Benavidez-Plant Thoughts

As strictly a Boxing match, the encounter between former Super-Middleweight world champions David Benavidez and Caleb Plant checked a lot of boxes that a Boxing fan looks for in the lead up to the fight. A clash of styles that when matched against each other was likely to produce a competitive fight. A rivalry between the two fighters that appeared to grow into legitimate bad blood, and the sub-plot of potentially getting another opportunity to fight for a world championship. With the fight fan's list of what to look forward to checked off, it was time for the two fighters to converge on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on March 25th to do battle. 

In previewing this bout, this observer stated that it would likely come down to whether or not Plant would be able to deal with the punching power and hand speed of Benavidez. It was also crucial in my eyes that Benavidez not allow Plant, a fighter known for his elusiveness, to be able to set the tempo of the fight and could not start slow as he had done in previous fights as the possibility existed that Plant could build an early lead on the scorecards

For most of the first six rounds of the fight, this is exactly what Plant was able to accomplish. Using his ability to move laterally and approach Benavidez at varying angles, Plant was able to pick his shots by throwing and landing short, crisp combinations to the body and head and then move before Benavidez could return offense. This essentially was the pattern in which the fight was fought for a significant period of time. What yours truly also stated was that Benavidez needed to avoid following Plant around, needed to find a way to cut the ring off to try and limit his movement, and needed to let his hands go consistently.

Throughout most of the first half of the twelve round bout, Benavidez seemingly fell into that trap, which is a testament to what appeared to be an effective fight plan that Caleb Plant was able to execute. It also should not be overlooked that as Benavidez followed Plant around, it was Plant who was able to frequently make the undefeated former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion miss with the punches that he did throw. Plant, the former IBF Super-Middleweight world champion, also succeeded in keeping Benavidez from being able to establish any kind of consistent rhythm offensively by implementing this strategy, with an emphasis on movement and trying to out box his opponent.

At the halfway point of the fight, I felt that Plant had won five of the first six rounds based largely on his execution of his fight plan. While I did not feel the bout was close in terms of scoring at this point, one thing that also stood out was when he was able to connect with his punches, David Benavidez was the harder puncher of the two. Although that should not be surprising to most knowledge Boxing fans, who are familiar with the styles of the two fighters, the question that formed in my mind as the fight progressed was whether or not power punches would be enough for Benavidez to be able to get the job done in this fight as it appeared going into the second half of the fight that he was being out boxed and out worked by Plant.

During the second half of the fight however, the ebb and flow changed as the pressure of Benavidez as well as fatigue began to slow Plant down, which made him more of a stationary target. This along with Benavidez being able to land punches more consistently, seemed in some ways to mirror Plant's only career defeat at the hands of current Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who was able to gradually break Plant down and stop him in eleven rounds in their unification bout in November 2021. Much like Benavidez, Alvarez was able to land the harder shots particularly to the body, which slowed Plant down. In this case, perhaps because of what happened to him against Alvarez, Plant though slowed considerably as the bout progressed tried to go toe to toe with Benavidez, despite it not being to his advantage.

Some might also point to the fact that Caleb Plant was able to get away with what at times appeared to be excessive holding throughout the fight when Benavidez was able to get close. While the tactic of holding an opponent is one that a boxer uses both as a means of defense as well as a way to physically turn an opponent where they are not able to get punches off and then be able to maintain distance when separated by the referee, I will say that I felt the holding by Plant did border on excessive, particularly in the second half of the fight when he was unable to use his legs as he had done over the first six rounds to evade Benavidez.

It needs to be pointed out however, that skilled boxers as Caleb Plant certainly is will look to take advantage of whatever they are able to get away with as long as they are allowed to by the referee. The referee for this bout was Kenny Bayless, who is one of the most respected referees throughout the entire sport that is frequently called upon to officiate bouts all over the world, not just in the state of Nevada in a career where he has officiated close to 900 professional bouts as a referee, many of those bouts having been for world championship fights. Why am I taking the time to point out the credentials of the referee of this fight the reader might ask?

Well, if you are knowledgeable about the sport and you have spent as much time covering it as I have in having spent most of my life writing about and covering Boxing as well as other combat sports, you unfortunately get used to hearing the criticism of fans of referees, judges, and hear the subsequent accusations of potential corruption hurled in the direction of those who are criticized. Although I have not spent too much time as I write this column to see if there has been such criticism of Bayless, I do not feel there was anything suspicious going on in terms of potential corruption. I do feel however, that Bayless should have at least warned Plant about holding as the fight progressed. Referees and judges, like the rest of us, are human and are just as prone to having an off night at the office for lack of a better term as any of us. Bayless is still one of the best in the sport, but it is quite possible that he indeed had an off night here and that did serve to benefit Plant.

Unlike in the Alvarez fight where the effects of pressure, punishment, and fatigue led to his downfall, just as it appeared this fight was heading for a similar outcome, Plant was somehow able to survive a terrible beating that Benavidez dished out in the later rounds. This was particularly surprising in the eleventh round where I frankly thought he was taking too much punishment and wondered if Bayless or his corner would stop the fight as a result. Although Plant did not get knocked down during this period of the fight and deserves a lot of credit for being able to survive and go on to finish the fight, I felt the eleventh round was lopsided to the degree that scoring that round 10-8 in favor of Benavidez was appropriate. As it would turn out, that decision by yours truly would end up producing a rarity on my unofficial scorecard at the end of the fight.

At the end of the twelve round bout, I arrived with an even score in terms of rounds in having scored six rounds a piece between Benavidez and Plant. In points however because I scored the eleventh round 10-8, a score that most of the time is reserved for when there is a knockdown, in favor of Benavidez, I arrived with Benavidez winning the fight 115-113 in points, akin to a seven rounds to five scorecard. 

Ultimately, Benavidez would win the fight via unanimous decision by margins of 115-113 (Seven rounds to five), 116-112 (Eight rounds to four), and 117-111 (Nine rounds to three). While I do not feel a nine rounds to three scorecard was an accurate illustration of how close this fight was, it is indisputable that once Caleb Plant was not able to use his movement, the dynamic of the bout changed and it was a different type of fight from the second half of the contest on through the end of the fight. 

The victory for David Benavidez now moves him into a mandatory position to challenge Saul Alvarez as far as the World Boxing Council's (WBC) Super-Middleweight ratings is concerned. The likelihood of Benavidez getting that shot in the near future seems unlikely due both to Alvarez' upcoming title defense against WBO mandatory challenger John Ryder in May and assuming he retains his undisputed championship in that fight, his desire to seek a rematch with undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Alvarez last year in defense of his Light-Heavyweight crown. This as well as the uncertainty of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, who currently promote Benavidez, seems to keep him out of the equation at least in the immediate future, though he did do his best to call Alvarez out for a fight later this year shortly after defeating Plant. 

As for Caleb Plant, the second loss of his career will do little to negatively affect his standing in the Super-Middleweight division. He has however, earned the chance to rest after what was a very tough and grueling fight. The uncertainty that the PBC, who also promotes Plant, currently finds itself in will likely allow Plant all the time he needs to recover and decide what he wants to do before going back to the drawing board. The one thing Plant can take from this loss is he performed well and even though he did lose this fight, the way he fought, particularly in the later rounds will endear him to fans going forward and his stock in the division will go up as a result.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Benavidez-Plant Preview

On Saturday, March 25th, two former world champions will enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV with the goal of taking one step closer to challenging once more for a world championship. This observer is referring to the encounter between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. Two fighters who each know what it is to be a world champion in the talent-deep 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. A division currently ruled by Undisputed world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

While the goal of both men is obviously an eventual fight with Alvarez, the encounter between the two, which will headline a pay-per-view card broadcast by Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States, could possibly be one of the best fights of the year. The reason for that is it is an interesting clash of styles between two boxer/punchers, but one who is more noted for his punching power than the other. David Benavidez is a former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion. He also has a rare distinction for being one of the few fighters to have held a world championship, but never lost his title in the ring. Some may recall that Benavidez, who won the title in 2017, becoming the youngest world champion in the history of the Super-Middleweight division in the process, was ultimately stripped of it by the World Boxing Council due to having tested positive for cocaine shortly after defeating Ronald Gavril for the title. The WBC then ruled that Benavidez was a "Champion in Recess," which allowed him to fight for the title again only to ultimately be stripped for failing to make weight prior to a scheduled title defense against Roamer Angelo.

