Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez are getting close to a deal for a light-heavyweight title fight. The WBC has told Bivol he must defend his title against Benavidez, and it looks like both fighters are ready to make it happen.
Bivol currently holds all the belts at light-heavyweight. He got there by beating Artur Beterbiev in February, which was a rematch after losing to him last October. On the other side, Benavidez is the WBC's interim champ at 175 pounds. He earned that spot by winning a unanimous decision over David Morrell.
Many people thought Bivol would fight Beterbiev for a third time, but that's not going to happen. Instead, the WBC has stepped in and ordered Bivol to face Benavidez next. It's an interesting match-up, especially since these two have sparred together before.
Speaking of their sparring, there's been some confusion about what happened. Film director Peter Berg, who helps run Churchill Boxing Club in Los Angeles, first said one thing but then changed his story.
On Joe Rogan's podcast, Berg initially said:
"The hardest punch I've ever seen anybody throw in my life was in our gym. David Benavidez was sparring Bivol and Bivol caught him and dropped him with a jab in sparring."
But later, