David Benavidez has decided to stay at 175 pounds in order to get a shot at a title fight against the winner of the light heavyweight bout between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman posted on X tonight that Benavidez's promoter has informed him he will remain at light heavyweight, where Benavidez holds the interim 175-pound title, the mandatory weight class for the winner of Bivol vs. Beterbiev.
Last month on June 15, Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) defeated Oleksandr Usyk by 12-round unanimous decision in the WBC light heavyweight title bout to win the interim title and make it a mandatory title.
Canelo's decision will determine Benavidez's fate
Benavidez, 27, vacated his interim WBC super middleweight title, likely as a result of today's news that unbeaten 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez has signed a contract to face Edgar Berlanga for the WBA mandatory title defense on September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo's decision to face Berlanga instead of Benavidez makes it clear that he has no plans to face Benavidez. Terence Crawford is already set to face Canelo early next year if Alvarez beats Berlanga on September 14. Crawford would move up two weight classes to challenge for Canelo's title.
Although Benavidez has given up on his dream of fighting Canelo due to lack of opportunities, he could still be quite lucrative financially if he fights the winner of a Bivol vs. Beterbiev open weight fight in 2025. His Excellency Turki Alarasik is interested in Benavidez fighting the winner of that bout, which would not be difficult for him to get.
Beterbiev and Bivol are open to fighting Benavidez because it would mean big paydays for them, and with the lack of big names in the 175-pound division, Benavidez would quickly become the most popular opponent for either champion.
Benavidez did not perform well in his fight against Gvozdyk last month, barely displaying any power and running out of steam in the sixth round. After the fight, Benavidez blamed a hand injury for his lack of power, but some boxing fans are skeptical, saying his punches lack power.
More worryingly, Benavidez ran out of steam in the sixth round. He couldn't blame it on injury; carrying the extra weight at light heavyweight could slow him down and weaken him.
The WBC Follow Exclusive Promoter translation: David Benavidez has confirmed that he will continue his career at light heavyweight, becoming the interim WBC 175 champion and the mandatory contender for the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol.
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) July 23, 2024
