Opinions and Observations: Inoue, Benavidez

Two fights ago, Junto Nakatani faced fellow bantamweight champ Ryosuke Nishida. For that matchup, Nakatani and his trainer Rudy Hernandez employed a daring strategy: take Nishida out early. Nakatani went full throttle from the opening bell, attacking relentlessly and at times, even recklessly. The combat was ferocious, yet Nakatani's game plan worked. Nishida didn't make it to the second half of the fight. 

Flash forward a year later. Now Nakatani was fighting the great Naoya Inoue for undisputed status one division up at junior featherweight. And instead of attacking Inoue in the early rounds, Nakatani went the opposite route; he would attempt to neutralize the action. Using his long right arm, he would extend it, either to jab or to occupy the space between the two fighters. That simple maneuver was enough to keep Inoue on the outside. From that perspective, Nakatani did achieve a tactical victory.  

Although Nakatani was successful in turning down the temperature of the fight, he neglected a vital element of professional boxing: winning rounds. It's all good to reduce the number of landed blows from a noted knockout artist, but Nakatani offered so little in the early rounds besides his jab. While Inoue didn't dominate the first half of the fight, he would land two or three impressive power punches a round, usually right hands, which would be enough to take 10-9s on the scorecards. 

Inoue (left) and Nakatani (right) during and exchange
Photo courtesy of Lemino Boxing

After the sixth, Hernandez told Nakatani that he needed to let his hands go more. But Hernandez used more of a conversational tone instead of issuing a desperate plea. The one change that Nakatani made was to stop jabbing. Consequently, Inoue welcomed the additional room to operate and proceeded to win the seventh and eighth. 

Only in the ninth round did Nakatani start to show the offensive firepower that had excited so many about this matchup. During the next two rounds he blasted Inoue with straight lefts, right hooks and uppercuts. There were moments during these rounds where Inoue voluntarily backed up and disengaged. For a brief spell The Monster had been defanged. 

A clash of heads toward the end of the 10th did play a role in changing the trajectory of the fight; Nakatani received a sizeable cut from the headbutt near his right eye and it clearly bothered him throughout the rest of the bout. 

However, let's also acknowledge what separates the truly best from the merely excellent. Inoue found another gear. Similar to Usyk in the Joshua fights or Crawford after dropping a number of rounds against Shawn Porter. The elites essentially said, no more. They drew a line in the sand. They refused to give into the opponent's momentum. 

Right after having his worst round of the fight, the 10th, Inoue started the 11th in attack mode and went after Nakatani. He proceeded to have the best round that either fighter would have in the entire match. He crushed Nakatani with power punches, including blistering uppercuts with each hand. Now Nakatani was the one who was in retreat. 

Inoue's stand in the 11th carried over to the 12th and that was enough for him to take the fight. He won the bout with scores of 116-112 x 2 and 115-113 (I also had him winning 116-112). The final two rounds sealed the win for Inoue. 

Ultimately, the fight had two phases, a technical boxing display (the first six rounds) and a more open power punching period (the final six rounds). In each phase of the fight, I thought that Inoue had won four rounds of the six. Inoue, even at 33, showed that he had more to offer than his younger, undefeated opponent.  

Now it must be said that Inoue didn't dominate the action. He was a little bit better through most of the first half of the fight and his final stand won him the back half, but he also needed that stand because things were going poorly for him in rounds nine and ten. However, the great ones find a way. They have an extra level. 

I wonder if Hernandez and Nakatani will regret the overly cautious start. Clearly, they didn't want a firefight to break out too early in the fight, but what if Hernandez went to Nakatani after the third or fourth round instead? What if Hernandez showed a little more urgency in the corner? Before the seventh was too late to flip the switch in my opinion. Nakatani would have needed to take five of the final six rounds of the fight to ensure that he'd win it on the cards, and that's too tall of an order against a fighter of Inoue's talent.

For the second Nakatani fight in a row, I believe that Rudy Hernandez, who is often a spectacular cornerman, got outmaneuvered. In his last fight, Nakatani and Hernadez couldn't stop Sebastian Hernandez's relentless pressure and inside fighting in the second half of their bout. Nakatani ultimately escaped with a win in one of his least convincing performances. And on Saturday, I don't think that Hernandez had a good sense of how the fight was going vis-a-vis the judges' scorecards. He left Nakatani with too little margin for error. 

The truly best cornermen have an ability to understand the scoring of a fight in real time, with dispassion. Trading in their trainer's hat for a judge's one, they realize when their fighter is down (or could be down) and recalibrate accordingly. If Hernandez truly understood the optics of Saturday's fight, he would have junked Game Plan #1 sooner and been far more assertive in the corner. But like the previous Nakatani fight, the adjustments weren't there fast enough.  

