David Benavidez says he wasn’t impressed with Dmitry Bivol when he sparred with him in his last match. He claims he hurt him.
WBC featherlight heavyweight champion Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO) says he hopes to fight either 34-year-old Bivol (24-1, 12 KO) or Artur Beterbiev because he feels both are moving away from their prime.
Benavidez’s next defense of his WBC title will take place on November 22 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, against Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KO). He claims he was not told he would have a chance to fight IBF, WBA and WBO champion Bivol or Beterbiev after their trilogy meeting.
“Mexican monster” Benavidez believes that sooner or later he will finally have the opportunity to face them. Given his injury problems and aged age, he may not get the chance. Bivol and Beterbiev are already prosperous thanks to two fights that reportedly paid $10 million each.
Bivol’s style is unimpressive
“I didn’t go in there thinking I was very impressed with what he was doing. He moves a lot, keeps his distance, uses his jabs and has a good one-two punch,” David Benavidez told Boxing news when asked what he thought about sparring with Dmitry Bivol.
A sparring session Benavidez had with Bivol eight years ago, when he was 22. At this point, a fight between the two would probably look very different due to his size and maturity. Bivol didn’t look his best in either of his two fights with Beterbiev. These performances showed that he can perform under pressure.
“I’m not impressed with him. I know he’s a good fighter,” Benavidez said of Bivol. “When I fight a good fighter, I take myself to a higher level. I don’t treat sparring like sparring sessions. I treat it like real fights. Anything can happen at any time.”
Benavidez took a lot of challenging punches in his last fight against David Morrell on February 1, 2025. The fight showed that he is no longer the same steel-chinned fighter he was at 168 years aged. Morrell hurt Benavidez in rounds two and four. He dropped it in the eleventh round.
Aging rivals, emerging monster
“These guys are coming out of their prime,” said Benavidez about Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. “I’m getting into top form. If it doesn’t happen now, it will happen later. I think Beterbiev would be a more fan-friendly fighter. It would be a tougher fight. Beterbiev is more of a strict, direct type of guy. Bivol is more of a you-have-to-hunt type of guy.
Of the two, Benavidez may have a better chance of fighting Beterbiev because he is fearless and won’t hesitate to face him after completing his trilogy with Bivol.
Tom Galm has been covering the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends and fighter psychology.
Mike Tyson has shared his verdict on who he ranks higher between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are considered two of the greatest boxing legends in recent history, and their success led to a battle between them at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in May 2015.
Mayweather is now 49 and Pacquiao is 47, both men are well past their prime, and there is often debate among boxing fans as to which man was better than the other during the best years of their careers.
Mayweather retired with a perfect 50-0 record, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez, while Pacquiao is the only eight-division boxing world champion in history to boast victories over the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto.
Heavyweight icon Tyson once expressed his own opinion on who was the better of the two, ace revealed that he thinks Pacquiao has achieved more.
“Pacquiao is better than Floyd. He overcame adversity. He got knocked out, came back and had some sensational fights against opponents that outperformed any opponent Floyd had fought.”
Before Mayweather faces Pacquiao in a rematch, he is actually scheduled to face Tyson himself, and an event between the pair will take place soon, although it appears it will not take place on the originally announced April 25 date.
Undisputed lithe heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol could pursue a rematch with Canelo Alvarez or a fight with David Benavidez once he finishes his current duties in the division.
Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, outlined the champion’s preferred path in comments provided by Dan Rafael, explaining that Bivol intends to first pursue a mandatory IBF defense and then return to competing with Artur Beterbiev.
He is expected to have a mandatory defense against Michael Eifert this spring. The fight was scheduled for May 23 at a gala headlined by unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
After fulfilling this obligation, Bivol’s team wants to immediately start the third fight with Beterbiev. Their rivalry produced two closely watched fights, leaving unfinished business between two fighters who have dominated the lithe heavyweight division for the past several years and built one of the most respected rivalries in the sport.
More intriguing possibilities emerge after this trilogy. Rafael reported that Bivola’s camp sees a second fight with Canelo as one of the main options still available to the champion. Bivol defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision in 2022, handing the Mexican star one of the clearest defeats of his career.
Another potential opponent in question is Benavidez, who has moved up to lithe heavyweight and has been seeking a chance to fight the top fighters in the division. The fight between Bivol and Benavidez will pit the undefeated Mexican-American challenger against a champion who currently holds four major division titles.
Kornilov also suggested that Bivol could eventually prove himself at cruiserweight, although such an idea appears to be more of a long-term possibility than an immediate plan for the undefeated champion.
For now, the plan of action remains straightforward: fulfill the IBF mandate against Eifert, complete the trilogy with Beterbiev, and then fight one of the most crucial fights that could decide the final stage of Bivol’s career.
Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
A fresh twist has been revealed in the story of Jai Opetai and the IBF cruiserweight title.
Last week it was reported that Opetaia was to be stripped of his IBF belt after the opening bell of his planned fight with Brandon Glanton on Sunday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, due to the fact that the fight was also for Zuffa’s inaugural belt.
After the fight, Opetaia once again shared his desire to become undisputed in the cruiserweight division, and it appears he has been given the opportunity to do just that as – announced the IBF in a statement that they have not yet made a final decision to strip him of the title.
“Jai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that led the organization’s leadership to question whether his advisors fully and fully made him aware of the decisions he had to make in deciding to fight Brandon Glanton. The organization intends to take a closer look at this matter.”
The statement also included a mighty response to claims that they had decided not to sanction the fight due to feelings of “disrespect” in the run-up to the fight.
“The IBF categorically denies any suggestion or claim that it deliberately withdrew sanctions to cause harm. The IBF sanctioned the Opetaia vs. Glanton fight in good faith, expecting what was assured to happen.”
“The press conference held on March 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, made it clear that the inaugural Zuffa World Cruiserweight Championship would be held on March 8.
“The IBF, as previously stated on March 6, reserves the right to sanction title fights along with other sanctioning bodies that adhere to the same regulations that the IBF follows, and reserves the right to sanction title fights along with other fights that prepare the IBF cruiserweight title remains a subject of discussion.”
The final outcome as to whether Opetaia will indeed retain her title will be revealed in due course.
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