Benavidez promises he won't let Plant do his famous grave-digging celebration

During their open workout on Wednesday, David Benavidez observed Caleb Plant making the same gravedigging gesture he did immediately after knocking Anthony Dirrell out five months earlier.

In the ninth round of their WBC elimination fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on October 15, Plant knocked out former WBC super middleweight champion Dirrell, signalling the end of Dirrell's career with a shovelling motion in the ring. Benavidez assured Plant that he won't hold any such celebration on Saturday night during their final press briefing on Thursday at the Ka Theater of the MGM Grand.

“I’ve been working extremely hard for this camp,” Benavidez said. “You know, I’m super ready. I’m very excited. And, like I said, all the talk is done. What’s funny, though, that I seen Caleb Plant been doing that gravedigging gesture. Little does he know, he’s digging his own grave, because we’re gonna see Saturday night what that chin look like. Yeah, we’re gonna see. We’re gonna see. We’ll see. We’ll see.”

Plant emphasised on Thursday that Benavidez hasn't competed in a competition of this stature before and hasn't encountered as much opposition as he has. The former IBF super middleweight champion from Ashland City, Tennessee, Plant (22-1, 13 KOs), also cautioned Benavidez that he is not a "blown-up 54-pounder" or a last-minute opponent.

The only opponent to defeat Plant is former pound-for-pound champion Canelo Alvarez. In their super middleweight championship unification fight in November 2021 at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mexico's Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) dropped Plant twice in the 11th round and finished him off.

As their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event approaches, Benavidez, who has admitted that Plant is the best opponent of his ten-year professional career, is rated as at least a 3-1 favourite by the majority of sportsbooks. At MGM Grand Garden Arena ($74.99), the 12-round main event of a four-fight telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET. They will compete for Benavidez's WBC interim 168-pound title.

“I’m definitely the harder puncher, now that I’m more dedicated for this fight,” Benavidez said. “You know, Caleb Plant said he’s found his new power. I been had this power. Now I just tweaked it. Now I’m even more stronger, more faster, so this is definitely gonna be a fight of a boxer and a pressure fighter. I’m very excited, but like I said, this is gonna be a war and Team Benavidez will come out on top.”