Caleb Plant: Canelo Hits Harder Than Benavidez
Caleb Plant says Canelo Alvarez hits harder than David Benavidez.
Plant has faced both men and came up short in those fights. He was stopped by Canelo in 2021 as he lost his IBF Super Middleweight Title. The win made Canelo the Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion. Plant was having success by outboxing Canelo for some rounds. However, he did not have the power to earn Canelo’s respect, as the Mexican walked him down before the stoppage.
Plant then lost to Benavidez last year by a unanimous decision. Once again, Plant had some success by outboxing the Mexican Monster. But once Benavidez closed the distance, he was able to overpower Plant even if he made it to the final bell. And looking back at those fights, Plant felt that Canelo’s one-punch power separated the two.
Plant On Canelo
“Canelo hits harder for one punch. He hits harder than David. David puts them together [punches] not just than Canelo but most people in boxing. David can put his hands together. Both have their pros and cons. Both have underrated defense, and they’re sharp. They’re both great fighters. There’s a difference in styles, but they’re both great at what they do.
“There were things I was able to do with Canelo that I wasn’t able to do with David. I feel like Canelo has more experience and maybe a little more savvy because of the experience. I think he hits harder than David. At the same time, there are things that David does better than Canelo, as I mentioned,” Plant said
Those comments may come as a surprise, given that Benavidez has a better knockout rate. He is 29-0 with 24 knockouts. His last stoppage came against Demetrius Andrade last year. Meanwhile, Canelo is 61-2-2. Plant was the last boxer he stopped, suggesting that Alvarez is not that same fighter.
But the Mexican showed in his last two fights that he could still hurt his opponents. He dropped Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia. The Mexican could have gotten the stoppages if he had pressed the action more. This could simply signify Canelo’s change in style as he is in the latter part of his career. At 33, there is no need to take any unwarranted risks.
Benavidez’s Power
Meanwhile, Benavidez is naturally bigger than 168. He has spoken previously about wanting to move up to 175, which he has done. He defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his first fight in the weight class via a unanimous decision. While he did not get the stoppage, Benavidez revealed he injured his hand. Now that he no longer has to make 168, it remains to be seen whether his power transcends to light heavyweight.
He will box fighters who are a similar size to him and capable of stopping him. Benavidez is mandatory for the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol. They box for undisputed on October 12. If Beterbiev wins, Benavidez will take on a knockout artist who has stopped all 20 of his opponents. Canelo ridiculed Beanvidez’s last fight, saying he cannot do anything against fighters of a similar size.
“I think that’s his weight class. 175 lbs. And you can see he’s very different. He can’t do nothing with a fighter who retired in 2019. It’s different when you’re in your weight class and fighting with guys in your weight,” Canelo said
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
