This Saturday, the sport will almost certainly see THE grudge match of the year. David Benavidez Vs. Caleb Plant live on Showtime PPV. Both guys have a serious case of bad blood, with both men vowing to not only defeat the other man, but to inflict some real hurt, some real damage, in doing so. Benavidez really has ramped up the nastiness in this fight.
Benavidez, one of the sport’s angry young men, has declared his intention: he wants to “do as much damage as possible,” he aims to “put him (Plant) in the hospital.” Benavidez wants to dish out such a savage beating that Plant “won’t talk shit no more.”
Rest assured; Plant has maximum violence on his mind also. Yet Plant might be the superior, calmer boxer of the two, the man with the desire to showcase The Sweet Science more so than he wants to inflict damage. This could prove to be the difference, maybe not. Benavidez, 26-0(23) has allowed the red mist to descend, and he seems thrilled by it. Plant, 22-1(13) looks to have the cooler head here, but it might not matter.
Benavidez has trained like a demon. Plant has trained like an angel. There will be nothing left to chance on fight night this Saturday in Las Vegas in what is the biggest, most attractive, most hyped 168 pound fight in some time. The build-up has been great, now the fight has to deliver. Most fans/experts/fellow fighters think it will deliver. In spades.
Sometimes in boxing, two guys who genuinely cannot stand the sight of each other collide. We fans can tell when it’s legit, when the hate is real and not merely an attempt to hype up sales, this made by fighters who are equally attempting to hype themselves up. Benavidez and Plant are in a mood to maim, to silence, to smash, and the fight seems sure to be a thriller as a result.
The man with the cooler head in the night may come out the better. Or maybe not. It could be that the man with the sheer craving for violence, the desire to land life-changing damage, comes out on top on Saturday. Lovers of friendly competition, of may the best man win ethics and sentiment, of respectful sportsmanship, might not like the X-factor that is firmly attached to this, a bad blood grudge match to end all bad blood grudge matches. But fans of fights that take place between two pro athletes who cannot wait for the bell to ring so they can try their best to knock the brains out of their rival adore this fight.
If this fight was a movie, it would have a cert 18 attached to it. And David Benavidez is not in any mood to let his own craving for carnage fail to be satisfied. Nor is he willing to let any other lovers of blood and guts down.
But who does get the win on Saturday? Benavidez seems like a man possessed, and a possessed man can really take some stopping.
Pick: Benavidez by mid-rounds KO in a superb, all-action battle that elevates both warriors.