Despite his struggles out of the ring, Benavidez has remained unbeaten in twenty-six professional fights and has scored knockouts in twenty-three of those bouts. Inside the ring, Benavidez has been a dominant force that has yet to be tested. Enter Caleb Plant.

Plant, as some may recall, had a lengthy reign as the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super-Middleweight world champion before being stopped in eleven rounds by Saul Alvarez in a unification bout for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. While Plant lost that fight, he made a good account of himself in defeat, particularly in the early rounds before eventually being broken down by Alvarez' pressure and body attack. While that loss is to date the only one Plant has suffered in his career, he obviously would like another opportunity against Alvarez. In his only fight since that loss, Plant scored a devastating knockout of former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Anthony Dirrell in February of last year.

What this fight will come down to in my eyes is whether Plant will be able to deal with the punching power and hand speed of Benavidez. At his best, Caleb Plant is an elusive fighter, who in addition to having hand speed of his own, is known for his lateral movement and ability to use angles. These aspects of his skillset did for a time create problems for Alvarez before he was able to eventually break Plant down as that fight progressed. While Plant's knockout of Dirrell in his last fight was a brutal hook to the body/hook to the head combination, he is not known for his power and logic would suggest that he will need to try and implement a similar approach as he attempted to use against Alvarez, but obviously will look to correct the flaws in that approach that Alvarez ultimately took advantage of, if he wants to be successful in this fight.

The reason for this is Benavidez has exceptionally quick hands in addition to his punching power and Plant will need to be meticulous and tactical for the duration of the scheduled twelve round bout. Perhaps a flaw in Benavidez that Plant will look to take advantage of is that at times he can start slow and not let his hands go much in the early rounds. While obviously Plant should not base his entire approach on this, he must be elusive and try to resist the temptation to go toe to toe with Benavidez if he is able to connect more than occasionally with offense in the early rounds.

For David Benavidez, he must study Plant's fight with Alvarez and look at what Alvarez did that led to his being able to stop Plant late in the fight. Although implementing a similar strategy can be easier said than done, there are two aspects that Benavidez must keep in mind at all times in this fight. One, he needs to find a way to cut off the ring and try to limit Plant's ability to move and must do so early on in the fight as to not allow Plant to establish the tempo of the fight or give him the chance to potentially build up a lead on the scorecards. Benavidez must avoid following Plant around and must limit his movement. Secondly, Benavidez must let his hands go consistently from the outset. If he starts slow and allows Plant to dictate the combat, Benavidez might be in a position where he might need a knockout in the later rounds in order to maintain his undefeated record.

While this fight being the main event of a pay-per-view card in the present time when Showtime as the last premium cable network televising Boxing in the United States may be on its way out in similar fashion as former longtime rival HBO had done in 2018 following a corporate restructuring of its parent company, has drawn criticism of some as a similar restructuring is now taking place in Showtime's parent company Paramount Global, the fight between Benavidez and Plant is still one of the best fights that has been made recently at least on paper. Whether or not that ultimately translates to a memorable battle inside the ring on Saturday night March 25th remains to be seen, even if those broadcasting the fight are likely setting themselves up for failure in the form of underwhelming pay-per-view buy numbers as Boxing fans continue to reject what has become an overpriced, undervalued, and outdated revenue model for the sport that needs to change.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Benavidez vs. Plant takes place on Saturday, March 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View beginning at 9PM ET/ 6PM PT. The pay-per-view event will be available on traditional cable/satellite providers as well as through the Showtime streaming app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. Contact your local cable/satellite provider for ordering information.

To order via and stream on the Showtime streaming app please visit: www.SHO.com/PPV for ordering information.

The event is also available for streaming for the aforementioned price through PPV.com and the PPV.com app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. To order through PPV.com and for more information about compatible streaming devices, please visit: www.PPV.com

*Check your local listings internationally*

*Card and start time subject to change*

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

October 15, 2022 Was A Memorable Day For Boxing

 

Saturday, October 15, 2022 turned out to be one of the most anticipated days on the Boxing calendar in the latter months of the year. What was largely to be highlighted by the return of former longtime WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, the day turned out to offer a little of everything for any Boxing fan. This was due to the postponement of the highly anticipated Women’s world championship unification doubleheader which featured undefeated world champions Claressa Shields and Savanah Marshall meeting for the Undisputed Middleweight championship of the world and an intriguing Jr. Lightweight unification bout between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner putting their respective world championships on the line in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division as the co-main event being moved to October 15^th due to the original date of the card September 10^th being moved one month following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8^th.

 

While some Boxing fans particularly on social media voiced we’ll call it displeasure at the postponement, likely both out of anticipation of the two world championship bouts, as well as not understanding the significance of the circumstances throughout the United Kingdom following the queen’s passing, and also for the fighters created a question of what impact would the postponement have on them as the card was postponed a mere day before it was to occur at London’s O2 Arena, both bouts lived up to every possible expectation and one might argue were quite similar in how each fight was fought in terms of how competitive they were. In the first of the two bouts, Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner engaged in a ten round give and take battle.

 

The general ebb and flow of the fight consisted of Baumgardner seeming to land the cleaner, more effective punches, particularly power punches in the early rounds. A weapon in her arsenal that turned out to be noteworthy throughout the fight that I felt gave her an edge was how she was able to land overhand rights. Mayer however, was able to change the way the combat was being fought in the middle rounds. She was able to do this largely by using her jab to control distance and create opportunities to throw and land hooks and combinations behind the jab.

 

While the two minute round length in which fights in Women's Boxing are fought often serve more as a detriment than an asset particularly in regard to the task of scoring, what this created was the ideal scenario of a close fight that could be scored either way and as I often have said through the years, will often come down to what a judge prefers in their own criteria based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. This was a car where I felt that Baumgardner landed the harder punches and did just enough to fend off the rally that Mayer was able to put together in the middle and late rounds to get the decision. At the end of the ten round world championship bout, I had arrived with a scorecard of six rounds to four or 96-94 in points for Baumgardner. It was not surprising to see scorecards resulting in a split decision in favor of Baumgardner with two official judges scoring a 96-95 scorecard in favor of each fighter with the third judge scoring seven rounds to three or 97-93 in favor of Baumgardner making her the winner and new unified world champion in the 130lb. Jr Lightweight division.

 

Often times on a full card of Boxing, a fight like this which was exciting and highly competitive is enough to satisfy even the most jaded of Boxing fans. The fans in attendance at the O2 Arena would be treated to another great fight as Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall took to the ring to determine the Undisputed Middleweight championship of the world.

 

For ten rounds, the two world champions engaged in a toe to toe battle that frankly could have been fought in a phone booth as there was little to no separating between the fighters and that made it very difficult to tell who had the upper hand. This was due to the moon-stop pace that the combat was fought. As exhausting as it had to be for the fighters, it was also an exhausting fight to watch.

 

Although it was difficult to determine who had the upper hand, there was one subtle difference that proved to be the difference. Shields threw every punch in combination and, despite getting tagged with some heavy shots from Marshall throughout and seeming to allow Marshall to take control in sports where she chose to sit against the ropes, the sheer volume of offense by Shields proved to be too much for Marshall on this evening as Shields would earn a convincing ten round unanimous decision to become the Undisputed Middleweight champion of the world.

 

With the win, Shields put herself in a class by herself as being the only fighter in history male or female to successfully become Undisputed world champion in three separate weight divisions having previously fully unified the Super-Middleweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions prior to this fight. Although I would certainly like to see a rematch between Shields and Marshall, I wonder if Shields will attempt to go up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division next. As is often the case for fighters that are able to move up and down the weight scale and compete at the highest levels of the sport, the question for Claressa Shields will likely be when and where she will find her ceiling in terms of how far she can move up or down in weight and at which weight she feels most comfortable. For someone who has also embarked on a career in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), it’s clear that she is a generational fighter and no matter what she does going forward in either sport, we are seeing something that has not been done before and will likely see Shields become a first ballot Hall of Famer when her career is over.

 

Following the Women’s world championship unification doubleheader, the focus shifted to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY where two former world champions looked to bounce back from setbacks. First, it was former IBF Super-Middleweight world champion Caleb Plant in his first fight since losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a unification bout last November facing former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Anthony Dirrell.

