David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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Tyson Fury is set to break the bank in back-to-back bouts.
The WBC heavyweight beltholder Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) will first face MMA star Francis Ngannou in a boxing match later this month, and soon after that, unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) for the undisputed title.
Both of the fights will take place in Saudi Arabia, as the country continues to pay exorbitant fees to bring desired sporting events to the Middle East.
Turki Alalshikh – chairman of the board of the General Entertainment Authority and Head of Riyadh Season – is the chief principal responsible for funding the fights.
“Tyson has to take care of business on October 28, when he fights Ngannou, and then we’re off to the races with the unified heavyweight championship,” Top Rank boss and Fury co-promoter Bob Arum told a group of reporters during a recent media gathering.
“If you told Tyson Fury he's set to make a$100 million, he'd really get pissed off because he thinks, and I think he's right, that he's going to make a lot more. I don't know the number ... but it's a lot more than $100 million.”
The 35-year-old Fury has made it clear that he’s currently only interested in fights that will make him the most amount of money.
“I've got new goals – I want to top the Forbes list for the highest-paid athlete for the year, and I want to make a Hollywood movie,” Fury said recently. “I've completed the game in the ring – it's done. I've done everything there is to do and won every belt there is to win.”
Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn is also trying to stage a heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia between former titlists Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Hearn said the handsome paydays Fury is getting is good for the entire ecosystem of boxing.
Fury last fought in December and scored a 10th-round stoppage win against journeyman Derek Chisora.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