Shingo Inoue, Naoya's father and trainer, won almost everyone's trainer of the year award in 2025. His other fighting son, Takuma, also retained his bantamweight title on Saturday's undercard. Against Nakatani, Shingo had a very good night. He made sure that Naoya wouldn't fall into traps or force the action. When the fight was slow, Naoya didn't get reckless, a major change from a few years ago. In addition, Naoya was switched on all fight and was able to deliver what was required during each phase of the fight.

And that brings up another great separator between the greats and the very good. They understand what tools, techniques and strategies can work in a given context during the fight. You didn't see Inoue throw any uppercuts in the technical portion of the bout, because those opportunities weren't available, and he saw no reason to force it. But after Nakatani was softened up some, suddenly the shot could be deployed. And despite hardly throwing it for the first ten rounds of the fight, when Inoue went to his uppercuts, he was able to land them with maximum ferocity and devastating impact. 

With over a decade of championship-level experience spanning four weight classes, Inoue is no longer at his physical prime. His power isn't the same at 122 lbs. that it was at the smaller weights, and Saturday was the first time that he looked labored at points during a 12-round fight. Yet, he was still the one with his hand raised at the end of the fight, and doing so against a fellow pound-for-pound entrant. 

Despite his Monster moniker, it's worth remembering that even as the knockouts have stopped (and power is not the last thing to go in boxing; it goes), Inoue has still found a way. In his last three fights he has decisioned three top-ten contenders at 122 lbs., with his last one, Nakatani, an undefeated multi-divisional champ who had youth and size advantages. The clock may be ticking on Inoue's undefeated record, but let's not forget what a career it's been. On Saturday, Inoue didn't just beat Nakatani, but he beat back Father Time too. To both, he said, not yet.  

***

Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez's initial strategy against David Benavidez was understandable. After all, it was Ramirez who was the cruiserweight champion and Benavidez was the fighter coming up more than 20 pounds to challenge for his title. Ramirez thought that he could impose himself on Benevidez, that his physicality and body shots would wear the supposedly smaller man down. But by the end of the second round, it was clear that Benavidez had the clear edge in hand speed and, surprisingly, power. 

The pay per view broadcast was in Ramirez's corner after every round. And during each look-in, Ramirez's trainer, Julian Chua, emphasized that Ramirez needed to stay behind his jab, use angles and not engage in a mano-a-mano war. 

But Ramirez was determined to win an attritional battle on the inside. And to be fair to him, there were moments where he did well, landing right hooks up top, jabs and straight lefts downstairs, and three- and four-punch combinations. However, there were points in every round except the fifth, where he was getting lit up by Benavidez's own combinations. And these weren't four- or five-punch shoeshines; these combos included menacing power hooks thrown with maximum force. They dazzled the crowd and also blew up both of Ramirez's eyes.

Benavidez (left) catching Ramirez with a left hook
Photo courtesy of Cris Esquada/Golden Boy

Ramirez and Benavidez had been frequent sparring partners over the years and perhaps that familiarity led Zurdo to believe that he could take Benavidez's best shots. But it's worth remembering that fighters spar with much larger gloves, which can do a lot to take the sting out of punches. 

Benavidez dropped Ramirez twice in the fight, in the fourth and the sixth. In both cases Ramirez took a knee after being badly hurt by multi-punch combinations. He couldn't handle the onslaught of punches. In the sixth, after dropping to the canvas for the second time, he spit out his mouthpiece and indicated to the referee that he didn't want to continue. 

Benavidez's victory was a comprehensive beatdown and a display of his mastery at mid-range and in close quarters. There are few fighters who can match Benavidez in a pocket war, which Zurdo found out the hard way. 

Throughout most of his career, Benavidez has been masquerading as a smaller-weight fighter. I have no idea how he made 168 as many times as he did. And in truth, he lost a belt by missing weight. Even at light heavyweight I didn't think that his stamina looked great over 12 rounds against Gvozdyk and Morrell, despite winning comfortably on the scorecards. 

But at cruiserweight I think that we finally saw Benavidez in full flow, without worrying about gassing or punching himself out. He was throwing seven- or eight-punch combinations not just once or twice in the fight, but several times each round. This was a fighter who now fully believed in his conditioning. 

Picking the correct weight class in boxing is often more of an art than a science. And sometimes the answer can be more political than you think. A promoter might have better potential opponents or a path to a title at a given weight class, but not at a neighboring one. A fighter also may not understand his body or how to train properly. Maybe his team is also finding out by trial and error as it goes. 

