By Dan Ambrose: David Benavidez’s father Jose Sr, revealed five “ridiculous” demands that Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant had while negotiating a fight in early 2023.
Jose Sr says he immediately gave in to Plant’s demands because he believed that ‘Sweethands’ was “looking for an excuse” not to have to fight Benavidez.
Chief among the demands from Plant was a huge 22 x 22 ring, which he’s likely going to use to run around all night to avoid getting beaten down by the younger, bigger & stronger Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs).
We’ll never know what would have happened if Benavidez had refused to give into Plant’s five demands, but it’s easy to imagine the fight negotiations falling apart if one or two of them were refused.
Caleb Plant’s demands
- Gloves of a particular brand,
- 22 x 22 ring
- The blue corner,
- Walking to the ring second
- Being announced second
“They put pressure on him, and I think he accepted, but with many ridiculous things,” said Jose Benavidez to Izquierdo about the hoops David Benavidez had to jump through to get the Caleb Plant fight negotiated. “[Like Team Plant were] wanting to get out of the fight.
“I think Plant was looking for an excuse not to fight David,” Jose Benavidez Sr said. “But I answered them that it was a fact 100%; they told me that if I was going to talk with David to confirm, and I said, ‘no. He doesn’t care about any of this; it’s just bulls**t.’”
De La Hoya: “Benavidez will destroy” Plant
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV about the Plant vs. Benavidez fight. “Is he an Al Haymon fighter? I’ll believe it when I see it.
“I love the fight. It’s a great fight. I’m a huge fan of Benavidez, and Plant has a beautiful style. Based on what Canelo did to Plant, I’ve always said that Benavidez is the top dog at 168.
“The fact that he has a relentless style, the fact that he’s young,” De La Hoya continued about Benavidez. “It’s going to be one of those tactical fights from Plant.
“He has a beautiful style like I said, but ultimately, I think Benavidez can keep walking him down, and the youth and the power and the strength is going to ultimately win the fight. If Canelo knocked him out, Benavidez will destroy him,” said De La Hoya.
