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David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant
Los Angeles Press Conference
Undefeated former two-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion
David “El Bandera Roja’’ Benavídez and former IBF Super
Middleweight Champion Caleb Plant continued their war of
words and nearly came to blows at a tense press conference
in Los Angeles Thursday before they settle their years-long
rivalry in a 12-round showdown that headlines a SHOWTIME PPV
on Saturday, March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las
Vegas in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
Benavídez and Plant met at the Conga Room at L.A. Live less
than two months before their long-awaited clash, as the
hungry super middleweights look to settle their score in one
of boxing’s most anticipated showdowns. Both have had reigns
as champions at 168 pounds and both are eager to ascend to
the top of the division as they fight for Benavídez’s
Interim WBC Super Middleweight title. As the two exchanged
insults on stage and the barbs grew more personal, security
twice had to intervene to keep them apart during the
proceedings.
Here is what the press conference participants had to say
Thursday from Los Angeles:
DAVID BENAVIDEZ
“On March 25, I guarantee that I’m knocking Caleb Plant out
before round six.
“This has been a fight in the making for the last five years
and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m at my best
right now mentally and physically. On March 25, I finally
get to put hands on Caleb Plant.
“When you’re on the ground bleeding, you’ll learn how to
respect a real fighter. I’m what you want to be. You’re a
chump.
“He had a sensational win against Anthony Dirrell and I take
nothing away from that. This is the best time this fight
could have happened. It was the right move for both of us.
I’ve been wanting to fight him for a long time and now the
winner of this fight gets to be the mandatory for Canelo
Alvarez. I’m super motivated.
“The fans want to see a knockout. He can act like I’m not
like that, but just look at my record. Look at how everyone
looks after they fight me. I don’t play around. That’s what
I do and he’s no different from any fighter I’ve ever
fought.
“This is the most important fight of my career to this date.
I feel like after this fight, I’m going to pass that
threshold and get to where I want to be. Every fighter has
one of these grudge matches that brings the best out of
them. I don’t like Caleb at all, but I want to thank him for
bringing the animal out of me. I’m more motivated than ever.
“I can’t wait to give my fans a great knockout. We know that
this isn’t gonna be easy. It’s gonna be grueling. But I’m
ready to get in there and knock this guy out.
“He knows how the canvas feels and I’m putting him back on
that. You’re gonna be laying down again.
“You got knocked out already and I’m gonna do the same thing
to you again. I’m putting you to sleep.”
CALEB PLANT
“We got a big fight on our hands. That’s what boxing needs.
I want to be someone who helps deliver that to the boxing
world and I’m sure Benavidez does too.
“After the Canelo fight, I said that I wanted to make the
biggest fight possible. They came back with two-time
champion Anthony Dirrell for a title eliminator. I knew I
was next in line to fight the interim champ before that
fight, and that meant David Benavidez. I’m in the fight that
I want.
“You don’t have to worry about me showing up on March 25.
This isn’t my first big fight. I’ve been here before.
“We’re both at the top of the division. This rivalry only
started because we agree to disagree on who’s better. And
that’s fine, he should feel like that. That’s how great
fighters are supposed to feel. It’s slowly built up over
time.
“I’m coming. We’re prepared. I’ve been at this level before
and I know what it takes. From now until March 25 it’s just
about who can train the hardest and keep their foot on the
gas.
“This is an incredibly important fight and it’s perfect
timing for it to happen. This kind of fight sends a message
to all the other fighters that it’s time to step up and take
big fights. Boxing needs fights like this. This is a legacy
fight for me and my team. On March 25, I see myself getting
my hand raised.
“I’ve fought in Las Vegas before and it’s what every kid who
has ever laced up a pair of boxing gloves dreams of –
fighting on the biggest stage at MGM Grand and on
pay-per-view.
“I never said David’s a bad fighter because I have no
interest in fighting bad fighters. I want to fight good
fighters and make big fights. This is the best fight that
could be made in the division.”
