LAS VEGAS – February 22, 2023 – Fighters competing on the David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant SHOWTIME PPV undercard on Saturday, March 25 took part in a virtual press conference Wednesday before they step into the ring in a Premier Boxing Champions event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The pay-per-view telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features unbeaten rising stars Jesús “Mono” Ramos and Joey Spencer going toe-to-toe in the 10-round super welterweight co-main event, plus rising lightweights Chris “Primetime” Colbert and Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela meet in a 10-round duel, while unbeaten welterweight contender Cody Crowley faces the hard-hitting Abel Ramos in the telecast opener.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased HERE through AXS.com.
Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday:
JESUS RAMOS JR.
“I’m excited to be here. This is going to be a great card and a huge night. It’s a dream come true to fight at MGM Grand. I’m preparing myself to be my best on March 25, and I’m sure Joey is as well. I think this fight is really going to leave a mark on both of our careers and that people will really remember this one.
“This is not the kind of fight that people our age are taking. I wanted to take this challenge. I’m thankful to Joey for stepping up as well and I can’t wait.
“I was surprised that Joey asked to fight me. Guys usually go other routes and look for different fights. But I was excited. I knew what kind of fight this would be. This is a big fight on a huge card. That’s exactly what I imagined.
“Joey looked good in his last fight. I don’t expect him to be the same fighter against me. I’ve had step up fights like he had too, and I went back and made improvements. I’m sure he’ll do the same, but we’ll be ready.
“My dad [trainer Jesus Ramos Sr.] has made a lot of sacrifices and I’m very proud of everything he’s accomplished. He had to work and train us, because it was the only way to keep the gym afloat. These are the kind of fights that we dreamed of. This is a huge fight and I’m proud of where we’re at right now, but we still have a lot more work to do.
“Who knows what happens on March 25, this could be the start of a big rivalry. It’s going to be entertaining and do a lot for our careers. This only catapults us to the next step towards the bigger fights. We both want to be world champions.
“This new generation is hungry. We want to fight each other. It’s going to bring boxing a lot of big fights and entertaining nights.”
JOEY SPENCER
“I’m just enjoying every minute of this process. What excites me about this fight is that people are excited by it. Growing up as a boxing fan since I was eight years old, I looked up to the young guys who were still proving themselves. Those fights in their career when they first started fighting those big fights were significant. I just remember watching those fights so it excites me to have this first fight have significant meaning for the rest of our careers.
“I actually asked for this fight in particular. You don’t see these fights in boxing often for a reason. A lot of times people hide behind their promoters. This fight is proof that if two guys want to get in the ring at any stage in their career, even if it doesn’t necessarily follow the specific script that boxing usually follows, you can make a fight that’s outside of the box.
“We’re both young and I think it’s a hot fight for the division. It’s a perfect fight to see who’s ready to go to the next level. So props to Jesus. I think we’re going to put on a great fight. Benavidez vs. Plant is a great fight but I think that this fight is going to be right up there as one of the showstoppers on March 25.
“I think I showed people a little bit in my last fight, but I think I’ve got a lot more to show and that was just a small piece of it. Every fight you gain more experience and I was happy with the performance and happy with the rounds, but at the same time, I’ve added a lot to my game since then. That’s what we focused on in this training camp.
“I think this is definitely a step up but I think it’s the right step up. I’m taking a step up against a guy who’s fresh, young, hungry and that’s a very motivating situation for me. It gets me excited and it fuels the fire that I have inside me.
“I think this is just the start. I think it’s the first fight that people are going to go back to when they look at our careers. I think we’re both going to have long careers and people are going to watch this fight for a long time. That’s a big deal for me. I want this fight to make a statement in the sport. I’m 22. He’s 21. For this to be our coming out party where we may go on to become world champions one day. And who knows? We’re both young so there may be more than one fight between us.
“I don’t see any way that this isn’t an entertaining fight. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’m willing to go to the end of myself to get this win for my family. I’m sure he feels the same way.”
CHRIS COLBERT
“I missed the ring. I’m ready to get back and do what I do best and do what I love. Come March 25, I’m coming to put on a show.
“The layoff was more so to get my mind right. I hadn’t lost in over a decade. So it was something that hit hard. When you really love what you do, it’s no joke. I’m not accustomed to losing. I never got used to losing. The layoff was a gift to me. I really needed that.
“I’ll go back down to 130-pounds. I’ve been out for a year, so I wasn’t trying to kill my body to make 130 pounds. Especially when I didn’t have big names to fight there. A lot of people at 135 were calling my name. Valenzuela called my name before on TV, so I have to come give him an early Christmas present.
“I have to go back down and get my belt. That means going back to beat on [WBA 130-Pound World Champion] Hector Luis Garcia. Then I can come back to lightweight. I have something to prove, and the only way to do that is to beat up someone that people say has a lot of potential.
“I wanted to face someone who would come and bring a fight so that the world will see that I’m not playing. I don’t like swimming with fishes, I like swimming with sharks.
