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Rumor: Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez Close To Finalizing Deal For Summer Fight
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Matt Penn
Matt Penn
RingMagazine.com
Rumor: Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez Close To Finalizing Deal For Summer Fight
Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez are reportedly on the verge of finalizing a deal that would see the pair square off in a huge light-heavyweight title bout this summer.

Both Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) and Benavidez (3-0, 24 KOs) are coming off huge victories, with the Russian beating Artur Beterbiv for The Ring and undisputed 175-pound titles last month, and the Mexican-American defeating David Morrell on points a few weeks earlier.

Now they look set to face off, with Bivol's promoters Matchroom and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), who represent Benavidez, close to reaching a deal, according to ESPN Knockout's Julius Julianus.

Earlier this week, the WBC ordered Bivol to face Benavidez next, and the pair were given until April 8 to negotiate terms on what would be one of the biggest fights in the division.

After losing to Beterbiev by majority decision on Oct. 12, 2024, Bivol reversed the decision with the exact same scores of 114-114, 116-112, 115-113, on Feb. 22.

It's unclear if Beterbiev, who was told by HE Turki Alalshikh that if he wanted a rematch against Bivol, he'd get it, has exercised his right to a trilogy bout.

There's also the not-so-small matter of the IBF's mandatory challenger Michael Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs), who has has been waiting for his shot at world honours for over two years.

In fact, Eifert was ordered to face Beterbiev last October after he beat Bivol in their first fight, but an exception was filed and approved for a rematch between the two titans to go ahead.

Bivol may be forced to vacate his IBF belt as a result, leaving IBF's No. 1-ranked Eifert to fight for it against No. 2 contender Conor Wallace, potentially.

Benavidez is the WBC 'interim' champ at 175 pounds, winning that belt against Oleksandr Gvozdyk last summer. Before that, he was a WBC world champion at super-middleweight, but after being knocked back in his attempts to fight then-undisputed champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, the Mexican Monster moved up in weight.

Earlier this week, head of Riyadh Season Alalshikh told The Ring he was no longer interested in seeing Bivol-Benavidez.

“I am no longer interested in Bivol-Benavidez and I will not bid on it," he said after news of WBC's order broke.

"I think Bivol knows who has delivered for him and who hasn’t. My advice to Bivol: don’t be late because every day something changes.”

Bivol then tweeted: "Waiting for the next move with my best team @MatchroomBoxing, @Turki_alalshikh, @RiyadhSeason, @VadimKTeam."

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