If I were handling Benavidez's career. I'd never have him drop below cruiserweight again. Why would I want to see a fighter who looked like one of the absolute best talents in boxing lose 20 pounds or more at this phase of his career? Benavidez has two cruiserweight belts, the PBC's full support, and a legitimate fan base. Why not demand that Beterbiev, who has been making 175 since Calvin Coolidge was President, fight him at cruiserweight? Why not do the same for Bivol? Why should Bivol's belts mean more than Benavidez's?  

Benevidez is now at the point of his career where he can be a shot-caller. If people want money fights, now they may look to him where in the past there were just enough convenient reasons to avoid him. 

Benavidez is a star and supremely talented. It's now his time in boxing, where he can become one of the faces of the sport. Let's see who will challenge him at 200 lbs. Who wants to cement a legacy? Will it be Opetaia? Bivol? Beterbiev? Who will be brave? Let's see who will stand up and be counted.   

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook 

Opinions and Observations: Benavidez-Morrell

For all of David Morrell's amateur success, knockouts in the pros, and athletic talent, it was clear as early as the first round that he wasn't prepared for what David Benavidez had to offer on Saturday night. The first significant blows that Benavidez landed were lead right hooks that looped around Morrell's high guard and hit him squarely on the side of the head. Now those aren't traditional punches for an orthodox fighter to throw; still, there's a lot of tape on Benavidez and the right hooks weren't exactly a surprise. Yet, Morrell's defense was lacking. 

As the rounds continued, Benavidez landed repeatedly with two-punch combinations where the first shot of the sequence was a throwaway punch only for the second one to land with maximum force. He executed this often with the left hook/right hook to the body and the straight right/left hook to the body. Here again, Morrell didn't have the ability to defend himself properly. 

Benavidez (right) lands an uppercut
Photo courtesy of Esther Lin

But it wasn't all one-way traffic for Benavidez in the fight. On multiple occasions, Morrell caught Benavidez with a short right hook as Benavidez was coming in. He stunned Benavidez with the punch in the 4th and dropped him in the 11th with it. Morrell also found moments to explode off the ropes with quick combinations that were able to temporarily quell Benavidez's momentum. 

However, most of the fight consisted of Benavidez pressing forward and causing damage with his wide array of punches. His weapons were manifold: jab, left hook, right hook, straight right, left uppercut, right uppercut, body punches, and combinations. He had every punch available at his disposal. 

To Morrell's credit, he took a lot of punishment in the fight yet never stopped trying. He fought well in the championship rounds and put forth a spirited effort. There were multiple times in the fight where he was being battered, yet he summoned the fortitude to fire off massive power shots at Benavidez. Morrell was being beaten, but he refused to act like a beaten fighter. 

Benavidez won the fight by a unanimous decision, 115-111, 115-111 and 118-108. The funky scores could be explained by Morrell losing a point in the 11th for hitting Benavidez well after the final bell had rung in the round. I had it 116-110. 

Although this fight was not for a major light heavyweight title, it turned out to be a coming out party for Benavidez. In a raucous T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Benavidez put on a star-making performance. Although facing an undefeated fighter with considerable hype, Benavidez established his supremacy quickly. The crowd ate it up. They loved his power punching, his spite, his come-forward aggression, his showmanship, and his willingness to mix it up. 

It's been an incremental build for Benavidez, but now at the age of 28 and with a pristine 30-0 record with 24 knockouts, it's clear that he has become a significant draw in the sport. And although two long-time elite fighters, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, also reside in the 175-lb. division, Benavidez and his supporters will like their chances against anyone. 

What's often been forgotten about Benavidez is his considerable boxing education. Many will comment on his size, his pressure and his offensive output, but there is much more to him in the ring. Turning pro well before his 18th birthday, sparring the likes of Gennadiy Golovkin, Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez, coming from a fighting family, Benavidez has amassed a collection of unusual skills and talents that make him formidable in the ring. 

As a big man, he is just as comfortable fighting on the inside as he is at range. Often, he prefers to dish out damage in close quarters. Although he's known as an aggressor in the ring, he can spring traps if he is being pursued. 

Despite what may appear to some as sloppy footwork, he routinely cuts off the ring on supposedly superior athletes, like Morrell, Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. Saturday's fight against Morrell also showed how successful he is at keeping an opponent in his wheelhouse. He'll use his arms to push an opponent back into place. He'll hold an opponent's head and hit (an illegal maneuver, but he gets away with it). He'll also use his body to close off exit routes, which he did multiple times against Morrell. Benavidez used his left shoulder to block Morrell from exiting to his own right side (his preferred route), which allowed Benavidez to continue to do damage at close range. 

