Via Jim Calfa: David Benavidez says he needs a win over Caleb Plant to get the fight he wants against Canelo Alvarez. Former super-middleweight champion IBF Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) is in the same boat, needing a win over Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs) to rematch Canelo, who stopped him in the 10th round first. . November.
It’s more important for Plant, 29, to start winning against highly ranked boxers like Benavidez if he wants a second shot at Canelo, as the Mexicans have beaten him.
Unless Plant does something extraordinary like defeating Benavidez, it’s safe to say he’ll never get another chance to fight Canelo again.
Benavidez, 25, is battling David Lemieux (43-4, 36 KOs) for the interim 168-lb WBC title next month on May 21 at Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona.
“No beef. I’m gonna smash the *** off him,“David Benavidez said to Behind the gloves when asked where the bad blood between him and Caleb Plant came from.
“It’s just boxing, this is what it is. Sometimes you get someone you don’t like and there’s no beef behind it. I don’t like him and he doesn’t like me either.
“He said a lot of bad things and we went to see what it was about. I think now, we are closer than ever to making the fight happen,” Benavidez said of Plant.
“I fought this fight with David Lemieux, and I think it will give me more leverage to make this fight happen. After I received this temporary WBC [168-lb] title, there would be no reason for him not to fight me, especially after I gave him a chance to fight.
“But first I have to get in there and win the title. He [Plant] was told that I had nothing to offer him, and that he would fight Canelo. He didn’t want to put that in jeopardy.
“Now he fought Canelo and he needs someone else to fight, I’m here. He is said to be fighting Anthony Dirrell. I feel like I don’t like Caleb Plant, but honestly, I need him.
“I need him to the next level. He fought Canelo, so I need to fight everyone to fight Canelo. He needs me. Who else will he fight?
“I feel like we both need each other. Nothing is certain, but for me, I just feel like all I have to do is just get the fight with Canelo out of my head.
“I was a must in two fights. Now he says there is no need to fight the imperative that is fighting there. What I’m going to do now is hopefully fight Caleb Plant, hopefully, I fight Andrade, and hopefully, I fight Charlo.
“That is my plan for the future, but first thing, I have to take care of my business on May 21, and we will do it after that,” Benavidez said of the fight against Lemieux.
