The boxing world is buzzing after Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) finally announced a fight between David Benavidez and David Morrell on February 1, 2025, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas sidestepping Canelo Alvarez. This fight is a critical one for the two of them, with the winner potentially earning a chance at an undisputed title match against one of the champions of the light heavyweight division after the fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Even Bivol and Beterbiev have weighed in on the fight, acknowledging the challenges each fighter brings to the table. “When the fight happens, I will watch,” Bivol stated.

A fight with Morell is a step forward for Benavidez as the former Interim WBC super middleweight champion had been desperate for a Canelo Alvarez fight that Canelo never gave him. Months after the Mexican Monster’s step up to light heavyweight and weeks away from his Morell fight, another boxer has entered the conversation: Caleb Plant. Plant had faced both Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez and lost to both, with a unanimous decision in March 2023 and a knockout in November 2021, respectively. But a statement he made four months ago on the two has now come back to haunt him.

Caleb Plant caught by his own words

Not very long ago, Boxing Kingdom posted on X a clip, with the caption that read, “Caleb Plant describing who hits harder between David Benavidez & Canelo: ‘I think Canelo hits harder for one punch, he also puts his combinations together more than David’.” The post captioned an old statement allegedly attributing to Caleb Plant. However, Plant quickly dismissed the Boxing Kingdom post, commenting with an emoticon: “🧢“—which for those who may not know, means ‘cap’, a slang term for something that is a lie.

But sadly for Plant, the internet is undefeated. A commenter quickly responded to Caleb Plant’s post with a clip of his interview with boxing journalist Kevin Iole from 4 months ago, with the captions: “wym 🧢”, an abbreviation for ‘What you mean cap?’

While promoting his fight with Trevor McCumby in September, Plant appeared on Kevin Iole’s YouTube channel to speak at length. Here, the esteemed journalist asked Caleb Plant for his opinion on the potential fight between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez.

Here, Plant indeed acknowledged that Canelo Alvarez hits harder with a single punch, but he also pointed out that “David (Benavidez) puts together his hands more than Canelo does,” the exact quote that the Boxing Kingdom post attributed to Plant which he called ‘cap’. Since he has good equations with both Canelo and Benavidez, Plant may not have wanted to pick between one of them. Now, it may come as a bit of an embarrassment since his intention to not credit Canelo Alvarez for his punching power was immediately rebuked by fans.

Both David Benavidez and David Morrell have been top contenders in the super middleweight division, yet the Mexican boxer has consistently avoided facing them. Despite being the WBC’s mandatory challenger for over a year, Benavidez has yet to receive a title shot against the WBC, WBA, and WBO World Super Middleweight champion, leading many to wonder why the Mexican champion has steered clear of these rising threats. So what is the solution?

Canelo Alvarez’s avoidance of Benavidez and Morrell: A Missed Opportunity?

In the absence of a Canelo fight, both Benavidez and Morrell decided to move up to the light heavyweight division last year, where they now hope to achieve what they could not in the super middleweight ranks: a shot at the title.

Demetrius Andrade, who fought Benavidez on November 2023 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, and lost by sixth-round stoppage, shared his perspective on why Canelo might be avoiding the fight. “I was able to push David around a few rounds, do what I had to do, whatever, but that weight and his length, and he knows how to throw punches in bunches, it’s gonna be a hard task for Canelo,” Boo Boo Andrade explained.

David Benavidez himself has gone even further, saying, “I feel like he knows he can’t beat me.” As both Benavidez and Morrell look to make their mark in the light heavyweight division, the stage is set for an epic showdown. The winner of their bout could potentially face the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol fight, setting the stage for an exciting future in the light middleweight division. But for Super middleweight? The keys still remain with Canelo Alvarez.

So, do you think Canelo Alvarez is avoiding Benavidez and Morrell due to fear of losing? And most importantly, what’s your prediction for the outcome of the Benavidez vs. Morrell fight? Do share your thoughts below!