Benavidez has punches from every range. After throwing long right hooks from distance on Saturday, he then shortened up his right to land straight down the middle. In close he threw sickening body shots and left uppercuts. At mid-range, he landed consistently with his jab and short right hands. 

Another aspect of Benavidez that is often overlooked is his defense. Along with Canelo, Benavidez may be the best in boxing at blocking shots with his arms while pressing forward. He doesn't lose his aggression, positioning or intent when facing incoming fire. In that he likes exchanges, he will get hit at times, but he was the one with the far superior defense on Saturday. 

Benavidez with his team
Photo courtesy of Esther Lin

As for Morrell, there was a lot to like about his intangibles during the fight. Facing by far the best opponent of his career, he refused to wilt. And despite almost all his pro fights consisting of quick stoppages, Morrell displayed a spirited effort in the closing rounds. The fight had not been beaten out of him. 

However, Morrell's defense just wasn't good enough on Saturday. Benavidez landed 40% of his shots in the fight and most of those weren't love taps. Morrell was getting hit by thunder. Although Morrell's starting hand positioning was usually sound, his defensive reflexes weren't quick enough to block Benavidez's attacks. Furthermore, he didn't have the intuitive understanding in how to make defensive adjustments during the fight. Yes, Benavidez can throw a kitchen sick at an opponent, but there was never a point in the fight where Morrell was successful at taking away a weapon or two; more often Benavidez behaved in the ring like he could throw and land anything that he wanted. 

On offense Morrell needs to broaden his skillset. He's perfectly fine coming forward or exploding with a quick combination. However, Morrell ignored Benavidez's body throughout the fight, which demonstrated either a lack of skills or confidence with this part of his game. Morrell's jab was also a non-factor in the fight. And perhaps most importantly, Morrell needs to understand how to win slower rounds. He prefers to fight in a frenetic style, but as Saturday showed, against world-class opponents, more is needed. He wasn't setting up shots. He was not clinching to buy time. He was not using his legs like he could have. He wasn't cagey. He wanted to win firefight exchanges, but he was clearly second best in that category. 

In a perfect world, Morrell would have had better development fights prior to Benavidez. But to Morrell's credit, he took the challenge, and now his team can make a real assessment about what they have and what they need to improve upon going forward. This experience was infinitely more important in Morrell's long-term development than additional early-round knockouts against substandard opposition. 

As for Benavidez, I believe that he's reached another echelon in the sport. Yes, there are threats out there and he could certainly lose, but he has the fight style, talent and charisma to take boxing fans on a wonderful journey. His fights guarantee action, power punching, high degrees of skill and the type of fearlessness that reminds fans why they love the sport. If he can stay focused out-of-the ring, he could have a spectacular run over the next five years. 

With the dearth of American boxing stars at the moment, Benavidez will be asked to carry a lot of water for the sport. But I think this is exactly where he wants to be. He sees himself as a star. He believes that he is among boxing's best. He knows that now is his time. And it could be quite a time for all of us.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook  

Opinions and Observations: Benavidez, Matias

In spectacular performances on Saturday, David Benavidez and Subriel Matias again demonstrated that they are two of boxing’s elite punchers. Both fighters won by corner stoppage, with undefeated opponents Demetrius Andrade and Shohjahon Ergashev failing to answer the bell for the seventh and sixth rounds, respectively. 

 

As we all know, punching power is a vital attribute for boxers. It can be a key separator between fighters. It may be the reason why a fighter can prosper at the highest level despite significant weaknesses. And certainly, knockouts directly lead to wins. But power can also be a more elastic concept; it's far more than the biggest single punch. Neither Benavidez nor Matias is a one-shot knockout artist, yet they are clearly among the most gifted punchers in the sport. And even within that group in which Benavidez and Matias belong, the two are vastly different from each other in how they stop opponents; there are subsets within subsets of power punchers. 

Benavidez (right) landing a right hand on Andrade
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Power can come from all different places. It could be how a punch is thrown with perfect rotational torque. Maybe it's a genetic disposition where a given fighter is blessed with superior physical strength for his weight class. Perhaps it's the combination of blinding hand speed with expert punch placement – hitting opponents with punches they don't see.

 

The source of Matias' power wouldn't fit in any of those categories. He throws hooks to the head from maybe six to eight inches away from an opponent. For most fighters, they would not have enough distance to create maximum power from that close, and yet Matias' short shots detonate on an opponent. Matias (a current champion at 140 lbs.) has to have crazy forearm and wrist strength; he's not a big swinger like a Benavidez. And yet his short punches cause immense damage. Perhaps the only other elite-level active fighter who has such prodigious power from that close is Artur Beterbiev. 

