David Benavidez has named one potential opponent who, in his mind, would solidify him as the “best fighter in the world”.
‘The Mexican Monster’ comes off arguably the most impressive performance of 2026 thus far, stopping Gilberto Ramirez with a vicious sixth-round onslaught in May.
In doing so, Benavidez became a three-division world champion in his first outing at 200lbs, where he now holds the WBO and WBA titles.
Since then, the 29-year-old has become the mandatory challenger to WBC champion Noel Mikaelian, who reclaimed his title by unanimously outpointing Badou Jack in December.
While not the most mouth-watering opponent, Mikaelian nonetheless seems a likely option for Benavidez’s next outing, which represents the last fight on his current promotional deal with Al Haymon’s PBC.
The Mexican-American then plans to renegotiate his contract and chase a more significant challenge at 175lbs, where he still holds the WBC title.
This could arrive in the form of an undisputed clash with Dmitry Bivol, who has been ordered to defend his WBO title against mandatory challenger Callum Smith.
Alternatively, though, Benavidez has told Luis Parra that he would be eager to secure a career-defining opportunity against Artur Beterbiev.
“That’s a fight I definitely want for my career. Not to prove it to other people, but to prove it to myself that I really am the best fighter in the world. Because he’s a strong fighter, a fighter with a lot of experience too.
“The good thing is that now everybody is mentioning me [against] Beterbiev [and] Bivol. Those fights are going to happen, but after this [next] fight, once I sign a new contract.”
Beterbiev became the undisputed light-heavyweight king by defeating Bivol in 2024, only to lose their immediate rematch by the same majority-decision verdict.