 

What was an at times ugly fight to watch due to several instances of holding and clinching throughout the fight, Plant showcased his movement and hand speed in spots throughout and generally seemed to get the better of the action in this observer’s view. Plant however, would surprise everyone by producing what may be viewed as a candidate for Knockout of the Year at the end of 2022. Despite not being known for his punching power, Plant produced a devastating knockout of Dirrell with a left hook to the body followed by a left hook to the head combination that sent Dirrell down and out on the canvas. Although Plant was stopped by Alvarez last year, many would say that he accounted himself well in defeat and coming off of what was the first loss of his career, he needed a statement-making performance to show that he remains a player in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. Something that he was able to accomplish in such a fashion that it could well lead to a rematch with Alvarez down the line.

 

While under most circumstances a knockout like the one Plant produced would be the center of discussion in the days following, the Plant-Dirrell bout served as the co-main event for the return of former longtime WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, who was returning to the ring following his second knockout loss to Tyson Fury in October of last year as he faced former European Heavyweight champion Robert Helenius.

 

Although the premise of this fight centered squarely on what version of Deontay Wilder would be entering the ring following two knockout losses to Fury and to be more specific, what effects those two fights had on him, frankly we did not get an answer to those questions, at least not in this fight. Helenius began the bout willing to engage with Wilder and trying to apply pressure on him. Wilder suddenly brought an end to the fight by throwing a perfectly timed counter right hand that caught Helenius on the button as he was coming forward sending the former European champion down on his back. The fight was immediately stopped.

 

Simply put, there is not much you can say about a fight that ends with one punch, but for the near completed round that Wilder and Helenius shared the ring together, there appeared to be no ill effects for Wilder. For his part, Helenius did appear to have a good fight plan and was holding his own before simply getting caught in the closing seconds of the first round.  

 

While there are still questions that should be asked in regard Deontay Wilder, the win of Helenius puts him in position to fight former unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz in what would be a final elimination bout to determine a new mandatory challenger for the world championship currently held by Tyson Fury. Ruiz put himself into position to fight for the mandatory spot by scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Luis Ortiz in September. Although the unofficial four-man WBC tournament to determine a mandatory challenger was not made official, it seems like a bout between the former world champions Wilder and Ruiz makes the most sense for both seeing as both are aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and on the surface that fact would give the appearance that it is an easy fight to make.

 

Fury meanwhile has spent the last several months following his successful fifth round knockout of Dillian Whyte in April, retiring, then un-retiring, then retiring again, and un-retiring again, all the while negotiating with fighters for potential fights. Fury has since signed to face former world title challenger Dereck Chisora in his next title defense on December 3^rd. Although Fury has defeated Chisora twice before, one may question whether Fury’s heart is truly on continuing his career or on other ventures. Chisora meanwhile, is enjoying a bit of a resurgence and will be getting his second opportunity at a world championship should the planned third bout between the two come off as planned.

 

For both Wilder and Ruiz, the focus should be on getting their own fight finalized for early 2023 and for the winner of that fight trying to force a bout with the winner of the planned Fury-Chisora III bout. For now, stay tuned for the continuation of the Heavyweight division.

 

Finally, the day of action on October 15^th concluded with the second encounter between undefeated Undisputed Lightweight world champion Devin Haney and former Undisputed Lightweight champion George Kambosos in Melbourne, Australia. A rematch that was contractually stipulated prior to Haney defeating Kambosos for the championship back in May of this year.

 

In that fight, Haney out boxed Kambosos over twelve rounds to earn a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to win the championship. The question going into this rematch was a simple one. Could Kambosos approach this fight differently in such a way that it might change the outcome this time around? For part of the second encounter, Kambosos did try to force the fight on Haney rather than trying to box him as he did in the first fight. This included the former champion periodically being able to catch Haney with flush hooks to the head throughout.

 

As the fight progressed however, Haney as he was able to do in the first fight, was able to find his rhythm and proved to be too slick and too quick for Kambosos, ultimately Boxing his way to a twelve round unanimous decision to retain his championship in his first title defense. While much of this fight seemed to be formulaic as it progressed, I feel that this was a case of the old adage of “Styles Make Fights” as opposed to the performance of George Kambosos.

 

From a stylistic standpoint, Devin Haney may simply have a style that for a fighter with George Kambosos’ style proves to be a difficult puzzle that he struggles to solve. Although Kambosos has now lost two fights to Devin Haney, he is still a player in the 135lb. Lightweight division and could well find himself challenging for a world championship five pounds up the scale in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division down the line.

 

As for Devin Haney, his future could also be in the Jr. Welterweight division in the near future, but it is likely that Haney may be looking for a potential title defense against former unified three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Lomachenko will return to the ring on October 29^th when he faces unbeaten contender Jermaine Ortiz in Madison Square Garden. Even though Lomachenko is a significant favorite going into that fight, it is likely that Haney will wait until the outcome of that bout before entering potential negotiations with Lomachenko for a potential bout in 2023.

 

While such days such as October 15, 2022 prove to be of great value to Boxing fans due to the amount of bouts spread over multiple cards offered, some may say that it is both a blessing and a curse from the standpoint of the fan needing to decide what they will watch first, what they might watch on delay, or what they are not interested in watching. Although in the current age we live in where thanks to digital streaming, the option to watch any sporting event on one’s own schedule has never been easier and will likely only improve with time, a challenge for promoters and networks will continue to be trying to get as many eyes on whatever bouts they are presenting as possible in terms of live viewing. When you also factor in that two of these cards, the Wilder-Helenius and Haney-Kambosos II cards competed head to head against each other, with one on pay-per-view and the other on ESPN+ and the main ESPN network here in the United States, in addition to the plethora of other sporting events taking place including, but not limited to the MLB playoffs, the beginning of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, and finally College Football among others, you can see the dilemma such scheduling can present for some Boxing fans who are likely fans of other sports as well.

 

While yours truly personally loves marathon Boxing days like the one we saw on October 15^th, and even though it might be unrealistic to expect networks and promoters to try and schedule around other sports, the reality is, it will continue to be an issue for some fans and ultimately, make effect both viewership and buy numbers for the sport. It is therefore something that even as technology improves and provides the fan/consumer with more options that networks and promoters will have to combat if they want their events to be successful.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

 

October 15, 2022 To Be A Full Day For Boxing Fans

 

In addition to the Heavyweight bout between former WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder and former European Heavyweight champion Robert Helenius, a bout that was previously covered here in preview on The Boxing Truth®, Saturday, October 15, 2022 will feature much more for Boxing fans. Firstly, on the undercard of the Wilder-Helenius bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY that can be seen here in the United States on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View as well as on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE, will be a bout in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division between former world champions Caleb Plant and Anthony Dirrell.

 

Some may call this a “Crossroads Fight” for both men. As some may recall, Plant was last in the ring in  November of last year when he lost his unbeaten record and IBF Super-Middleweight world championship in a unification bout with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for the Undisputed world championship in the division. Although Plant would be stopped by Alvarez in eleven rounds, he did make a solid account of himself in defeat. Much like Deontay Wilder, Plant now looks to rebuild and the first step in that process will come in the form of former WBC world champion Anthony Dirrell. Dirrell, a veteran of thirty-eight professional fights, has also been looking to get back into position to fight for a world title and will come into this bout unbeaten in his last two fights having a draw and a win to his ledger in those bouts since suffering a knockout loss at the hands of David Benavidez in September 2019.

 

Although the story at least going into this fight will be one fighter looking to bounce back from the first loss of his career going against a fighter looking to continue building momentum, what this will come down to in the eyes of this observer could be who will be able to dictate the combat. What we have here is an encounter between two fighters who can do a little bit of everything. Two boxer/punchers that are capable of scoring a knockout should an opportunity arise and are also capable of Boxing to a decision victory.

 

While it may be logical to expect that Plant may want to make a statement in his first fight back, it may be wise to implement a tactical approach here as Dirrell has sixteen more bouts in his career compared to him and has scored knockouts in twenty-five of those bouts compared to Plant’s twelve knockouts in his twenty-one career wins. While this will likely be viewed as an advantage by some in Dirrell’s favor, one aspect that normally works in Plant’s favor is his lateral movement and ability to use angles.