 

These are unusual punchers and opponents aren't used to them. For so many fighters, getting in close to an opponent takes the sting off their punches, especially head shots. But it seems to be physically impossible to smother Matias. He gets his punches off so quickly and at such short range. Throw in that these punches can be fight-changers, and one can see how treacherous facing him can be. His punches look so innocuous, but they are devastating. 

 

Benavidez, an undefeated former two-time champion at super middleweight (he lost his belts both times due to out-of-the ring issues), is also an atypical puncher in that he can take out opponents from every range. Although his bread-and-butter is beating people up with body shots on the inside, he is a major threat from distance. In the fourth round against Andrade, he connected with an overhand right from the outside that changed the fight for good. Andrade even had a glove up and partially blocked the shot, but the punch was so concussive that he still fell to the canvas a moment later.

 

In addition, Benavidez has one of the true sledgehammer jabs in the sport. Although he possesses towering dimensions in the super middleweight division at 6'2", Benavidez somehow can jab to the body as effectively as he does to an opponent's head. While Benavidez isn't considered an elite athlete by many (which is off base...and I'll get to that in a minute), he can give up his height without putting himself at a major risk to be countered. These are athletic maneuvers that appear to be easier than they actually are.

 

Benavidez has been accused of being a weight bully, of being clunky, of lacking athletic polish. People will criticize his footwork (he occasionally will cross his feet!) and his straight-line movements. Yet Benavidez has now beaten two of the better movers in the sport (Caleb Plant and Andrade), and he made sure that neither fight was in doubt. So, if you believe that Benavidez isn't a serious athlete, what would explain his success against top opponents who know how to use their legs? 

 

Ultimately, Benavidez has a few secrets that have been missed by many observers of the sport. First, Benavidez is an unusual pressure fighter. Sure, he's coming forward, but he often initiates from the outside. And he's not just throwing from the outside; he's hurting opponents from that range. Thus, the movers aren't prepared for how good he is from distance and how much ground his punches can cover. They are worried about the short punches, but it's his longer ones that often hurt them. 

 

He also has the element of surprise. With a full arsenal of punches, Benavidez has a tool for almost every circumstance. How about an overhand right? How about a long, sweeping left hook? How about a lead right hook? These are often untraditional shots that opponents haven't prepared for. 

 

Two additional elements of his game further explain his success. One, he has an unwavering commitment to the body. The Plant fight was a sublime example of how to make a mover not move so much. Benavidez may have lost some early rounds, but he was doing damage to the body even if he was mathematically down in the fight.

 

Furthermore, his defense is far better than given credit for. Yes, you can hit him and even win rounds, but he's almost always defensively responsible. And more to the point, he doesn't mind taking a punch or two to land his. So, in aggregate, we have an unusual pressure fighter who has power from all ranges with pretty good defense and an understanding of how to break down even the most mobile of opponents. This sounds like a pretty good fighter, doesn't it? I'd say that he's on the short list of the best in the sport. And as Al Bernstein stated on the Showtime broadcast after the fight, "You either have to box perfectly against Benavidez for 12 rounds or really hurt him." So far no one has been able to do either. 

Matias (left) throws a short left hook
Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey/PBC

Now Matias is a little different in terms of his approach in the ring. Like Benavidez, he will give up some early rounds until he gets going, but he's not necessarily doing anything in the interim until he starts to come forward. He got ragdolled by Jeremias Ponce in the first two rounds of their fight earlier this year and Ergashev landed some thunderous left hands in the first against him on Saturday. 

As devastating as Matias is in the ring, there is a pathway to beating him (and he has lost before, to Petros Ananyan, although he did avenge that defeat in impressive fashion). Matias is susceptible to a long-range puncher. But it will take a fighter to have the discipline to keep firing, while not punching himself out. That opponent will also have to be able to move without over-moving. It will require a fighter to thread a very fine needle against Matias to beat him, or perhaps someone who could bomb him out in the first round. 

 

Although Matias doesn't offer much at long range, he can get inside pretty well. Like the best pressure fighters, he knows how to block or parry a punch while still coming forward.

 

Matias will also square up a lot on the inside and despite this being a "no-no" from many trainers, I think it's a critical aspect of his success. So often in boxing what is supposed to be "wrong" for many fighters winds up being right for another. Very few trainers would advise their fighters to square up, because that gives an opponent much more of a target to hit. But you know which trainer preached squaring up at close range? Cus D'Amato, the man who molded Mike Tyson. From D'Amato's biography, Cus believed that squaring up at close range gave his fighter the opportunity to inflict maximum damage. At that moment, Tyson could throw power shots with either hand and an opponent would not have the ability to anticipate the selection or sequencing of punches. This position leads to breaking down an opponent's defensive construct. Where does he place his hands? Where will the shots be coming from? 

