David Benavidez may get his long-awaited shot at a star opponent next.
The WBC has ordered undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol to defend his WBC belt against its interim titleholder, Benavidez. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed to BoxingScene that both sides have until April 8 to negotiate, after which the fight will be sent to a purse bid.
Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs), was in attendance on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to watch Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), get his revenge against Artur Beterbiev, in a majority decision win that sent the undisputed championship to Bivol.
The WBC’s plans for a Bivol-Benavidez showdown fly in the face of Riyadh Season’s vision for a third clash between Bivol and Beterbiev. Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh was seen holding up three fingers after the decision was read in Saudi Arabia, likely signaling his plans to organize a trilogy.
In the event that a trilogy fight comes next, the WBC could then strip Bivol and elevate Benavidez to full titlist status – though the biggest possible economic opportunity for the 28-year-old Benavidez would be in fighting the undisputed champion.
Benavidez, who is managed by Sampson Lewkowicz, is a former WBC super middleweight belt holder, but he stepped up in weight last year after his hopes faded of facing Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a big-money fight.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for krikya360.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at .