 

 In his fight against Saul Alvarez, his movement and ability to attack Alvarez from various angles did for a time particularly early in the fight bring Plant success. As they bout went on however, Alvarez was able to put consistent pressure on Plant and gradually broke him down with body punches in addition to what he was able to land to his head.

 

Dirrell likely saw that fight and will likely be looking to implement a similar approach in his own way. What he needs to keep in mind is that Alvarez himself had trouble with Plant throughout that fight and it was largely his consistency in how he approached Plant that led to his success in the middle and late rounds and ultimately to his victory over him. Dirrell must also keep in mind that Plant does have quick hands and the ability to attack in spurts. If he is able to find success against him early, he must not get complacent and allow Plant any openings. Plant is the type of fighter that can take advantage of lulls throughout a fight and Dirrell needs to be aware of that.

 

As is the case for pretty much any fighter in the Super-Middleweight and 175lb. Light-Heavyweight divisions, the end goal for both fighters is likely an encounter with Saul Alvarez. With Alvarez maintaining his position as Undisputed world champion in the division, despite being shelved with an injury to his left hand following his third bout with Gennady Golovkin, this bout will likely amount to an audition among the potential opponents for Alvarez once he heals and is able to return to competition.

 

The Plant-Dirrell bout is not however, the only bout outside of Wilder-Helenius that will likely draw the interest of Boxing fans throughout the day on October 15^th. Two events will be taking place outside of the United States that also have intrigue. First, at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England the highly anticipated Women’s world championship unification doubleheader featuring Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall meeting for the Undisputed Women's Middleweight championship of the world and a Jr. Lightweight unification bout between undefeated WBO/IBF world champion Mikaela Mayer and WBC/IBO world champion  Alycia Baumgardner, which can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+.

 

The card, which was scheduled to take place on September 10th, was delayed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8^th as the United Kingdom entered a period of mourning, which suspended many activities including sports.

 

While all four fighters were in Manchester and participating in fight week activities including the pre-fight press conference prior to the Queen’s passing, an obvious question as these bouts near taking place is what affect if any will the one month delay have on the fighters.

 

The Shields-Marshall unification bout is one of the most anticipated fights throughout the entire sport. Two undefeated world champions putting their respective portions of a world championship on the line to unify and determine one champion alone is enough to draw interest even amongst casual fans, but this fight also has bad blood between the champions attached to it.

 

This stems from the meeting the two had as amateurs in May 2012 where Marshall scored a four round decision over Shields, in what was the only defeat Shields has suffered in a Boxing ring in a career that has seen her win two Olympic Gold medals as an amateur and win world titles in three weight divisions as a professional including briefly becoming the Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion.

 

Obviously, the bad feelings between the two has simmered in the decade since that bout including a heated exchange between the two in a post-fight interview following Shields victory in February of this year over Ema Kozin. While some may view such an exchange “Pull Apart” as a means of promotion, this observer was vocal in saying that it was a negative for the women of the sport to see such an incident particularly when the sport is taking advantage of unprecedented exposure and long overdue recognition for the female fighters in the sport.

 

The view of yours truly notwithstanding, the fight between the two, this time as professionals appears to be an even fight. Shields has been splitting time between Boxing and competing in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) where she has a 1-1 record currently.

 

 Although one should not compare Boxing with the sport of MMA as it is two different sports and require different attributes, it is nevertheless interesting that someone of Shields’ caliber would be willing to venture into a different sport while still at the top of her game as a boxer. Given the demands and tone each sport requires to compete at a high level, a question done might ask is how will this impact her preparation for this fight particularly because it comes against not only the only boxer to defeat her as an amateur or professorial, but also someone that has proven to be very dangerous as a professional. Marshall has scored knockouts in ten of her twelve pro fights and will enter into this fight having scored eight consecutive knockouts.

 

At her best, Claressa Shields is a compact combination puncher that often overwhelms and out works her opponents with activity. While Shields only has two knockouts in her twelve career wins as a professional, she has on occasion shown punching power in her own right. Wisdom would suggest that she look to out box Marshall over the course of the scheduled ten round bout. Even though you can never dismiss the possibility of a knockout for either fighter and keeping in mind that Claressa Shields has yet to really be in danger in a fight to this point, sure must be wary of Marshall’s power because she has shown the ability to end a fight with one punch before. Despite the bad blood between the two, Shields must be tactical and not allow her emotion to dictate how she approaches this fight.

 

For Marshall, her fight plan should be looking for a way to limit Shields’ offense over the course of the fight. While one could make an argument based on statistics that she might have the edge in terms of power, Marshall must not head hunt and should be tactical as well, but try not to leave Shields openings. Marshall must dictate how the fight is to be fought in other to be successful.

 

Although the winner of Shields-Marshall will have status as Undisputed world champion in the Middleweight division, the co-main event could lead to an undisputed championship fight for the winner in 2023 in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division.

 

The fight between world champions Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner presents an interesting clash of styles. Mayer is a solid boxer/puncher that uses lateral movement and hand speed to get the upper hand on her opponents. Unbeaten in seventeen pro bouts with five knockouts, Mayer has gradually been working her way towards unifying the division by successfully adding the IBF crown to the WBO championship she won in October 2020 with a ten round unanimous decision over Ewa Brodnicka. In the fight where she added the IBF championship, Mayer scored a ten round unanimous decision over Maiva Hamadouche in November of last year. While Mayer has not faced much resistance on her path towards an undisputed championship bout, her opponent Alycia Baumgardner could prove to be a dangerous obstacle in that path. Baumgardner won her portions of the World Jr. Lightweight championship by scoring a one punch knockout over previously undefeated world champion Terri Harper in November of last year a knockout where Harper appeared to be out cold on her feet. Since that victory, which some called an upset, Baumgardner successfully defended her crown in April by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Edith Mattysee.

 

Despite her rise to the top of the division coming quickly and as a surprise to some, Baumgardner has shown obviously that she does have the punching power and credentials that should be taken seriously by fans and more importantly her opponents. This could potentially be a close fight depending on who is able to dictate how the fight is fought. Mayer must rely on what has gotten her in this position and box Baumgardner by being a tactician. Baumgardner meanwhile needs to find a way to cut the ring off and limit Mayer’s ability to move.

 

Although Mayer likely has an edge in regard to hand speed, she has not been put in a position thus far in her career where her ability to take a punch from a fighter with significant punching power has been tested. If Baumgardner is able to dictate the tempo of the combat, Mayer may well be tested in what has the appearance of a close and competitive bout at least on paper.

 

Following the Women’s world championship unification doubleheader, ESPN+ continues their Boxing programming of the day by presenting the rematch for the Undisputed Lightweight championship of the world between undefeated world champion Devin Haney and the former champion George Kambosos. A contractually mandated rematch that will take place in the country  as their first encounter Melbourne, Australia.

 

In their first bout in June of this year, Haney thoroughly out boxed the previously unbeaten Kambosos over twelve rounds to win the Undisputed championship in what was a pro-Kambosos environment before the champion’s home country.

 

Although this rematch was pre-ordained per contractual terms for the original bout and there remains a possibility that there could be a third bout between the two per the same contractual terms should Kambosos regain the championship, done questioned the wisdom of the former champion for exercising his rematch clause.

 

This is due to how the first fight was fought where Haney was simply too quick and too elusive for Kambosos. While some may say that it was a matter of the adage of “Styles Make Fights,”  the onus is on the former champion to show that he had a bad night at the office and this fight will be different.

 

How can Kambosos accomplish this? It is certainly easier said than done, but he needs to bring the fight to Haney from the outset and apply pressure on him. The difference in hand speed in the first fight was clear and some might be wondering how Kambosos can combat that speed this time around.

 

This observer is a firm believer that one of the best ways to try to negate a fighter’s hand speed is through timing. Although keeping in mind that it is easier said than done, Kambosos has to find a way as he is applying pressure on Haney to make the champion miss and counter his offense. This was accomplished by former world champion Jorge Linares, who was able to badly stun Haney in the closing seconds of the tenth round of their fight in May 2021. To date, this was the only time Haney has been hurt in his career. While he was able to recover and go on to win a convincing unanimous decision, it did show how an opponent needs to approach Haney.

 

Kambosos must find the balance of applying pressure, being more aggressive, but doing so tactically and trying to bait Haney into creating openings for him to exploit if he wants to be successful in this fight. Simply put, he cannot try to box with someone who might prove to be a master boxer by the time his career is over. He must force Haney into his role of fight.