 

Matias' success has reminded me of D'Amato's beliefs. Right in front of an opponent, Matias will unspool wicked hooks and uppercuts with either hand. There's no longer a lead hand or a back hand; it's now two hands that can cause maximum damage. Even a decorated amateur and well-schooled fighter like Ergashev fell apart under that type of duress. He couldn't anticipate Matias at that position. His defensive construct suddenly lost its effectiveness. He had no answers.  

 

Benavidez at 28-0 and 24 KOs and Matias at 20-1 with 20 KOs will never be mistaken for Deontay Wilder or Julian Jackson. They are not one-punch knockout specialists who will be talked about reverently for generations. However, they are two of the best punchers in the sport and possess unique gifts that even top opponents can't acclimate to. How many fighters can beat you up from any range in the ring? Who can end your night with six-inch punches from either hand in no particular pattern?  

 

Both Benavidez and Matias are must-watch fighters. They provide unique and thrilling dimensions. They remind us that the orthodoxies of "right" and "wrong" can be fungible. Yes, Benavidez will walk forward and not always be in a boxing stance ready to throw. He'll cross his feet. He'll throw rear hooks from what many would consider irresponsible angles. And Matias will square up giving an opponent his whole body to hit. But he knows at that position, he's the far superior fighter with more power and tools. 

Benavidez and Matias break molds. They challenge conventional wisdom. But while all of that is interesting on a theoretical basis, what they really do is deliver hurt. They administer beatings. They thrill the fans. And that's what keeps the sport humming.   

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Opinions and Observations: Benavidez-Plant

The idea that David Benavidez might be one of boxing's boogeymen has percolated throughout the sport over the last few years. In his development fights and title defenses (when he was a champion), he had plowed through lesser opposition mostly with ease. With wrecking balls in both hands, an active motor and a high Ring IQ, Benavidez had already demonstrated that he possessed high-level talent; but despite his manifold offensive gifts, he still hadn't beaten elite opposition.

There were three reasons for his lack of top opponents: For one, he wasn't fighting in a strong division until recently. There just weren't too many legitimate top guys to fight. A second factor was of his own doing. Benavidez had lost two titles outside of the ring (failing a drug test and missing weight). As a result, he didn't have the same bargaining position. Without a belt, no one was forced to fight him or go through him to unify the titles. And finally, let's face it, no elite fighter had been in a rush to face him for any reason, title or not. Opponents and their teams have eyes. And while watching Benavidez beat up another opponent, potential challengers weren't licking their lips and proclaiming, "This is the guy that I want!" 

However, former champion Caleb Plant accepted the Benavidez challenge and for that he deserves credit. He could have gone in any number of directions for another title shot, but instead he chose the most perilous option.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey

In analyzing the matchup, Plant had a path to victory. Featuring superior foot speed, fast hands, a sneaky left hook and an ability to land punches while on the move, Plant presented challenges for the more flat-footed Benavidez. In addition, Plant was going to fight on his own terms. He wouldn't get sucked into a war or feel the need to play to the crowd, vital attributes in potentially beating Benavidez. 

Plant started Saturday's fight brightly. With his jab, left hook and purposeful movement, he flummoxed Benavidez in the early rounds and controlled the pace of the fight. That Benavidez couldn't even reach more than 40 punches a round until the sixth demonstrates how successful Plant was in the first half of the match. 

But as early as the third round, Plant started to lose command of what was working for him. Instead of circling and using purposeful lateral movement to land his punches, he too often went into retreat or decided to hold. And as Benavidez started to get cooking with power punches, Plant evaded or held even more. It was a negative style, which is fine, but Plant also wasn't getting enough work done. 

In an interesting development, Benavidez gained a foothold in the fight with his left hook. Now, this was a bold play in that Plant's best punch is his left hook. Remember the old boxing adage, "Never hook with a hooker." Well, Benavidez was willing to turn that axiom on its head and expose himself to Plant's power in order to land his. It was a decision that smacked of machismo, and it worked for him. When they traded their best hooks, Benavidez's shots were far more substantial. Benavidez still wasn't landing with regularity in the third and fourth rounds, but his single left hooks were damaging. 

The fight started to swing in Benavidez's direction for good in the middle rounds. What I found most exhilarating was how Benavidez would dominate a stretch of the fight with one punch and then the next round he would get the best of Plant with another weapon in his arsenal. It seemed as if in each successive round he dug into his bag of tricks and found something else that worked. He went from the left hook to the head, to the overhand right, to the left hook to the body, to the right uppercut, to opening up with combinations. Despite Plant's elusiveness, Benavidez was able to get through with all sorts of nastiness. 

