David Benavidez and Caleb Plant lock horns in a massive battle between super-middleweight foes tonight.
There is certainly no love lost with these heated rivals, who will finally settle their differences inside the ring on Saturday after clashing again at an explosive weigh-in.
The prize of becoming undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez’s next mandatory challenger is up for grabs as Benavidez mounts the first defence of the WBC interim title he claimed with a dominant third-round stoppage of David Lemieux in Arizona last May.
‘El Bandera Roja’ is undefeated as a professional at 26-0 with a fearsome 23 knockouts and has already held the full WBC title at 168lbs twice before, reigning as the youngest world champion in the division’s history, only to be stripped on the first occasion following a positive drugs test and then again after missing weight for a routine 2020 defence against Roamer Alexis Angulo.
Many believe that Benavidez is among the most-avoided fighters in the world of boxing today, having persistently chased the likes of Canelo to no avail.
But he will be in for a tough test against Plant, the dogged former IBF super-middleweight champion who got his shot at Canelo and the chance to make history as the first undisputed title-holder in the division’s history back in November 2021, only to lose via an 11th-round stoppage despite an admirable effort.
Plant made his comeback in October, brutally knocking out veteran Anthony Dirrell in New York before attracting criticism for his controversial grave-digging celebration.
Benavidez vs Plant date, start time, venue and ring walks
Benavidez vs Plant takes place tonight on Saturday March 25, 2023 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.
It’ll be a late night/early morning affair for British fight fans, with the main card not due to begin until around 2am GMT.
Main event ring walks are expected at approximately 4am GMT. As ever, those timings are subject to change depending on the length of the undercard, which initially kicks off at 12am GMT.
Benavidez vs Plant fight card/undercard in full
David Benavidez vs Caleb Plant
Cody Crowley vs Abel Ramos
Jesus Ramos vs Joseph Spencer
Chris Colbert vs Jose Valenzuela
Kevin Gonzalez vs Jose Sanmartin
Orestes Velazquez vs Marcelino Lopez
Demler Zamora vs Jesus Abel Ibarra
Daniel Blancas vs Nicholas Molina
How to watch Benavidez vs Plant
TV channel: In the UK, Benavidez vs Plant is being broadcast live via American digital video streaming service Fite TV. You can purchase the fight for $12.99 (£10.56).
Live stream: Once purchased, fans can watch the event live via the Fite TV website or app.
In the United States, the card is a Showtime pay-per-view that costs $74.99 to buy.
Benavidez vs Plant fight prediction
This should be the toughest test of Benavidez’s career to date.
Still only 26, the two-time world champion has plenty of time left to go on and secure the massive bouts and paydays that his talent definitely deserves.
Only three times has the hard-hitting Benavidez been taken the distance as a pro, but he’ll have to be fully focused against an opponent as dogged and determined as Plant, who lacks the power to hurt his rival but will be planning to outwit and outmove him while trying to goad him into errors.
Benavidez to win via stoppage in the 10th round.
Benavidez vs Plant weigh-in results
The weigh-ins for Saturday night’s card took place on Friday, with no shortage of drama again as a scuffle broke out during a heated face-off and the two fighters had to be separated.
Benavidez weighed in at 166.8lbs, with Plant the heavier of the duo at 167.2lbs.
Benavidez vs Plant betting odds
Benavidez to win: 1/3
Plant to win: 23/10
Draw: 16/1
Benavidez to win on points or by decision: 5/1
Benavidez to win via knockout or TKO: 4/6
Plant to win on points or by decision: 4/1
Plant to win via knockout or TKO: 15/2
