David Benavidez shared an interesting reason for having a rooting interest in the upcoming Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev rematch.
Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will run back their 2024 ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate on February 22nd in Riyadh. The light heavyweight rematch headlines a stacked night of boxing, featuring the return of IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois against Joseph Parker.
David Benavidez, who defeated David Morrell last weekend in an instant classic, will keep a keen eye on how the Bivol vs. Beterbiev rematch transpires. He could potentially be next for the winner for a possible title unification bout.
Benavidez has also been linked to a fight with Canelo Alvarez for years, but Alvarez is reportedly set to return later this year in a massive super fight against Terence Crawford. After calling out Alvarez repeatedly, Benavidez wants Alvarez’s former opponent to get a big win on February 22nd so he can hold more leverage over Alvarez in potential future negotiations.
David Benavidez ‘pretty confident’ in facing Bivol/Beterbiev winner for next fight
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Benavidez explained why he’s rooting for Bivol to defeat Beterbiev in their upcoming rematch.
“I would pick Bivol because Bivol beat Canelo,” Benavidez said. “Basically when I beat Bivol, that’ll make my case that I’m better than Canelo. We’ve sparred a lot, and we’ve had some great sparring sessions, so I’d love to fight Bivol.”
Benavidez was then asked about how confident he is that he’ll fight the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 winner.
“I’m pretty confident, the only thing I’m thinking about is if Bivol wins this fight, they’ll have to do a rubber match…and who am I to say they can’t fight another fight?” Benavidez admitted. “If something like that happened, I would move into that fight after they had a trilogy…we’re going to go to [Riyadh] on February 22nd and see what happens. We’ve got a lot of big things coming up, a potential title unification…me against anybody, I’ll bet the house on me against anybody.”
Canelo Alvarez is a significant reason for David Benavidez’s interest in Bivol/Beterbiev rematch
After defeating Morrell last weekend, Benavidez has several high-profile matchups on his radar for a return to the ring. In the interview referenced above, he clarified that he’ll sit ringside for the Bivol vs. Beterbiev rematch, ahead of a potential post-fight faceoff with the winner.
Before defeating Morrell, Benavidez defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Caleb Plant, and Demetrius Andrade inside the ring. The Morrell win moved him to 30-0 in his career.
Benavidez is rooting for a Bivol victory later this month to not only secure a title unification bout but also to potentially make a statement to Alvarez after several stalled fight talks. Regardless of the February 22nd outcome, 2025 figures to be an eventful year in the light heavyweight division.