David Benavidez says he believes Caleb Plant’s recent upset defeat against Jose Armando Resendiz was due to him assuming the fight would be “easier.”
Same Game Plan, Different Result
It looked like Plant made the mistake of recycling the same game plan that had worked for him in his previous bout against Trevor McCumby. He fought the Mexican Resendiz on the inside and discovered the hard way that he’d made a mistake by doing so.
The former IBF super middleweight champion ‘Sweethands’ Plant (23-3, 14 KOs) lost by a 12-round split decision to Resendiz (16-2, 11 KOs) earlier this year on May 31st. The scores were 116-112, 116-112 for Resendiz and 115-113 for Plant.
Benavidez Defends Plant’s Mindset
“He probably wasn’t hungry for that fight or thought it was going to be easier,” said David Benavidez to Ring Magazine on X, talking about Caleb Plant’s recent 12-round split decision loss to Jose Armando Resendiz on May 31. “Caleb Plant is a great fighter. He’ll come back stronger,” said Benavidez.
Benavidez Protecting His Win
It sounds like Benavidez is making excuses for Plant to keep his status artificially high so that his victory over him from 2023 continues to look good in the eyes of fans. That’s not going to work. Fans who watched Plant’s fights against Resendiz, McCumby, and Canelo Alvarez saw that he’s a limited fighter. He’d been hurt by McCumby twice, and he’s not considered a top-10-level super middleweight.
Plant’s Overlooked Weaknesses
- Poor Stamina
- Weak chin
- Lack of power
- Vulnerable to the body
Plant, 33, came into the fight a massive -2000 to -2500 favorite to defeat the 26-year-old Resendiz, who was brought in as a tune-up for Caleb to use to set up a lucrative match against Jermall Charlo. The two shared the card, and it was supposed to be an easy task for Plant.
Resendiz took advantage of Plant’s game plan of fighting on the inside and beat him up. He staggered Plant multiple times in the fight. In the sixth, Resendiz had Caleb visibly hurt after hitting him with an overhand right.
Punch Stats Tell the Story
- Resendiz – 186 of 600 shots for a 31% connect rate
- Plant 0 108 of 509 for 21%
Plant likely had chosen Resendiz based on his fairly recent eighth-round knockout loss to Elijah Garcia on September 30, 2023. Looking at that fight, it’s understandable why Plant selected Resendiz because he didn’t look special.
Jeepers Isaac has been covering boxing since 2020, bringing readers sharp ringside insights and timely analysis on the sport’s biggest moments