As Benavidez had more and more success in the fight, it became clear that referee Kenny Bayless wasn't going to give David a fair shake. Despite Plant's incessant holding, it was Benavidez who was often warned for fouling. In addition, Bayless wouldn't let Benavidez work with a free hand in the clinch. There were literally a dozen times where I believe that Bayless broke up the action when the fight could have continued. These instances often stopped Benavidez's momentum and temporarily saved Plant from taking more damage. 

And as bad as all that was, Bayless' most egregious moment was when he stopped the action when Plant was hurt to take him to the ringside doctor for a cut that was in an unthreatening area. Overall, it was a terrible display from Bayless, who once was one of the best referees in the sport. 

Despite the difficulties that Benavidez had with Bayless, he hurt Plant seemingly at will in the latter half of the fight. In the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh, I thought that Plant was close to being stopped. And perhaps his corner or Bayless could have called off the fight, but to Plant's credit he was able to survive.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey

Ultimately, Benavidez won via an impressive unanimous decision; I don't think that he should be criticized for not getting the stoppage. He was fighting two guys in the ring, and with a different official I think that he would have been more than capable of scoring the KO. 

Plant just didn't have the punching power to keep Benavidez honest. Although he made Benavidez uncomfortable and forced him to think his way through the fight, Plant couldn't stop Benavidez from marching forward. Plant has shown that he can be a capable operator in the ring, but when he faces real power, he's at a significant disadvantage.  

As for Benavidez, he has won me over during the last few years. Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of his; I felt that he didn't take the sport seriously enough. But since he lost his last title, I have been impressed with how he has rededicated himself to boxing. He hasn't had the same problems with making weight. His conditioning is now much better. And this has enabled him to become even more imposing in the ring. 

If Benavidez can stay on the straight-and-narrow he will have many more triumphs ahead of him. He's now hitting his peak and would give any fighter trouble in his surrounding weight classes. His offensive arsenal is frightening and his ring intelligence is an underrated part of his game.  Let's hope he understands how close he is to the precipice of greatness. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Benavidez-Plant: Preview and Prediction

One of the best matchups in the super middleweight division will take place on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas between former champions David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) and Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KOs). The winner of Saturday's fight will become the clear #2 man in the division, just beneath Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who currently holds all of the major belts in the division. 

Benavidez-Plant has been discussed for a number of years and there is genuine bad blood between the fighters. Stylistically the matchup features a high-volume big puncher (Benavidez) against a consummate boxer (Plant). But let's also not be too reductive about what each of these fighters is capable of in the ring. Plant is coming off the signature knockout of his career, with his double left hook destruction of Anthony Dirrell. And Benavidez has tremendous boxing acumen, with an ability to hurt opponents at every range and with every punch available in his arsenal. Below will be my keys to the fight and I'll have a prediction at the end of the piece. 

Benavidez (left) and Plant and the kickoff press conference
Photo courtesy of Showtime

1. Can Benavidez close the footspeed gap?

It's no secret that Plant moves much better than Benavidez. In addition, Plant fights in a style where he can win rounds while on the move; he's not just being evasive. Featuring lightning quick jabs and left hooks, Plant gets his work in and moves out of the way without absorbing too much damage.

Benavidez can be ponderous with his footwork, often crossing up his feet or remaining too flat-footed, which allows an opponent an exit route to either side. However, Benavidez has fought his entire career with this limitation and he has been able to track down opponents who move away from him. His stoppage win over Ronald Ellis in 2021 is an example of this. Even though Benavidez can be outmaneuvered, he applies constant pressure and he also has the benefit of being able to hurt opponents from long range, ideal for catching foes who back straight up or believe that they may be safely out of danger. 

2. Controlling punch volume 

There is a significant difference in the fighters' punch volume within a round. Benavidez usually averages in the 60s in terms of punches per round while Plant is more often in the 40s. In order for Plant to be successful, he's going to have to control the overall activity in the fight. He's not set up to throw 70 or 80 punches a round on a consistent basis and if he does get to that level, it's unlikely that he will be able to sustain it over 12 rounds. 

Benavidez can still cause damage if his punch volume is lower, but he's much more imposing when he can throw multi-punch combinations. Against Plant, Benavidez is going to have to make each punch count, because he may not get many opportunities to unload at will, especially early in the fight. Single-punch right hands or hard jabs may be the way to initially get to Plant. Benavidez will need to make sure that his outside game is sharp, and he'll have to anticipate where Plant will be next. 