JOSE BENAVIDEZ SR., Benavidez’s Father and Trainer
“This is a big opportunity. This is going to be a great
fight and worthy of pay-per-view. We’ve got a great team and
I’ve had to add to it to keep up with David. I guarantee
that this is going to be an exciting fight on March 25.
“I don’t think Plant and his team are as comfortable with
this fight as we are. We’ve wanted this fight for almost
five years and we pushed to get this fight.
“We’re so motivated to face someone like Caleb Plant. He’s a
good fighter, he’s slick and he’s difficult. These are the
fights that we need to get motivated. Plant can see in
David’s eyes that David wants to mess him up.”
STEPHEN “BREADMAN” EDWARDS, Plant’s Trainer
“I’m proud to be in this spot to showcase our hard work
against a great fighter like David Benavidez. I also feel
like I have a great fighter in Caleb Plant.”
“I’m very excited to show what we’ve been working on when we
get in the ring March 25. People say there is bad blood
between them, but they will get to settle it in seven weeks.
In the end, we all need each other to make these kinds of
fights.”
“I’m glad that this was an easy fight to make. Caleb called
me and said he was making the fight. So here we are and
we’ve already been in camp for a couple of weeks.”
TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions
“Some people say that the big fights never get made, but
that’s just not true with PBC and SHOWTIME. This is the type
of fight that makes this the greatest sport in the world.
“Saturday March 25 is going to be an incredible night. These
are the kinds of fights that we’re in this sport for.
There’s nothing more exciting than seeing two fighters in
their prime and slugging it out.
“I believe that this fight between David Benavidez and Caleb
Plant will be added to the list of epic brawls between two
warriors taking it to the next level. This fight will be one
of, if not the winner of Fight of the Year this year. This
is one you don’t want to miss.”
STEPHEN ESPINOZA, President, Sports & Event Programming,
Showtime Networks Inc.
“If you know anything about boxing, you know this is one of
the very best fights that can be made in the sport. The
consensus No. 1 and No. 2 contenders in this division. This
is a high-stakes matchup, personally and professionally.
There’s a personal rivalry here. There are bragging rights
here. There is supremacy in the division at stake.
“David Benavidez was called “The Mexican Monster” by none
other than Mike Tyson. Some of the fastest hands in the
heavier divisions and in the sport overall. This will be the
eighth time he’s fought on SHOWTIME®, and he’s grown up on
SHOWTIME. He first caught our eye on SHOBOX® way back in
2015. Since then, he’s fought on Special Editions and
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®. This will be his first
appearance on SHOWTIME PPV. He’s been on the stage so long
that it’s easy to forget that he’s only 26 years old. He’s
the youngest ever champion at 168 pounds at the tender age
of 20 years old. He is one of the most entertaining fighters
in the sport.
“This will be Caleb’s third appearance on SHOWTIME and
second on SHOWTIME PPV. He is an excellent boxer.
Fundamentally solid, underrated power. He’s coming off what
for many people, including CBS Sports and Boxing Scene,
ranked as the 2022 Knockout of the Year. A highlight-reel
knockout of the very durable Anthony Dirrell. If you have
any doubts about Caleb’s power, go back and watch that
knockout and you won’t. Last time Caleb fought on SHOWTIME
PPV was a grueling 11-round fight against Canelo Alvarez.
There are many people that think he provided the blueprint.
The jab. The movement. Frustrating Canelo in a way we
haven’t seen him frustrated . It’s that combination of
skills and power that make him a worthy adversary for David
Benavidez.
“It seems like many times in this sport people want to pay
more attention to the fights that don’t get made than the
fights that do. Well, this is an outstanding fight and more
importantly, neither one of these fighters has to take it.
It’s not a mandatory. It’s not an eliminator. It’s not
something that anybody had to be talked into. This is
something that each of these fighters wanted personally and
professionally. Boxing got it right, as it often does.”
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