After his fight against David Morrell in February 2025, David Benavidez will get the chance to challenge the winner of the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol.
David Benavidez (29-0, 24 knockouts) does not want to be left without title ambitions again – his promoter Sampson Lewkowicz has made that clear. The 27-year-old boxing star is to be the next opponent of the winner of the yet-to-be-scheduled rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight world championship.
Beterbiev narrowly defeated Bivol by a majority decision in Saudi Arabia on October 12. The rematch is scheduled for 2025. If it is delayed or does not take place, the WBC and WBA would have to appoint the winner of the Benavidez-Morrell fight as Beterbiev’s mandatory opponent, according to Lewkowicz.
On February 1, 2025, Benavidez will face Cuban WBA interim champion David Morrell (11-0, 9 knockouts) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The winner will become a unified interim champion and earn the right to fight directly for the world title – provided the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch does not materialize on time.
“Stop talking about Canelo”
Lewkowicz was confident that this scenario would give Benavidez a fair shot at the title. After the WBC ignored him for three years as the number one super-middleweight challenger and did not schedule a fight against Canelo Alvarez. “Beterbiev is not Mexican like Canelo. He’s not selling anything,” Lewkowicz explained bluntly.
The promoter is skeptical about the possibility of fighting Alvarez at super middleweight on Cinco de Mayo instead. “Stop talking about Canelo!” Lewkowicz shouted in annoyance at a press conference in Los Angeles. With the focus on the light heavyweight title, it remains to be seen whether Benavidez will finally get the big title fight he has been longing for in 2025.
Text by Robin Josten
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