WBC Interim Super Middleweight Challenge
Last night’s Showtime/PBC Pay-Per-View Main Event between WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion David Benavidez (27-0, 23 Kos) and Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 Kos) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was definitely a bout that lived up to the hype. Real Talk!
This bout was a strategic affair that unfolded with both combatants working in their respective “game plan” right from the jump. The boxer Caleb vs the puncher in David.
Both combatants stepped their game up on the night. Caleb, who insisted on a bigger ring, utilized every inch of it by boxing beautifully in the first half of the bout. His movement and speed made it more difficult for David to pin him down and assert himself offensively but throughout the early rounds of this bout you could see the pressure Benavidez was applying would eventually hit the mark.
Benavidez is a patient warrior who clearly believes in his ability to cut off the ring on any tough opponent who thinks they can continuously avoid the inevitable onslaught that he brings inside that squared circle.
David is a hunter inside that squared circle and his opponent his prey. By the 8th round his prey was visibly tiring and losing steam as the round progressed. That being said, Benavidez’s heavy punches were finding their mark at a higher clip and noticeably affecting Plant who tried his best to withstand the onslaught.
With Plant progressively weakening in the later rounds and continuously looking hurt after every hard shot, Caleb surprisingly refused to succumb to the assault and continued to fight back all the way to the final bell of the 12th round.
That being said, I tip my “B” to Caleb’s resiliency inside that squared circle. Although David had clearly taken over the second half of the bout in a dominant fashion, Caleb willed himself in a tough battle and finished on his feet when the beatdown was visibly at his doorstep. Dude is a lot tougher than he looks, hands down!
After 12 full exciting rounds of nonstop action, the Judges at hand scored it 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111 unanimously for David Benavidez.
Although “The Mexican Monster” did not close the show in his traditional knockout fashion, he dominated a tougher than expected top Super Middleweight combatant and still retained his WBC Interim Super Middleweight Title, keeping that door open to a possible showdown in the near future with the Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 Kos).
Until then, congratulations David on another great and dominant performance.
Blaze