David Benavidez vs Caleb Plant official for March 25 on Showtime PPV

It’s now 100 percent official: David Benavidez and Caleb Plant will meet in the main event of a Showtime pay-per-view on Saturday, March 25, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Benavidez (26-0, 23 KO) will be defending the interim WBC super middleweight title, which may not be recognized so much while Canelo Alvarez sits as undisputed champ of the division, but it’s a big spot to be in because eventually, the winner of this fight between Benavidez and Plant (22-1, 13 KO) will have a claim to force a bout with Canelo.

Plant, 30, already fought to Canelo, which accounts for the one L on his record, back in Nov. 2021. He returned to action last October, violently knocking out Anthony Dirrell in the ninth round of their fight on the Wilder vs Helenius PPV undercard.

Benavidez, 26, also fought just once in 2022, stopping David Lemieux in three rounds in a May Showtime main event.

Benavidez is a former two-time WBC titleholder at 168 lbs, giving up the belt once for failing a drug test (cocaine), and the other time for failing to make weight ahead of his 2020 bout with Roamer Alexis Angulo. Plant held the IBF super middleweight title from Jan. 2019 until his loss to Canelo, which fully unified the division.

Benavidez and Plant have had a long war of words, and finally have their chance to square off.

“I can’t wait until they put me in the ring with him so I can beat his ass,” said Benavídez. “This is going to be a great night for boxing fans. I can’t wait to step in there and give everyone the beatdown they’re coming to see.”

“After I knocked out Dirrell, I made it clear I wanted to go after the biggest fight that could be made in the division,” said Plant. “This is one of the most anticipated matchups and I’m here again, showing the world why I’m one of the biggest attractions in boxing. I feel sharp and on point. I’m looking forward to not only to giving the fans what they’ve been waiting for, but to show who the better man is.”

No undercard fights for the pay-per-view have been announced yet.