Turki should have just made Beterbiev vs Benavidez

[joseph5620]

Why are you pretending like you're not insinuating Bivol is ducking? You're not slick with it. Acting like you're only dealing in facts while saying stupid nonsense like Bivol "didn't want the smoke with Benavidez."

He is not ducking Benavidez nor is he ducking the guy he just went 24 rounds with either. It's clear to anyone with two eyes and as many brain cells. Benavidez stealing the WBC title was pure boxing politics. It wasn't even the WBC's turn to enforce their mandatory, but PBC and Sulaiman have a tight-knit relationship and they pushed for him to be stripped knowing that Bivol was going to do the trilogy fight with Beterbiev. Everyone knew beforehand a trilogy bout was coming if Bivol won the rematch, including Benavidez himself who said he would step aside and wait for the winner in such an event.

Was Bivol contractually bound to a third fight? No, but again, anyone with any brain cells knew the trilogy bout was a given with Turki confirming as much in the ring moments after the decision was read out. Was Usyk wrong to drop the IBF belt so he could rematch Fury? No. Everyone knew the score and it's the same thing here. You're acting like Bivol chose an easier route when it's the exact opposite. And the poster above is right, if he had opted to take less money and go be the B-side on a smaller PBC-ran show in California, you would be the first one saying he "doesn't want the smoke" with Beterbiev again. He can't win either way and it's all incredibly transparent.

When a fighter gives up a belt to not make a mandatory defense that's called ducking. Especially to fight somebody they have already fought twice.You can use whatever semantics you want but that's what it is.

[SouthpawRight]

When a fighter gives up a belt to not make a mandatory defense that's called ducking. Especially to fight somebody they have already fought twice.You can use whatever semantics you want but that's what it is.

except they 1-1 on paper and Artur is 40

Adhering to rigid guidelines without context is lazy think

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

yeah he got a pass because of the trilogy fight and the turki cash but now hes playing silly beggars with that one as well and delaying the entire division, he seems more interested in his hols and holding on to the belts and i dont hear any noises about his plans to change anything soon any way, nicely aging beter as well which is the last thing he needs at his age too, but he did fight beter x2 so that was good as well so a bit of a mixed bag with him, maybe he does have a bit of a niggling back and is very happy to call it in right now, seems most likely

Yeah he’s clearly stalling the division. Whether he has legitimate reasons or not. It’s a shame he didn’t announce this indefinite absence earlier because we possibly could have got Beterbiev vs Benavidez which is the best fight in the division stylistically IMO. Would be a guaranteed war.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

I don't either. I was prepared to see the winner fight Benavidez which is a much more interesting fight to me. We've already seen Bivol- Beterbiev twice. Fighting for the 3rd time at this point makes no sense to me(as a fan) when there are other fights to be made. Specifically with Benavidez.

In 24 rounds I can’t think of one memorable moment too. They were high level fights but they lacked drama. I had Beterbiev quite clearly winning fight 1 but Bivol made the better adjustments in fight 2. I just don’t really see a need for fight 3.

[SouthpawRight]

Yeah he’s clearly stalling the division. Whether he has legitimate reasons or not. It’s a shame he didn’t announce this indefinite absence earlier because we possibly could have got Beterbiev vs Benavidez which is the best fight in the division stylistically IMO. Would be a guaranteed war.

Buff Guy Yarde Benavidez is war

David has been down from left hook and can be caught with rights over the top

He does the feint low lead hand that had him rocked twice by Fidel Morrell

[dannnnn]

When a fighter gives up a belt to not make a mandatory defense that's called ducking. Especially to fight somebody they have already fought twice.You can use whatever semantics you want but that's what it is.

Oh okay, then I was today years old when I discovered Usyk ducked Dubois, Crawford ducked Boots, Canelo ducked Scull, Opetaia ducked Briedis, Lennox Lewis ducked John Ruiz and Chris Byrd, Tyson Fury ducked Vyacheslav Glazkov, Hagler ducked Herol Graham, Mike McCallum ducked Steve Collins, and the list goes on. Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson were both a pair of duckers who ducked Paul Briggs and Rico Hoye to fight each other, the cowards. There sure are an awful lot of duckers in boxing.

I wouldn't call this an issue of semantics as much as I would call it an issue of literacy, namely yours.