Throwing a punch to a spot will be more important than hitting what's right in front of him, since Plant rarely stays in place for long. It also would benefit Benavidez to shorten his shots. He has enough power to affect Plant without landing home run bombs. It's more important to make sure that he can connect. 

3. Plant's gas tank

Plant often has his best success early in a fight, when he's at his freshest. He performed well in the first half of his fight against Canelo, but Canelo's pressure and body punching curtailed Plant's movement in the bout's second half; Plant ultimately was knocked out in the 11th round. Similarly, Plant was able to knock down Jose Uzcategui in the second and fourth rounds in his title-winning effort, but he did fade in the fight's final third. 

Plant's trainer, Stephen "Breadman" Edwards, will often talk about how fast a fighter is carried, and he's essentially talking about the pace of a fight. Breadman is acutely aware that Plant doesn't want to over-move against Benavidez, which could lead to two issues: One, the optics of potentially being seen as "running" instead of fighting can be negative for Plant. Some judges will not reward too much movement. In addition, by moving so much, Plant runs the risk of depleting himself for the back half of the fight. Plant will need to utilize his movement against Benavidez, but he will have to thread the needle – don’t move so much to penalize himself, but don't be that stationary as to give Benavidez additional opportunities to land.

4. Can Plant spring an early-round surprise? 

It was genuinely shocking when Plant scored his first knockdown against Uzcategui. After all, Uzcategui was perceived as the puncher in the matchup. And I think that the Uzcategui fight provides a template for how Plant can be victorious in this matchup. Benavidez's defense can be lackadaisical at times. Look at how he was dropped coming in with his hands down against Ronald Gavril. Gavril connected with a short left hook that Benavidez didn't see coming and David was sent to the canvas. 

Plant will have the speed advantage early in the fight and he will need to keep Benavidez honest. It would be wise for him to try to land something hard early. After all, things can happen in a fight. Maybe he can drop Benavidez early. Maybe he can cause a significant cut. Both of these scenarios could drastically alter the trajectory of the fight. And it would be a mistake for Plant to immediately get on his bike in the early rounds. At the fight's outset, he will have the element of surprise. He needs to believe in his power and take some chances. 

5. One-hand vs. two

In his first fight with Breadman Edwards against Dirrell, Plant sat down on his right hand much more than he had in previous fights. This is a very important development because throughout Plant's career his left hand has been far more advanced than his right. 

Canelo was able to eventually neutralize Plant's left hook by smothering it. This essentially removed Plant's primary power punch. I don't believe that Benavidez is the same level of student that Canelo is, but still, he's a natural fighter. If Benavidez doesn't feel threatened by Plant's right, he could change the angle of his attack to limit Plant's left. Thus, it's imperative for Plant to show confidence in his right. Otherwise, he will diminish his own offensive possibilities. 

Benavidez has a two-fisted attack and can throw crushing hooks and uppercuts with both hands to either the head or body. He's a far more well-rounded puncher than Plant. Although he may not have the same sharpness as Plant, his punches bludgeon opponents. In addition, because he can throw any punch at any time, opponents have a very tough time defending themselves against him. His unpredictability is a big advantage. 

Prediction: 

In short, I believe that the fight will play out similarly to Plant's matchup with Canelo, but with Plant doing better on a round-by-round basis on Saturday than he did against Alvarez. However, I still have concerns about Plant's gas tank and his ability to move for 12 rounds against a committed, hard body puncher. 

I think that Plant will get off to a fast start and I expect him to mix in hard power punches with his jabs in the early rounds. I think we'll see his right hand become a more pronounced part of his offensive attack. He will sit down on his punches better than he has in the past and will try to score with convincing blows with both hands. 

But keep an eye out for Benavidez's right hands from distance. As Caleb tries to exit the pocket, Benavidez's straight right and right hook will come into play, and he'll hit Plant unexpectedly. I also think that Benavidez will invest in the body early in the fight, shooting straight rights and left hooks whenever he can. He may not win many of the early rounds, but his plan will be to wear Plant down for the second half of the fight. 

Ultimately, I think that Benavidez's pressure and power punching will turn the tide in the fight's final third. Plant will find that that ring will suddenly seem smaller. When he tries to trade, he won't get the better of exchanges. And attempting to clinch Benavidez is an awful proposition. He's a madman on the inside and can wear fighters down without even throwing punches. I think that Benavidez will be successful in softening Plant up in the championship rounds. The fight will be very close on the scorecards, but Benavidez won't let the bout make it to the final bell. 

David Benavidez defeats Caleb Plant by 12th-round stoppage. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.