Zab Judah has offered his initial thoughts on a clash between David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol, who could collide for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown later this year.
Both sides have already held preliminary talks for their potential encounter, which would see Bivol look to become a two-time undisputed champion.
The Russian claimed all four world titles at 175lbs in February 2025, exacting his revenge over Artur Beterbiev with a majority decision victory.
After that, he vacated his WBC strap to undergo and recover from back surgery, but is now gearing up for a mandatory title defence against Michael Eifert on May 30.
Benavidez, meanwhile, was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion before jumping up to cruiserweight and defeating Gilberto Ramirez last Saturday.
The sixth-round stoppage saw him collect the WBO and WBA titles at 200lbs, becoming a three-division world champion, but the 29-year-old now seems as though he is eying a move back down in weight.
Even before his last outing, Team Benavidez had begun exploring a fight with the man that handily defeated Canelo Alvarez and Ramirez in 2022.
But despite Bivol’s dominant points victory over his latest victim, Judah has told MillCity Boxing that he sees Benavidez stopping the 35-year-old in a similar fashion to what he managed against Ramirez.
“It’s a good fight – I like it. I’ll still say the same thing: another [Benavidez] stoppage. I predict the same thing [as the Ramirez stoppage].
“David Benavidez has his own style in boxing; he’s the first fighter we know with this style. He’s mastered it.
“So there is no real defence for this style yet. Until people can learn this style completely, you’re not going to know how to defend against it.”
While an interesting observation from Judah, many would argue that Benavidez’s high-volume style could at least be tested by the sharp footwork of Bivol. Fans will hope to find out soon.
