David Benavidez has been on the hunt for a chance to fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for years. After several rejections by the Mexican, he was eventually forced to move up in weight without having faced Canelo. Determined not to let history repeat itself in the light heavyweight division, the 28-year-old has set his sights on Dmitry Bivol. He was the WBC mandatory challenger after Bivol defeated Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed rematch.
By then, the American’s unbeaten run had already made its mark with a dominant victory over David Morrell, also positioning himself as the number one in the WBA title list for Bivol. However, Arab sheikh and boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh had no interest in that fight and instead opted to focus on the trilogy. To make matters worse, Dmitry Bivol vacated the WBC belt to avoid the showdown, seemingly prioritizing a rematch with Artur Beterbiev.
Why did Benavidez vs Bivol fight fade away?
The premium fight for Alalshikh fell through when Bivol underwent back surgery for an old injury, which further delayed everything. Now, David Benavidez, with the WBC title in hand, is preparing for a fight against Anthony Yarde on November 22 in Riyadh. Still, Benavidez is confident he will be able to face them all – Canelo, Bivol and Beterbiev – before his career is over.
“I’ll probably have to choose the hardest option for any fighter, because on this side is Beterbiev, there’s Bivol, and maybe Canelo in the future,” Benavidez told Fight Hype in a recent interview. “I’m fine with that. I’m not scared at all.” It is worth noting that Beterbiev, who was unhappy with Bivol’s withdrawal before the trilogy, is now scheduled to face WBA No. 11 contender Deon Nicholson on the same card as Benavidez.
David Benavidez’s priorities in the ring
At the moment, Bivol or Beterbiev are not available. Despite the delays, Benavidez is calm and patient. “Well, the first thing that reassures me is that I’ve been making very good money. And also, there’s no need to rush, buddy. Everyone has their time.” Interestingly, the reason Benavidez is unconcerned about the repeated delays is thanks to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Benavidez seems to trust that the Saudi royalty is willing to make all those fights happen.
“It looks like it’s very close to being finalized. Like I said, Turki Alalshikh is willing to finalize all these fights,” Benavidez said in the interview. “Now I’m cornering everybody, and there will be no room for anyone to escape.” However, before Benavidez can get his plans underway, there must be interest from his rivals for them to take place.
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