David Benavidez today reminded the media how he injured Dmitry Bivol during their last sparring session. He says he sparred with the airy heavyweight champion “a lot” and caused him pain.
Benavidez reminds Bivol of the pain during sparring
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO) states that he sees no difference between sparring and fighting. He says that if he can hit someone in sparring, he can do it in a fight. Bivol (24-1, 12 KO) is the one Benavidez is targeting to win three belts that will facilitate him become the undisputed airy heavyweight champion.
“It’s the same thing. If you can touch someone in sparring, you can touch someone in a fight,” said David Benavidez Ring Mastersdiscussing the success he had while sparring with Dmitry Bivol. “I sparred him a lot. I hurt him the last time we sparred. I was 22.
“I hurt him”: revisiting the 2019 session
The sparring took place around 2019, when Benavidez defeated Anthony Dirrell and J’Leon Love while looking unstoppable. Considering the way he was already fighting back then, it’s understandable why Bivol had trouble with him. He doesn’t handle pressure well, as we saw in his two fights with Artur Beterbiev. Dealing with Benavidez attacking him non-stop during sparring sessions must have been a nightmare for him.
“He had a lot more experience than me, but I did it with the experience I had. Now I’m smarter and I’ve become a better player overall,” Benavidez said.
This sparring session may be one of the reasons why Bivol is reluctant to fight Benavidez. That is, he vacated the WBC title when “Mexican Monster” Benavidez was his mandatory fighter. The official reason was that he was supposed to face Artur Beterbiev in the trilogy.
Fear of the Mexican monster?
That fight never happened, so it’s worth drawing the conclusion that Bivol had no interest in fighting Benavidez and dealing with the striking combinations he’s known for.
Benavidez still hopes to fight Bivol one day, but it is doubtful whether it will happen. Bivol is not getting any younger. He turns 35 on December 18, 2025 and undergoes spine surgery.
Dan Ambrose was the main voice in Boxing News 24 known for years for its sensible approach to sport. You can love him or hate him. Dan has developed a sturdy fan base for his sincere analysis, direct opinions and in-depth coverage of the global boxing scene.
His articles often spark discussions among fans because he is not afraid to challenge popular narratives or question players’ performances. In addition to opinions, Dan provides fight news, previews, and post-fight analysis that provide readers with both detail and perspective.
The final decision may come after the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao rematch drama ends.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Mayweather and Pacquiao were set to fight professionally more than 10 years after their first meeting, with the event streaming live on Netflix and taking place on September 19 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
In recent weeks the duel was in doubt, after Mayweather stated that the fight would instead be an exhibition, while Pacquiao continues to insist that it must be a fully sanctioned fight.
Since it is currently unknown whether this will actually come to fruition, this has probably given the clearest signal that this will no longer happen.
Conversation with FightHypepromoter Eddie Hearn said he thinks Netflix can now focus on the WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, essentially replacing the Mayweather-Pacquiao event.
“It’s all a mess. I’m surprised Netflix got into this whole circus… Netflix is modern to boxing, but they need to be a little more solid in the routine because you can’t actually call the fight and it just falls by the wayside and it just doesn’t look great.”
“NO [I don’t believe it will happen]not now. Netflix is only going to do so many fights and the Benn-Garcia fight is now said to be on September 12 or whenever that happens, so obviously this is the fight to replace Mayweather-Pacquiao.
“If it happened Mayweather-Pacquiao, they are committed to that fight, but if it doesn’t happen they will want another fight and from the sound of it it will be Garcia vs. Benn.”
The world title fight between Garcia and Benn has been widely discussed this month, and if Hearn is right, it could spell the end of any hopes of Mayweather and Pacquiao fighting again.
“I think my size and youth should be a gigantic advantage. It gives me an even better chance to win,” Nakatani told The Ring.
Inoue’s reluctance to make the jump to 126 pounds at featherweight may be the most truthful admission of his physical limitations.
Inoue has fought fighters who hydrated to be hefty, but Nakatani is elevated. At 5’7″ or 5’8″, he has the skeletal leverage of a natural featherweight or super featherweight.
Most of Inoue’s opponents end up with confined time as they have to rush to hit him. Nakatani can theoretically sit outside and throw a punch without putting his chin in the red zone.
The numbers support this belief on paper. Nakatani will enter with a three-inch height advantage, a slight reach advantage and a five-year age difference. He also has natural size from climbing three weight classes, which he plans to exploit for the full distance rather than chasing an early finish.
“This fight will 100% be a war and I think I will win by decision once I overcome everything Inoue throws at me,” Nakatani said.
In his December victory over Sebastian Hernandez, Nakatani was forced into a fierce fight in which both men landed heavily, taking 273 punches in a back-and-forth fight that went the distance. He showed toughness, but also suggested he could get hit when exchanges open up.
It’s not that Inoue is afraid of fighting a bigger opponent, but more that he is a perfectionist who knows that when you lose your physical advantage, you have to rely completely on your endurance. Nakatani is the first fighter in a long time who can actually make Inoue look petite in the ring.
Mexican boxing legend Erik Morales, who is the same age as Floyd Mayweather, presented his version of the 49-year-old’s expected rematch with Manny Pacquiao.
The two pound-for-pound icons will face off in a professional competition on September 19, headlining the Netflix event at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
However, their second meeting seemed to be in jeopardy after Mayweather stated last month that it would be an exhibition match.
Pacquiao and his team have since stated that it will be a fully sanctioned fight, but we are still waiting for an official announcement.
Their first meeting took place in 2015 and earned Mayweather a unanimous decision victory in an event that quickly became known as the most lucrative boxing event of all time.
But now the 47-year-old hopes to break Mayweather’s 50-0 record after ending his nearly four-year hiatus from professional boxing last July.
But while the Filipino drew with Mario Barrios, the then-WBC welterweight champion, many suggested he and Mayweather shouldn’t be entering the ring at this stage of their lives.
One of them is Morales, who fought Pacquiao three times, winning the first meeting but losing the next two. He told Fight Hub TV that the rematch would be won by the Hall of Famer who turned down the fight the least.
“We’re not at the age to get into fights. But hey, it’ll be intriguing. Whoever arrives the least injured and a little faster, [will win]”
Erik Morales Predicts Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2‼️‼️
“We’re not at the age to get into fights… This will be intriguing. Whoever wins must come to fight less hurt and a little faster!” – Erik Morales
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