There is a list of several possible options available to David Benavidez, but he has now made it clear exactly who he wants next.
Benavidez became WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion earlier this month when he successfully stepped up to 200lbs to stop Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It saw ‘The Mexican Monster’ become a three-weight world champion, having previously held world honours at super middleweight and still holding the WBC light heavyweight title.
An undisputed light heavyweight battle with Dmitry Bivol, a cruiserweight showdown with Jai Opetaia, and a move to heavyweight to face unified king Oleksandr Usyk have been touted as potential next moves, and Benavidez has now revealed which of them he wants most.
Speaking to The Porter Way Podcast, ‘The Mexican Monster’ has set his sights on the match-up with Bivol.
“I set these goals out for myself. Bivol is really the only fight I want, that I truly want. He has all the belts… I really want those belts. I want those accolades. That’s the only thing I want right now.
“I’m not thinking about Opetaia, I’m not thinking about none of these guys, because this is the fight I want. It makes sense for both of us.”
Bivol hasn’t fought since defeating Artur Beterbiev back in February 2025, but returns to action later this month when he defends his IBF, WBA and WBO belts against Michael Eifert. A win there could set up a mouth-watering clash against Benavidez.
The Russian’s trainer has recently named Benavidez as his target, saying someone needs to ‘shut his mouth’. There is, however, one potential obstacle in Artur Beterbiev, who has twice starred in undisputed fights with Bivol already. Promoter Eddie Hearn recently said that a loose agreement to honour a trilogy would take precedence over any other match-ups for his man, Bivol.