“I always said that I wanted to fight at least one time at MGM Grand and now it’s my time to make it happen.
“The layoff wasn’t really about me finding myself, because I’ve always known who I am. I was doing it big and I think I got a little caught up. I had to settle myself down. I have to just continue to do what I do. A new chapter starts March 25.”
JOSE VALENZUELA
“I’m very excited to come back on March 25 on such a big card overall. Chris Colbert is a great fighter. I’m extremely ready. I’m prepared. I’m focused, and I’m ready to get the win.
“I know what my mistakes were. I know why I took that loss and I know how I felt during the fight. It was just a matter of me getting my stuff together, biting down and staying focused. That’s what I did this training camp.
“It’s been a very serious training camp with David Benavidez because he doesn’t like Caleb Plant, so everybody is fully locked in. It’s the perfect atmosphere for me to come back. Whatever reasons Colbert has for coming back, I have my reasons and I’ll be ready March 25 to put on a hell of a show and get my hand raised.
“The main reason I think I lost my last fight is because I was rushing a lot of things and not taking my time. I wasn’t making the most of my time and I was just going through the days, but now I’m reflecting every day on everything that I’m doing. I’m looking over everything that I’m doing and looking at every little detail.
“I have to give my full attention to Chris Colbert and not focus on a rematch with Edwin De Los Santos. Colbert is a hell of a fighter. I like his style. I’ve been watching him for a bit. It’s going to be a great fight. After I beat him on March 25, we can talk about a rematch with De Los Santos.
“Jose Benavidez Sr. is a very honest man. I’m very honest myself. We don’t lie to each other and we don’t point fingers. I took responsibility for the loss and for my performance and that was that. It was just time to take responsibility, grow up, be a man and continue doing what I love to do.
“Training with the Benavidez family is amazing. The energy in the gym every day since this camp started has been electric. I’ve just been feeding off of it. There’s no beef between me and Chris Colbert. I like him. But this is personal with myself. I have to do this for me and for my family. It’s a promise I made a long time ago and I will continue to go that route.”
CODY CROWLEY
“Fight time is getting close and there’s nothing I love more than fighting. That fire burns inside of me and each day I get closer to being able to hurt someone.
“I hope he’s been training in a phone booth, because that’s what it’s going to feel like in the ring. I don’t like to waste any time. So if you want to fight, I’ll meet you right there in the center of the ring. If you want to run, I’m coming forward and I’m coming to break my opponent down.
“I definitely took a long journey to get here, but it needed to happen for me to be in the position I’m in today. Getting this win will mean that nobody can take away what I’ve worked so hard for and earned. This has been a decade in the making as a professional.
“I’m definitely not looking past March 25. So Abel you better be ready. I’m coming to hunt you down. I’m sure he’s doing the same thing. Hats off to him for stepping up to the fire. I can see it in his eyes that he’s ready.
“Every opponent I face is the toughest opponent of my career. Nobody exists except the person in front of me. I’m sharp, I’m collected and I’m very eager to take on this obstacle.
“I still have a month of work to do. There’s plenty to do. My father took his own life six months ago and I’m fighting this one in his honor.”
ABEL RAMOS
“I’m excited about this fight card. There is going to be a lot of explosive action with me and Crowley. I think our styles are going to match up well for an exciting fight. I can’t wait. I have been training hard, putting in work, and I’m ready to give the fans a show. A phone booth fight is right up my alley. That’s what I want. It’s going to be great for the fans.
“I’m always competitive and fired up to take on a new challenge. That’s what has kept me motivated throughout the years. Watching the fighters that I have fought motivates me more to accomplish my dream to become a world champion, and I’m not going to stop until I get it.
“I am ready for war. I’m ready to get in there and fight and get the win at whatever cost. I am not intimidated by Crowley. I am a veteran and have fought every fighter. I go into each fight to win and make adjustments.”
“We are ready to do whatever it takes to win. That’s our goal right now. If it’s getting into a brawl, then let’s brawl. If it’s being smarter in the ring, then that’s what I’m going to do. The priority is to get a win. The fans are going to get their money’s worth because I’m ready to put on a show for them.”
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ABOUT BENAVIDEZ VS. PLANT
Benavídez vs. Plant will see undefeated former two-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion David Benavídez and former IBF Super Middleweight Champion Caleb Plant meet in a high-stakes, 12-round showdown for Benavídez’s Interim WBC Super Middleweight Title live on SHOWTIME PPV on Saturday, March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
In the co-main event, unbeaten rising stars Jesús “Mono” Ramos and Joey Spencer will go toe-to-toe in a 10-round super welterweight scuffle, as each fighter looks to make their claim as the future of the 154-pound division. The action will also see rising lightweights Chris “Primetime” Colbert and Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela meet in a 10-round duel, while unbeaten welterweight contender Cody Crowley faces the hard-hitting Abel Ramos in the telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #BenavidezPlant, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.