David Benavidez’s impressive career has spanned two weight classes, landed him on the pound-for-pound list, and is likely worthy of the Hall of Fame. Regardless, the lack of a superfight on his record will continue to define his resume alongside his accolades.
One potential superfight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez never happened. Instead, Canelo fought numerous lesser contenders in an exasperating end to his run at super middleweight before finally losing to Terence Crawford. Now, unified light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is pursuing a trilogy bout with Artur Beterbiev and has already dropped one world title rather than defend it against Benavidez.
Instead of waiting around a second time, Benavidez is seizing control of his fate. He has announced his intentions to become synonymous with Cinco de Mayo Weekend, a date traditionally dominated by other superstars in the past, and to fight unified cruiserweight titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on May 2, 2026.
Benavidez, 31-0 (25 KOs), and his team are also sufficiently emboldened to talk some smack. (One of the many dubious reasons Alvarez offered for his swerving a Benavidez fight was that Benavidez lacked respect for him, leading to a bemused “Mexican Monster” in interviews.)
The gloves are now off.
“After waiting so long for Canelo Alvarez, only to have him avoid us at all costs, David will wait for no one ever again,” Sampson Lewkowicz, Benavidez’s promoter, said in a press release. “We offered Bivol $8 million to face David last year, and he chose to vacate the WBC title a day before a scheduled purse bid rather than face him. [Former champion Artur] Beterbiev is coming off a loss, so other than money, he brings nothing to table. Besides, David wanted the winner of [the] rematch, not the loser. David would stop Beterbiev.”
Benavidez may be ascending to cruiserweight, but these were heavyweight words from his promoter. Benavidez isn’t necessarily done at 175lbs, though.
“The WBA has guaranteed us that David is the mandatory for the Bivol/Beterbiev winner,” Lewkowicz added in the release. “Bivol will have to act like a ‘Russian Canelo’ and vacate another title to avoid facing David. He doesn’t want to fight because he knows when they sparred, David put a beating on him and dropped him. He has zero chance of beating David. That I promise you. He has no power to keep David off him, and he will take a brutal beating!”
Trash talk is an integral piece of the fight game, and Team Benavidez certainly has reason for frustration. With Beterbiev turning 41 in January, few would rather see him fight Bivol for a third time – 24 technically brilliant but antiseptic rounds between those two have clearly established that neither is meaningfully better than the other. Bivol-Benavidez is also more appealing than Ramirez-Benavidez.
Alas, Bivol is likely to take a tune-up fight following back surgery before a rubber match with the ever-aging Beterbiev. That means we’re at least a year out from Benavidez being able to prove any of his promoter’s claims. Until that point or Benavidez meeting his match elsewhere, fighting words will have to prove sustenance enough.
