Shakur Stevenson was impressed with the performance by WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez with the beating he inflicted on a survival-oriented Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) last Saturday night in their contest at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Shakur said Benavidez looked like a “beast” with thee way he battered Plant to win a convincing 12 round unanimous decision.
Stevenson notes that Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) had problems cutting off the ring on Plant in the first half of the fight, but in the second half, he could get close and administer punishment.
Plant’s movement and holding kept Benavidez from landing his shots in the early going. However, in the second half of the fight, Benavidez made adjustments to his game by landing short punches while being held by Plant.
The former IBF super middleweight champion Plant had no choice but to hold because his legs were gone due to the fatigue from having ran for the first six rounds trying to elude Benavidez.
The scores were 117-111, 116-112, and 115-113 for Benavidez.
“David Benavidez is a beast,” said Shakur Stevenson to Fight Hub TV, reacting to the thrashing he did of Caleb Plant, beating him beyond recognition.
“I think it’s going to be a war. I think it’s going to be a great fight, but hard for both fighters,” said Shakur about a match between Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez.
“I was surprised,” said Stevenson when asked if he was surprised about all the punishment Plant took in the fight. “He showed a lot of heart. People can’t question his heart. He didn’t lie down. He came to fight, and I respect it.
“I think Benavidez came forward and put the pressure on, and he threw a lot of punches. That were nice little short shots in the clinch. Caleb didn’t work his inside game too much,” Shakur said.
Stevenson can’t pick between Canelo & Benavidez
“I can’t really pick a winner. That’s hard. I think that’s a good fight,” said Stevenson when asked who wins between Benavidez and Canelo. “Canelo probably looks a little stronger than Benavidez, but Benavidez is taller and puts more pressure.
“Caleb is a good boxer. He was using a lot of movement, and he wasn’t standing in front of Benavidez early on. Once he cut the distance, it got a little bad for Caleb.
“He was sharp. I don’t think it was an Andre Ward type of performance because Dre got a great inside game. Caleb, I think he should work on his inside game, but I’m a fan regardless.
“Cutting off the ring off earlier,” said Shakur when asked what Benavidez needs to improve on from this performance. “I think Caleb was boxing and wasn’t standing in front of him. Since he wasn’t standing in front fo him, it wasn’t easy to hit him,” said Stevenson when asked if he thought Benavidez could have scored a knockout of Plant.
