.
“It’s going to be a great fight for the sport of boxing. It was a fight that I was going to get because I couldn’t get anything else,” said Benavidez about his canceled plans for a Jose Uzcategui clash.
“I kind of feel my last five fights have been tune-up fights. Al Haymon called me and asked me, ‘Do you want to take the Uzcategui fight, or do you want to go straight into the Caleb Plant fight?’ I said, ‘It’s a no-brainer. I want to go straight into the Caleb Plant fight.
“I’ve been training for a while. My training camp hasn’t started, but I’ve been doing eight rounds of sparring. When this fight happens, I’m going to be more than ready,” said Benavidez.
