Jose Benavidez Jr. doesn’t believe Jermall Charlo or Caleb Plant will fight his brother David Benavidez because neither of them wants that work.
Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) just makes excuses, and Plant talks crap and doesn’t back it up, according to Jose Jr. He thinks Charlo & Plant are afraid of the undefeated former two-time WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez.
Last Saturday night, the 25-year-old Benavidez captured the interim WBC 168-lb title with an effortless third-round knockout of #2 WBC David Lemieux (43-5, 36 KOs) at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
While the interim WBC strap that Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) captured isn’t a full title, it puts him in a position to either get a crack at WBC 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez or be elevated to the main belt holder if the Mexican star chooses not to fight him.
Plant (29-1, 12 KOs) is the one that needs the fight against Benavidez more than Charlo because he already fought Canelo last November and lost. For Plant to get a rematch, he needs a big win over Benavidez.
Jermall, with his large following, doesn’t need to take a risky fight against Benavidez to get a big money fight against Canelo. He’ll get the fight based on his popularity and his unbeaten 32-0 record.
“I saw that his jab got a lot faster, and his movements got a lot faster. He came in at 166, which I’ve never seen that,” said Jose Benavidez Jr. to Fighthype when asked about whether he saw improvements in David Benavidez with his performance against David Lemieux.
“It just proves that he’s hungry and wants his title back. He wants his WBC belt back,” Jose Jr. said of Benavidez. “I don’t think none of them will get in the ring with him,” Jose Jr said when asked if Caleb Plant or Jermall Charlo will agree to fight Benavidez in 2022.
“[Jermall] Charlo is only making excuses. Plant talks a lot of s***, but then he doesn’t fight him. My brother is ready for whoever. I think four rounds with him running. F*** them, they’re p****. That’s my message to them.
“Maybe more if he gets in condition and runs longer,” said Jose Jr. when asked about his previous prediction that Benavidez will stop Caleb Plant by the fourth round. “Maybe six. I say six. Past six, it’s not going to happen.
“He doesn’t have the power, and he’s not as fast as he thinks he is. His defense is not even that good. My brother knows how to do that [cut off the ring]. He’s shown that in fights. He knows how to cut the ring off and has good defense.
“He can fight inside; he can fight outside. He can box and can do whatever he wants. He’s just a talented fighter, and it shows in his fights. He did a tremendous job [against David Lemieux] and took him out,” said Jose Jr. about his brother Benavidez defeating Lemieux.