 

The task for the champion going into his first title defense is to try and repeat a near-perfect performance that he was able to produce in the first fight. Haney must however, not be complacent and must be prepared for any adjustments that Kambosos might make this time around. While both fighters are likely going to be moving up to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division in the not too distant future, there remains unfinished business and we will see if Kambosos can find a way to force a chapter three in this rivalry.

 

As tends to be the case especially as the sport of Boxing moves more in the direction of digital streaming on terms of how it is broadcast to the public, this day of Boxing truly offers a little something for every type of Boxing fan. How October 15, 2022 will be remembered in the history book of Boxing however, remains to be seen.

 

“And That's The Boxing Truth. “

 

Wilder vs. Helenius (Featuring Plant vs. Dirrell) takes place on Saturday, October 15th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The fight can be seen in the United States on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT for $74.99. In addition to being streamed on the Fox Sports app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs, the event will also be streamed in the United States and globally on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE in addition to also being available via traditional cable/satellite pay-per-view throughout the United States and Canada.

 

To order and stream on the Fox Sports app download the Fox Sports app on your preferred device and follow the ordering instructions or visit www.FoxSports.com/PPV for ordering information.

 

To order and stream on the FITE app, download the FITE app on mobile, tablet or connected streaming devices/Smart TVs, or Click the following link to order and for instructions on how and where to download the FITE app: https://www.fite.tv/watch/wilder-vs-helenius/2pbyb/

 

Shields vs. Marshall /Mayer vs. Baumgardner takes place Saturday, October 15^th at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The full card can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 2:30PM ET/11:30AM PT. ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, to subscribe, and where and how to access the ESPN app please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com.

 

Haney vs. Kambosos 2 takes places Saturday, October 15^th at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The card can also be seen in the United States on ESPN+ beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. The main event will also be simulcast on the main ESPN cable network across cable and satellite providers with a scheduled start time of 10:30PM ET/7:30PM PT.

 

*Fights and Cards Subject To Change 

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bivol-Alvarez Preview

 The month of May in the sport of Boxing will kick off with the return of Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as he will return to seek a second world championship in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division as he will face undefeated WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol on Saturday, May 7^th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. A bout that can be seen on digital subscription-based sports streaming network DAZN globally, but will be offered by DAZN on a pay-per-view basis in North America.

 

As much as this observer wants to simply discuss what is an interesting fight that has implications that may play out later this year for Alvarez, it would be outright dishonest of me to say that this fight has not been overshadowed to a degree by the network’s decision to use this fight to test a pay-per-view model that DAZN has proven over the past four years since it’s inception here in the United States to be of a better value than the model, which yours truly has frequently called an overpriced and undervalued one. Unfortunately, due to both the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic as well as perhaps needing a negotiation ploy, DAZN now finds itself testing a model that many have voiced opposition to including many DAZN subscribers. Whether the vocal backlash that has followed since this fight was announced will translate into a significant revolt from subscribers in North America remains to be seen.

 

While longtime readers know my stance regarding the pay-per-view model and should know that I do disagree with the network’s move to implement such a model even on what they insist will be a sporadic basis, it does not change my point of view that the network since it’s entry into the United States has been a valuable commodity for the sport of Boxing and has proven along with ESPN+, the digital subscription-based streaming network from cable network ESPN, which does compete in the streaming space with DAZN, that a subscription-based model can work and does provide a greater value as compared to pay-per-view. Having said that, it is also known that the model is used as a way of luring fighters with the promise of earning significantly more than just their agreed upon purse for bouts. More often than not, the returns for such pay-per-view cards do not earn the type of revenues that is sought by promoters, fighters, and networks that put the events on due largely to lack of value as well as increased fees for such events that frankly has been out of control here in the United States for several years predating DAZN’s inception into the market.

 

Although I could write a book on the pitfalls of the pay-per-view model, the fight itself deserves the majority of the attention here. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in recent times has been focused on making history in his career. The last year of that career saw him begin and finish the process of fully unifying the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division in the span of one year. Something, which for a variety of reasons is practically unheard of in the present era. In his last bout, Alvarez stopped previously undefeated IBF world champion Caleb Plant to complete the unification process in eleven rounds in November of last year.

 

Now, Alvarez sets his sights on a return to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division where he briefly held the WBO world championship after knocking out longtime division cornerstone Sergey Kovalev in 2019. While Alvarez did have some difficulty with the bigger Kovalev throughout, he eventually did catch up with him and knocked him out in eleven rounds. Though his tenure in the division was brief, Alvarez did show he could knock out a naturally bigger opponent in Kovalev, who is known for his punching power. This time, Alvarez will be facing a fighter in Dmitry Bivol, who is unbeaten in nineteen professional fights and closer to his prime than was Kovalev at the time Alvarez fought him.

 

Several years ago when I first observed Dmitry Bivol, I did see some similarities between him and fighters like Kovalev and longtime Alvarez rival Gennady Golovkin in that he was able to build a reputation on being able to score quick and often head-turning knockouts. In recent years however, Bivol has evolved into more of a technical boxer/puncher having not scored a knockout since stopping Sullivan Barrera in March 2018. Bivol has nevertheless continued to be dominant against the opposition that has been placed before him in the years since as it has been rare to see him lose a round during the course of a fight. Bivol will come into this fight off of a successful title defense in December of last year when he scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Umar Salamov in his native Russia.

 

While the evolution of Bivol’s skillset should be viewed as something that will allow him to extend his career long-term, the challenge for the champion coming into what will be his ninth title defense against the most high-profile opponent he has faced in the biggest fight of his career will be whether he can impose his will on Alvarez early. Alvarez’ recent bouts have all come against fighters who had natural size and theoretical physical strength advantages over him. Despite this, fighters such as Kovalev, Callum Smith, and Caleb Plant all failed to make the fight be fought on their terms and Alvarez was able to subsequently have his way with all of them.

 

Although at this point in his career Alvarez is more interested in bouts that will serve as helping secure his legacy, by moving back up in weight, he will be facing a fighter who is also naturally bigger, but it will be up to Bivol to drive that point home and force Alvarez to fight him on his terms. While it is fair to ask whether Alvarez moving up and down in weight depending on what opportunities are available to him will eventually catch up with him as it has to other fighters, for now, the key for opponents like Bivol will be to prevent him from getting into a rhythm and dictating how the fight is fought. Dmitry Bivol has proven in his recent fights to be a highly skilled boxer, but I feel that if he is to be successful in this fight he needs to establish that he is the harder puncher in addition to the crucial point of dictating the combat and not allowing Alvarez to be for lack of a better term, in the driver’s seat as this fight progresses.

 

In terms of what is at stake for Alvarez beyond the opportunity to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion is a third encounter with Gennady Golovkin the current unified IBF/IBO/WBA Middleweight world champion, who Alvarez fought two memorable battles against in 2017 and 2018, with a draw being rendered in the first fight and a highly controversial decision victory for Alvarez in the rematch. Golovkin did his part to set up a potential third encounter with Alvarez by stopping WBA world champion Ryota Murata in Japan in April. While the possibility of a third encounter still happening later this year should not be dismissed even if Alvarez were to lose to Bivol, Golovkin will obviously be an interested spectator as this fight takes place.

 

As for the decision by DAZN to test the waters of pay-per-view for this fight in North America, it remains to be seen whether it will be one that will be beneficial to the network in the long-term.  It should be noted the difficulty the network has experienced with their pay-per-view ordering system as this fight approaches.  In the interest of full disclosure with the reader, as someone who covers the sport remotely due to physical limitations and inability to travel, much like the average consumer, I do rely on whatever is available in order to do what I do. In anticipation of potential problems seeing as this is DAZN’s first attempt using a pay-per-view model, I have spent the better part of three weeks trying to get an order processed for this bout through DAZN’s website, Roku and Apple TV apps so I can cover the bout with no success.  In the days prior to writing this column, I made one final attempt at ordering the bout and was able to do so through DAZN’s mobile app. While I am still unsure as to whether my order was processed as I write this column, I felt it would be responsible for me to at least mention the difficulty I have had trying to order the Bivol-Alvarez event as to hopefully inform readers of potential issues they might incur using DAZN’s new ordering system for these sporadic events.

