WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman reports that David Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, has informed him that his fighter has decided to remain at 175 pounds and retain his interim and mandatory position with the WBC.
Frustration over not getting a 168-pound title fight
Benavidez will vacate his interim WBC 168-pound world title, a move that proved useless given that the World Boxing Council had given no indication it intended to schedule a fight between him and WBC champion Canelo Alvarez.
The undefeated Benavidez is the mandatory challenger to the winner of the Oct. 12 fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, where the two will meet for the undisputed 175-pound championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Benavidez’s decision to relinquish his interim and mandatory WBC 168-pound title comes following reports today that undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez will fight Edgar Berlanga on September 14 in a televised bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Berlanga recently became the WBA 168-pound mandatory earlier this year on February 24 by defeating Padraig McCrory. Benavidez had already been waiting for a title fight as Canelo’s WBC mandatory for two years following his victory over David Lemieux on May 21, 2022.
With Terence Crawford’s name repeatedly mentioned as a potential opponent for Canelo in the first quarter of 2025, it was obvious that Benavidez would be overlooked again and would remain so for an indefinite period of time.
Financial rewards at 175 years senior
Benavidez could make a lot of money by fighting the winner of Bivol vs. Beterbiev in 2025. The only uncertain thing is whether the two champions will decide to have a rematch, which is likely to happen in the second half of next year.
WBC has just received a letter from @SampsonBoxing exclusive promoter @Benavidez300 confirming that David Benavidez will continue his featherlight heavyweight career. He has been confirmed as the interim WBC 175 champion and is the mandatory challenger to win the Beterbiev vs Bivol fight
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) July 23, 2024