David Benavidez and Caleb Plant will finally resolve their bad blood Saturday in a 12-round boxing main event between the star super middleweights. The WBC interim belt will be at stake in the headlining fight, which anchors the Showtime pay-per-view main Benavidez vs. Plant fight card (9 p.m. ET) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Benavidez and Plant have been fierce rivals for years, and have come to blows during numerous public encounters. They were separated by handlers three times during a Tuesday news conference that nearly turned into a riot. The winner Saturday will get the interim title and the upper hand for higher-profile fights in the near future.
Benavidez is a -360 favorite (risk $360 to win $100), while Plant comes back at +280 in the latest Benavidez vs. Plant odds from Caesars Sportsbook. The over/under for total rounds completed is 9.5. Before making any Plant vs. Benavidez picks, make sure you see the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Peter Kahn.
Kahn is a true boxing insider who has his finger on the pulse of what's going on inside and outside of the ring. He has managed numerous world champions and currently manages 20 fighters through his company, Fight Game Advisors. Kahn recently won the 2022 Boxing Writers Association of America Cus D'Amato Manager of the Year award and was named to the 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Kahn is uncanny when it comes to picking fights. He is an astounding 37-10 on his last 47 SportsLine boxing picks, returning nearly $4,000 to $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him has already seen massive returns.
Now, with Benavidez vs. Plant on deck, Kahn has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident selections for the fight. You can see those picks at SportsLine.
David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant preview
One of boxing's most powerful images in recent memory was that of a disconsolate Plant shedding tears in the ring as he looked physically beaten and emotionally devastated in the immediate aftermath of his loss to Canelo Alvarez. Eventually Alvarez, with whom Plant also had bad blood, approached and comforted Plant, telling the defeated fighter he was a worthy opponent and would bounce back.
Even so, many boxing observers wondered whether the devastation of that loss would linger with Plant, who briefly considered retirement, in future matches. But those concerns were squashed last October when Plant put on one of the best performances of his career against Anthony Dirrell. Plant dominated from the outset and finished the fight with a ninth-round knockout.
Ahead of Saturday's main event, Plant told the media he feels more confident and prepared than he ever has in his career.
"Different people handle things in different ways. I'm cool, calm and collected. I'm focused and I've had a great camp. We're going into this fight 100%. I can only speak for my team, but we're ready to handle business," he said.
Perhaps the primary motivation for Benavidez is that an impressive performance would likely put him next in line as the top candidate to face Alvarez. Many boxing observers have long viewed Benavidez, largely because of his power and durability, as a real threat to Alvarez's reign at super middleweight.
The matchup has been considered in the past but was shelved for reasons ranging from conflicting schedules to Benavidez's lack of availability because of his suspension for a positive drug test.
Alvarez, who remains the unified champion at super middleweight, has a fight booked against mandatory WBO challenger John Ryder on May 6. Benavidez told the media this week that he is the WBC mandatory challenger and, if he wins Saturday, he is going to insist that the sanctioning body force the fight or remove the WBC belt from Alvarez.
"I want to fight Canelo to prove that I'm the best at 168. But if he doesn't want to fight, then, of course, that's the route I'll go," Benavidez said. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Benavidez vs. Plant picks
Kahn likes the Over 9.5 rounds at a price of -105 in the latest Caesars Sportsbook boxing odds. He's also made the call on a method-of-victory prop that returns more than +400 and has a strong money-line pick. You can only see those selections at SportsLine.
Who wins David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant? And which prop could bring a huge return? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn's best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who has netted his followers a profit of nearly $4,000, and find out.