Timothy Bradley has assessed the boxing IQ of David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol, considering who has the superior ring intelligence ahead of their potential showdown.
Both sides have held preliminary talks for their possible encounter later this year, which would see them square off for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown.
Additionally, Benavidez has proposed they meet at a catchweight of 190lbs, allowing him to defend his WBO and WBA world cruiserweight titles.
The 29-year-old claimed these belts last Saturday, dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with a sixth-round finish and, in turn, becoming a three-division world champion in his first outing at 200lbs.
Bivol, too, boasts a win over Ramirez, which followed an equally dominant points victory over Canelo Alvarez that same year, in 2022.
Since then, the Russian has claimed all four major belts at 175lbs, outpointing Artur Beterbiev by majority decision in February 2025, after which he decided to undergo back surgery and vacate the WBC title, enabling Benavidez to be elevated from ‘interim’ to full champion.
Having now recovered from his surgery, the 35-year-old will make a mandatory title defence against Michael Eifert on May 30.
Regardless of his next performance, though, Hall of Famer Bradley has said on his YouTube channel that he expects Bivol to cause Benavidez serious problems.
“Bivol has the perfect style to beat him. I like me some David Benavidez – I can’t wait ‘til he fights again – but [fighting] Bivol is a recipe for disaster.
“[Benavidez has] got a high boxing IQ, too. But he’s stubborn. Bivol isn’t stubborn. Bivol is one of those guys that’ll do the complete opposite [to] what you think he’s gonna do.
“He’ll have a plan A and a plan B. When he fought Ramirez, he stepped to Ramirez. We thought he was going to box because Ramirez was so damn big.
“Ya’ll probably don’t think Bivol would step to Benavidez – you’ll be surprised.”
Along with Bivol’s boxing brain, Bradley highlights his foot speed as a significant factor in a potential clash with Benavidez, who is known more for his hand speed.