 

The potential issues for DAZN in terms of their ordering system aside, the decision to test out pay-per-view aside, the fight between Dmitry Bivol and Saul Alvarez does figure to be an interesting and perhaps tactical battle once the two world champions get in the ring to do battle. Whether or not Alvarez moving up and down in weight depending on opportunity ends up working against him in this fight also remains to be seen. With a potential mega third encounter with Gennady Golovkin looming, we will see if Dmitry Bivol can spoil those plans.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Bivol vs. Alvarez takes place on Saturday, May 7^th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The bout can be seen in the United States and Canada on DAZN Pay-Per-View through the DAZN streaming app for $59.99 for current subscribers, $79.99 for new subscribers and will also be available via traditional cable/satellite providers with a one month subscription to DAZN included with purchase. The DAZN streaming app is available on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs. Outside of North America, the bout will be available as part of an existing DAZN subscription excluding Mexico and Latin American Countries. The card will begin at 3:15PM ET/12:15PM PT with the DAZN Boxing Show, which will feature preliminary bouts. The Main card will begin at 8PM ET/5PM PT (*U.S. Times Only). For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to order and subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

Thoughts On Alvarez-Plant And What’s Next

 

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has spent the last year of his career doing something extremely rare. While much had been publicized about the fall out with his former promoter Oscar De La Hoya and for a time global digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, a situation this observer chronicled as it played out, inside the ring, Alvarez was attempting to fully unify the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. While it is not uncommon to see fighters attempt similar feats throughout the sport, it is important to keep in mind that Alvarez was not a recognized world champion in the weight class at this time last year but did hold an interim/regular championship designation in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Super-Middleweight ratings, which gave him a mandatory challenge of former world champion Callum Smith.

 

As most know, Alvarez began his march towards history by scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over Smith last December. A fight that saw him win the previously unbeaten Smith’s WBA crown, but also the vacant WBC world championship in the division giving him status as a unified world champion. Alvarez would then score a third round stoppage of WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in February of this year. This would then lead to the next step on the unification path as he would score an eighth round stoppage of previously unbeaten WBO world champion Billy Joe Saunders in May of this year, which served as the set up for his bout with undefeated IBF world champion Caleb Plant on November 6^th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The round to becoming undisputed world champion’s final destination.

 

In previewing this bout, this observer talked about the various business elements that surrounded this fight, which unfortunately were more of the story going into the bout than the encounter itself, including, but not limited to the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC)’s insistence that this bout take place on their platform via pay-per-view as opposed to the digital subscription model, which Alvarez has been a focal point in driving home the value for consumers for the last three years. While this observer’s stance regarding the pay-per-view model and such tactics should be well known to readers as well as those who know me personally, which will be addressed further later in this column, the shame of such elements that overshadowed this fight is the obvious in that it took the focus away from the bout itself and the fact that it was to determine a true rarity in the sport. An Undisputed world champion, the first in the history of the Super-Middleweight division. What made this even more rare was the timeframe in which it took Alvarez to go from holding a mandatory challenger position in an organization’s ratings, to unified world champion, to now being one step away from being the one and only world champion.

 

For Caleb Plant, the focus on the business elements also took away from what was the biggest fight of his career in facing Boxing’s top drawing card in a fight where if he were successful, he would instantly become one of the biggest stars in the sport. As a world champion who had defended his crown four times against relatively non-descript opposition with the exception of former IBF world champion Caleb Truax, whom he defeated in his last bout going into this fight, this was the equivalent of having a chance to hit the lottery for Plant in addition to the career high payday of $10 Million he earned for facing Alvarez.

 

There are two sayings that yours truly firmly believes in however, as it relates to the sport of Boxing and all of combat sports that can be applied in regard to this fight. One is “Styles Make Fights” and the other “There are levels to the fight game.” Despite Caleb Plant’s solid Boxing and athletic ability, I felt as I said in previewing this fight that the story of the fight would be whether Plant would be able to use his attributes against a fighter of Alvarez’ caliber. Something that has proven to be easier said than done for even the highest level of competition Alvarez had faced in four different weight divisions.

 

It would prove to be as difficult for Plant. From the outset, Alvarez applied consistent pressure on Plant. This resulted in Plant backing up for the majority of the fight. Although Plant threw a consistent jab throughout and had sporadic success in landing counter punches, he simply could not land anything to stop Alvarez from coming forward. What was most noticeable in my eyes was that even though Alvarez had difficulty for a period of time landing his offense, he was the one that pressed the action and when he did land, he was landing the cleaner, more effective blows. This resulted in my scoring seven of the first eight rounds in Alvarez’ favor.

 

While it is indisputable that Plant was very defensively sound, he simply did not land enough offense consistently to win the rounds, in my opinion. The main attribute that Plant executed well in this fight beyond his jab was his movement. Despite being forced consistently to fight moving backward, there were periods throughout where his movement made it difficult for Alvarez to get his punches off. This did not result however, in Plant being able to land punches that were effective in the sense of being able to hurt or momentarily halt Alvarez’ from coming forward and with Alvarez forcing the combat, it was very difficult to score rounds in Plant’s favor.

 

While Alvarez was not overwhelming with his offense, He did succeed in making the most out of what punches he did throw and that may have made the difference in the eyes of some who felt that several of the rounds in this fight were close. From my perspective, I saw Alvarez implementing an attack to the body of Plant similar to that in which he has used against previous opponents. He did not land every time he went to Plant’s body, but you saw a consistent trend of body shots, which opened opportunities for Alvarez to land to the head of Plant particularly with his right hand. As the fight went on, you could also see this tactical approach gradually beginning to slow Plant’s movement down. An old adage that this observer believes in that can be interpreted in Boxing terms is if you hit a tree at its base enough times eventually the head will fall. 

 

In Boxing terms, some refer to the implantation of a consistent body attack as taking the air out of the tires, in other words, taking the ability of an opponent to use their legs/movement to evade away from them as a fight progresses. The stalking approach that Alvarez has implemented in recent fights including this one reminded yours truly of the approach that Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. used throughout his legendary career. One aspect that I saw in this particular fight that I felt worked well for Alvarez was that he would throw a left hook to Plant’s body and regardless of whether that punch landed, he would follow it with a left hook to the head in addition to finding a home for his right hands.

 

Although Chavez and Alvarez are not similar in terms of style in my view, the similar approach Alvarez has implemented recently in his career and did implement here against Plant had similar results to that which Chavez made his Hall of Fame career on. The gradual breaking down of an opponent in a systematic and calculated fashion. As I watched this fight during the first half of the bout, I began to sense that Alvarez might get to Plant around the seventh round based on what I saw from his approach. This did not occur, despite the pattern of the fight not changing in that Alvarez continued to walk Plant down. The one change in this pattern came in round seven where Alvarez chose to briefly lean against the ropes and motioned to Plant to come forward almost as if he were challenging the IBF world champion.  While this did not last a significant period of time, I felt Plant did enough in that round to win it on my unofficial scorecard. I also felt Plant did enough to win the ninth round of the bout.

 

It may have been a case of Alvarez not being as aggressive or effective in those two particular rounds and/or a case of him trying to pace himself, but nevertheless, despite Plant winning those two rounds clearly in my view, he could not change the pattern of the fight for long enough to have sustainable success. While my sense that Alvarez might get to Plant by the middle rounds did not occur, by the late rounds, I did wonder if Plant would be able to make it to the final bell.

 

This was due largely to his slowing down as the fight progressed as a result of Alvarez’ body attack. Caleb Plant deserves all the credit for being able to hang in against such an attack, which can be attributed to his solid defense throughout the fight. Even the best defense however, can at times break. Alvarez would find his breakthrough moment in the eleventh round. A left hook to the head of Plant set up a flush right uppercut to the head that sent Plant down for the first time in his career. Although this knockdown came from head shots, it was the accumulative effect of the body work Alvarez had done throughout the entire fight, which created this opening as Plant was not able to evade what Alvarez was throwing as had been the case periodically throughout the bout. The effects of the body work was also noticeable in Plant getting up from the knockdown on unsteady legs, but being allowed to continue. Sensing he had his opponent compromised, Alvarez went in for the finish pouncing on Plant with a series of unanswered blows that would ultimately send him down for a second time and result in the fight being stopped.

