Canelo expects Benavidez to beat Caleb Plant on March 25th

Canelo Alvarez is skeptical that one of his previous rivals will be able to defeat David Benavidez.

The 12-round super middleweight fight between Benavidez and Caleb Plant, which will be broadcast on Showtime Pay-Per-View on March 25 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, caught Alvarez's attention. Alvarez is the current undisputed king in the 168-pound division.

In essence, Alvarez believes pressure fighter Benavidez, 26, of Phoenix, Arizona, will succeed.

“I think Benavidez,” Alvarez told ESNews. “Because he’s more strong, more younger, so maybe Benavidez.” Alvarez has some history with Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KOs). In 2021, the two squared off in a 168-pound championship fight, with Alvarez winning by technical knockout in the eleventh round to capture Plant's IBF crown.

Benavidez-Plant is a stylistic difference. While Plant, a traditional cutie, usually relies on his shrewdness, Benavidez is known for his come-forward approach and whipping body shots. (although Plant surprised viewers in his last fight, when he drubbed Anthony Dirrell with a harrowing one-punch knockout in the ninth round).

In a tense press conference held in Los Angeles last week, the fighters—who have long voiced their dislike for one another—nearly exchanged blows.

Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) is a former two-time titlist at 168 but he lost his titles both times for reasons outside of the ring; the first time was due to testing positive for cocaine, the second was for when he came in overweight ahead of a super middleweight title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo in 2020. When Benavidez last competed in May, he easily defeated former middleweight champion David Lemieux in the third round.