Tag

David Benavidez

Browsing

David Benavidez has become one of the most fearsome fighters in boxing in recent years.

The two-time super-middleweight champion has recently moved up to light heavyweight, where he has already become a force after wins over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.

It has seen him claim the WBC interim title and the WBA ‘Regular’ title, putting him in line for a showdown against current undisputed king Dmitry Bivol.

David Benavidez turns out as the biggest loser after Dmitry Bivol beats  Artur Beterbiev | Marca

JUST IN: Anthony Joshua gets big Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings boost without throwing a punch

Bivol became undisputed last weekend with a majority decision victory over Artur Beterbiev, gaining revenge after Beterbiev won their first meeting in October.

Benavidez – who has 24 knockouts in 30 wins – and Bivol have sparred in the past, and one man who has witnessed their sessions is film director Peter Berg, who alongside Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing runs the Churchill Boxing Club in Los Angeles.

Berg was recently on The Joe Rogan Experience, initially stating what he saw when the two light heavyweight stars sparred.

“Bivol trains in our gym. The hardest punch I’ve ever seen anybody throw in my life was in our gym. David Benavidez was sparring Bivol and Bivol caught him and dropped him with a jab in sparring.”

Berg later clarified on social media that he got mixed up, and it was instead ‘The Mexican Monster’ that dropped Bivol.

“I have to retract something that I said because I was wrong. I said Bivol dropped Benavidez at Churchill Boxing Club with a jab, I remembered it wrong, it was Benavidez that dropped Bivol.

“I don’t know why I remembered it wrong but I did, and I suspected actually when I was saying it that I was wrong, but it was Benavidez that dropped Bivol, straight up, with an incredible jab.”

Whether Bivol and Benavidez do indeed meet should become clear in the next few months, with a potential trilogy against Beterbiev also an option for the undisputed champion.

Dmitry Bivol beat Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed light-heavyweight rematch this month to win all four belts in the division.

The pair of Russians first met back in October of 2024, with Beterbiev ending a 20-fight stoppage streak to beat Bivol on points via majority decision. As the fight was extremely close, with many feeling Bivol should have had his hand raised, as well as the epitome of elite boxing, a rematch was booked quickly.

Bivol made the correct adjustments to take home the belts this time around, answering back any Beterbiev shots with his own flurry, moving when he had to and exchanging valiantly. Despite strong success for the knockout artist Artur in the middle rounds, Bivol put a stamp on the contest as the final bell neared.

David Benavidez turns out as the biggest loser after Dmitry Bivol beats  Artur Beterbiev | Marca

JUST IN: Oleksandr Usyk fight ‘probably not happening’ as Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua lined up

With the same scorecards but reversed and another night of high-level action, both men said they were interested in a trilogy, as did Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh.

However, the WBC looks set on enforcing its mandatory challenger David Benavidez, providing an update in unequivocal terms:

“Dimitry Bivol must fight David Benavidez next.”

Benavidez fought and won the interim WBC belt in his debut in the division, beating former champion and Beterbiev foe Oleksandr Gvozdyk unanimously. He then entered into a dangerous contest with hard-hitting Cuban David Morrell Jr, again winning by decision to take add the WBA Regular belt to his case.

The 28-year-old has 24 knockouts from 30 wins and has long said he feels he beats the four-belt champion, confident due to past sparring sessions. Whether or not the WBC would consider a delay to the mandatory to allow for a third undisputed contest against Beterbiev remains to be seen.

Verified by MonsterInsights