 

It was as impressive a victory for Alvarez as he could have envisioned going into this fight, but more importantly, it was also mission accomplished in being the first fighter in this observer’s memory to have won a world championship and gone on to successfully unify an entire division in the span of one year. When one considers the various political elements that be in the sport, which as I have said numerous times more often than not serve the interest of various entities that surround the business of Boxing as opposed to benefiting the sport, it is a significant accomplishment.  Now the question becomes what’s next?

 

This is where unfortunately, this observer must again bring up the various business aspects that surrounded this fight going in and where things might stand now coming out of Alvarez’ victory over Caleb Plant. First, Alvarez retains his position in holding the power in any negotiation involving his career, both due to his drawing power as well as the fact that he continues to win. What does this mean? Well, although this observer remains firm in his stance that the subscription-based model in which Alvarez has been able to market effectively over the last three years due to his association with DAZN is a better model both in terms of what is offered and in terms of value for the price for a subscription for consumers, the possibility definitely exists that Premier Boxing Champions, and it’s television partners Showtime/ViacomCBS and Fox Sports could make Alvarez an offer to continue to fight under their banner, which would unfortunately mean more pay-per-view offered to the consumer at inflated prices as both ViacomCBS and Fox are reluctant to venture into the digital streaming market in terms of trying to compete with streaming networks like DAZN and ESPN+, despite the fact that ViacomCBS has invested significantly recently in acquiring sports rights for it’s digital subscription streaming network Paramount+ (Formerly CBS All Access.), which has including moving it’s weekly Inside The NFL series from Showtime to Paramount+.

 

While yours truly has said for a good while in conversation with those who know me, colleagues who also cover the sport, and those readers who reach out to me on social media platforms that ViacomCBS does have the platform through Paramount+ to move Showtime’s Boxing content including what would be pay-per-view offerings to that network and to do something along the lines of “Showtime Boxing on Paramount+”, which would then in addition to all the other sports content they are offering would put them in a better position to compete in the streaming realm with DAZN and ESPN+, it does not seem like that is their intention at this point. You would think however, given the network’s struggles recently with ratings for Boxing cards that air on the premium Showtime network as well as the average of 200,000 buys for many recent pay-per-view cards, which are normally priced at $70 or above that Showtime and maybe even those at the PBC would be looking for a viable alternative rather than trying to fight against the changing landscape of television.

 

Although the possibility also exists that Alvarez might be interested in a potential offer to fight on ESPN’s streaming network, yours truly believes the logical option would be for him to return to DAZN where prior to this fight, he has maintained a working relationship with the network, despite the bump in the road that occurred due largely to his split from his former promoter Oscar De La Hoya more so than issues with the network itself. In addition to continuing to fight on DAZN’s network for his previous three bouts prior to facing Plant, Alvarez has also enjoyed a working relationship with promoter Eddie Hearn, which in addition to those three bouts has seen Alvarez also in position as a co-promoter along with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing on cards staged in Mexico. With one such card scheduled to take place in Mexico later in the month of November, it makes all the sense that Alvarez would want to continue that relationship, particularly if the pay-per-view returns on his fight with Caleb Plant do not deliver what is to be expected once he gets his portion of revenue.

 

As for what this means for Alvarez free agent status as far as promotional entities are concerned, there is certainly nothing saying that fighters who are currently aligned with the PBC, or with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., who has a broadcast agreement with ESPN, shouldn’t be able to fight on DAZN or other platforms if a lucrative opportunity presents itself.  The primary thing Alvarez has demonstrated clearly was that he wanted to make history by becoming the first Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion by facing Caleb Plant. Although clearly the PBC felt they had more leverage, despite what they might admit publicly due to the fact that Plant was the only world champion left standing in the division that Alvarez had not beaten, Alvarez chose to take a risk by returning to pay-per-view in order for that fight to happen, when theoretically, Plant may have made more money by facing Alvarez under the DAZN banner than the estimated $10 million he received. While this is as much an indictment on the business practices in the sport that more often than not put their interest ahead of the fighters interests, Alvarez still did what he needed to do to make the fight happen and accomplished his goal.

 

Will other fighters who have seen their careers primarily relegated to fighting under the PBC banner due to the PBC’s unwillingness to work with outside promoters and networks on a consistent basis follow Alvarez’ example by being willing to face fighters regardless of promotional /network ties? This observer believes it would be in those fighters best interest to do so even though that may not be what the PBC or it’s TV partners necessarily want to hear. It is important to keep in mind that a lot of the reason why many people did not give Caleb Plant much of a chance against Alvarez was due to the fact that he has fought exclusively within the PBC realm, and as such, despite being a world champion who had four successful title defenses going into the fight with Alvarez, had a lower profile as compared to that of his opponent and was not particularly known amongst the casual fan. While it should not be overlooked that some cards in which Plant has headlined that were broadcasts on the main Fox network in the United States did much higher numbers than anything on pay-per-view, he was not facing opponents who were known to the casual observer and that I believe hurt him in terms of his name recognition going into this fight. Although the fighter cannot be blamed for that, it points out an obvious flaw in the thinking some promoters and apparently the PBC seem to have that certain fights have to take place under their banner and on their terms, which is one reason, perhaps the primary reason why the business of Boxing more often than not stands in the way of significant progress for the sport.

 

Despite losing to Alvarez, Caleb Plant certainly has nothing to be ashamed of and showed his mettle in defeat. It would be nice however, to see opportunities be opened for him beyond the PBC realm that will allow him to increase his profile going forward beyond being known as the opponent in which Saul Alvarez defeated to become an undisputed champion. Plant does have the skills where he could certainly be in line to fight for a world championship again either at Super-Middleweight or potentially the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. It may only be a question of whether or not he will be allowed to fight a fighter or world champion if the opportunity presents itself if it is not under the PBC banner.

 

As for Alvarez, he has fought more frequently than any fighter on the elite level of the sport recently. While he definitely deserves a rest before resuming his career, there is one fight out there that frankly needs to happen. This fight would be the long awaited third encounter with Gennady Golovkin in which Alvarez has both a disputed draw and victory over in two fights in 2017 and 2018 respectively where they fought for Golovkin’s unified Middleweight world championship.

 

Golovkin has gone on to regain unified world champion status in the 160lb. Middleweight division and will be facing WBA world champion Ryota Murata in Tokyo, Japan in December. If Golovkin, the current IBF/IBO Middleweight world champion should defeat Murata, it would make sense for him to move up eight pounds to challenge Alvarez for his undisputed world championship given both have a working relationship with DAZN and it is a fight where honestly there is unfinished business and one that the public has been demanding. Although the possibility also exists that Golovkin could attempt to fully unify the Middleweight division, something he appeared to be close to doing before he faced Alvarez, at almost forty years old, a third encounter with Alvarez is something that will not be available forever and is the most lucrative option on the table for Golovkin should he beat Murata. From a business perspective, it would also be a win for DAZN that has faced some struggles and criticism from some whether fairly or unfairly in not delivering a fight like this to it’s network, which has been an alternative to the pay-per-view model, seeing as the first two times Alvarez and Golovkin fought, each bout did over a million buys on pay-per-view, proving to be a rare exception over the last decade and a half by producing a significantly higher buy number than the norm. A fight like this for the network would also likely boost subscriber numbers in the sense of bringing new eyes to the network as well as seeing some who may have unsubscribed return. If Golovkin gets by Murata, it makes sense that in May 2022, when Alvarez says he wants to return to the ring, the fighter standing across from him would be Gennady Golovkin.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

  

Alvarez-Plant: The Battle For Super-Middleweight Supremacy

 

The recent career of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has been marked by a very public split from his longtime promoter Oscar De La Hoya outside of the ring as well as his becoming essentially a free agent while continuing to maintain a relationship with global digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. Inside the ring however, the last year of Alvarez’ career has seen more frequent activity as well as establishing a working relationship with promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. A relationship that has seen Alvarez fight three times in under a year in the process winning and successfully unifying three of five Super-Middleweight world championships.  While some may not see a fighter fighting three times in one year as being overly significant, it is extremely rare both due to a fighter like Alvarez’ position as an elite level boxer, but also due to the financial incentives that a fighter like Alvarez can earn on a per fight basis to see a fighter in his position compete so frequently. 

