David Benavidez will have a front-row seat at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 22 when undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol meet in a rematch.
Fresh off a win against David Morrell, Benavidez is lined up to face the winner, a matchup that Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and the General Entertainment Authority, is keen on making.
If Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) has it his way, however, he’d like to face Bivol to better position his career credentials.
“I would pick Bivol [to beat Beterbiev] because Bivol beat Canelo Alvarez,” Benavidez said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “So basically, when I beat Bivol, that would make my case that I’m better than Canelo. I know Bivol really well. I sparred with him. He’s a great fighter, and we had a lot of great sparring sessions. So, I definitely would like to fight Bivol.
“I'm pretty confident [I’ll fight the winner]. To be honest, the only thing that I’m thinking about is that if Bivol wins, there would have to be a rubber match. Who am I to say that they can’t fight another fight? If [Bivol won], I wouldn’t fight until they get that done with and I would move into the fight after they have a trilogy.
“I think we’re going to go over there on February 22nd, and we’ll probably figure everything out [for what’s next for me]. It’s probably too much of a long time [of a break for me if Bivol wins]. We have a lot of big things coming up. I think I proved to everyone what level I’m on [in the Morrell fight] and how much heart I have. I’ll bet the house, me against anybody. I’m looking forward to continuing to make history.”
Benavidez, 28, would be caught in a precarious position if a trilogy between Beterbiev and Bivol takes place. Benavidez could stay busy and face other top contenders like Joshua Buatsi, Anthony Yarde, Albert Ramirez, and Callum Smith. Or he could wait it out for around a year.
Regardless of the road ahead, Benavidez has a one-track mind – to be king of the division.
“After I unify all of the belts at 175, then that is when I’m definitely going to get all of the respect that I knew I would get one day,” said Benavidez. “I feel comfortable at 175. With every fight, I’m getting stronger. You have to take accountability in a new weight class.”
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for Ring Magazine. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.