 

Although the public business divorce between Alvarez, De La Hoya, and for a brief period DAZN did not do any of the three any benefit, an argument can be made that perhaps Alvarez being essentially a promotional free agent has allowed him to be as active as he wants to be, which may or may not have been what someone in De La Hoya’s position have wanted. Three dominant victories over Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim, and Billy Joe Saunders over the last year have now led to Alvarez attempting to make history as he will meet undefeated IBF Super-Middleweight champion Caleb Plant on November 6^th to unify the 168lb. division and determine the first undisputed world champion in Super-Middleweight history.

 

Unlike Alvarez’ bouts since December 2018 however, this fight will not be broadcast by DAZN around the world, but rather will be broadcast on a medium that Alvarez left when he originally signed with DAZN, pay-per-view as this bout will be broadcast in the United States by Showtime Pay-Per-View and in the United Kingdom on BT Sport Box Office Pay-Per-View. The reason for this whether it is something that will be admitted publicly or not has to do with Caleb Plant’s association with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and more specifically his advisor Al Haymon who has an exclusive deal with Showtime and Fox Sports in the United States and BT Sport in the United Kingdom.

 

Some may recall that negotiations for this bout broke down for a period of time due to what was reported as Alvarez’ refusing to sign a multi-fight agreement to fight under the PBC banner. While this was a temporary break down in negotiation, it did show Alvarez’ desire to make history by choosing to fight on a different platform and for the time being return to an overpriced and outdated model of pay-per-view, despite being in a position where he had more leverage as the marquee attraction, the “A-Side Fighter” for lack of a better term. While this is no disrespect to the undefeated Plant, who will enter this fight having successfully defended his IBF crown three times since winning the title in January 2019, some may question the motives of the PBC or perhaps Haymon by insisting this fight take place on their platform rather than looking out for the best interest of Plant, who one might argue could have made more money by facing Alvarez under the DAZN platform.

 

Nevertheless, Plant will be making an estimated $10 million for this fight, which is still by far a career high for him. The business elements of the sport, which often does not serve to Boxing’s benefit notwithstanding, Plant does pose an interesting challenge for Alvarez, despite going into this fight as a significant underdog.

 

Why is the undefeated Plant an underdog? The reason primarily is because, despite being unbeaten in twenty-one professional bouts, he has not fought opposition that is comparable to that of Saul Alvarez. Even though it is indeed true that all a fighter can do is face the opposition that is placed before them, an argument can be made that it is a flaw of the PBC model in that there are times where fighters such as Plant either world champions or top contenders struggle to get the type of marquee fights they deserve due to the PBC’s seeming unwillingness to work with promoters from outside their banner on a regular basis. Their insistence that this fight take place under their banner is perhaps a reflection of that argument.

 

Caleb Plant however, is an unbeaten fighter who is a boxer/puncher that likes to gradually break his opponents down over the course of a fight. He has also shown the ability to out work his opponents throughout a fight to win convincing decisions. It is indisputable however, that the story of this fight will be whether or not Plant will be able to do either against a fighter of Alvarez’ caliber in what is a significant step up in class of opposition.

 

What makes Saul Alvarez so dangerous is that he is very compact with his offense, has the ability to hurt an opponent with either hand, and is a world-class counter puncher. Plant does have twelve knockouts in his twenty-one career wins, but is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to overall experience and also experience competing at this level of the sport against Alvarez, who is a veteran of fifty-nine professional bouts and who’s only official loss came against Floyd Mayweather when he was competing as a 154lb. Jr. Middleweight.

 

Although Plant is the naturally bigger man compared to Alvarez, Alvarez has shown since moving to 168lbs. that he is not only capable of fighting men who are taller, longer, and theoretically stronger than himself, but thus far he has been dominant. A reason for this beyond his aforementioned attributes is he continues to evolve and with each fight has proven to be an increasingly difficult puzzle for opponents to solve. How can Caleb Plant be one of the few fighters to have success against Alvarez and possibly defeat him?

 

It is crucial that Plant find a way to get Alvarez’ respect early. Despite facing opposition that seemingly have an edge over him physically in several of his recent fights, Saul Alvarez has almost been like a stalker in the sense that he implements a systematic approach in being able to gradually walk his opponents down and being able to at times quickly negate an opponent’s physical advantages. One aspect that can be overshadowed by how well Alvarez is able to execute his offense is he is also very sound in regard to defense in particular his use of head movement. Plant must find a way to nullify Alvarez’ ability to gain control of the tempo of a fight early on. If he does not and allows Alvarez to get into a rhythm, it may prove to be a difficult task for Plant to win a decision particularly because he is not known as a power puncher and even opponents that arguably have a higher profile have found it difficult to win rounds against Alvarez.

 

Unlike many high-profile unification bouts throughout the sport's history, this fight seems to have more of the business elements that surrounded this fight being made in the minds of many Boxing fans and even some who have painted this as a blow that DAZN will find it hard to come back from. Despite this being for an undisputed world championship and my feeling that the fight should be the focus, I would be lying to the reader if I said I was not curious as to how this fight will do in terms of pay-per-view buys compared to some of Saul Alvarez’ recent fights on a global subscription-based model that is generally of better value to Boxing fans. Even with the likelihood that Alvarez will return to DAZN after this fight due to the financial incentives that are available to him, one would be justified to wonder whether or not there will be some backlash from fans who may not be as eager to shell out $79.99 in the United States for one card when a yearly subscription to DAZN costs the consumer $99 with no pay-per-view add-ons. While the latter has been the subject of much speculation recently, it is revealing that Showtime who has seen the ratings of several of their Boxing broadcasts under perform and has seen several of their pay-per-view events struggle to exceed 200,000 buys at price points similar to this fight that the network currently is planning three pay-per-view events in a 30-day period with Alvarez-Plant being the first of those events.

 

Of course, if you are competing with a network)/platform that is changing the model and that model seems to be more consumer-friendly than what you’re company is offering, the obvious response would be to attempt to downplay and/or outright insult the competitor if you are in Showtime’s position, which has been the case periodically from those running Showtime Sports with regard to the progress DAZN has made. Obviously, DAZN much like other entities have also seen their share of struggles over the last year due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic. This observer will always be honest with his readers and in all truth and honesty, I fail to see how three pay-per-view cards at inflated price points in a 30-day period serves in the interest of the fans that support the sport especially as the COVID-19 crisis remains ongoing. Yours truly has no doubt however, that those at Showtime and perhaps even its parent company ViacomCBS will attempt a public relations spin to make it appear like such practices are beneficial both to the sport itself as well as the fans that support it in good times and bad. If recent history has taught us anything it is that the consumer generally wants more value for their money.

 

As we have seen, most pay-per-view Boxing cards including the recent third bout between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which tapped out at around 600,000 buys at the same price point as the Alvarez-Plant bout and well short of the one million buys promoters had predicted in order for the event to be profitable, sometimes it does not matter who is on a card or how great a fight might be as Fury-Wilder3 was, if the majority of the public does not see value for their money and more importantly, feels priced out, events like this will ultimately not be successful. It would also be a shame if Alvarez-Plant turns out to be a great fight that only a fraction of a potential audience chooses to tune in to see. No matter what spin a network’s brass or a promoter might attempt, it can simply be described by two words “Bad Business.” For all involved, the network, the promoters, the fans who feel cheated by being asked to pay such expensive fees, but also the fighters who are often lured by the promise of more money via potential pay-per-view revenue that more often than not does not live up to let alone exceed expectations. “Bad Business“ indeed.

 

In terms of what to expect when Alvarez and Plant meet to fully unify the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division on Saturday night, hopefully we will see a fight that exceeds expectations inside the ring. Despite the business elements of the sport that seem to continue to prove that it refuses to get out of Boxing’s way and present the sport in such a manner that it serves Boxing’s best interest as well as the fans who support it,  and not necessarily those who rule on the business end of the sport.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Alvarez vs. Plant takes place on Saturday, November 6^th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. The bout as well as a three-fight undercard can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View for $79.99. The pay-per-view broadcast will begin at 9PM ET/6PM PT and will be available across cable/satellite telco providers in the United States and Canada as well as through the Showtime app on mobile, tablet, connected streaming devices and Smart TV’s. For more information on how to order via the Showtime app please visit: www.sho.com/PPV.

 

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the bout can be seen on BT Sport Box Office Pay-Per-View beginning at Midnight (Sunday, November 7^th) for £19.99. For more information and to order please visit: https://www.bt.com/sport/box-office/

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison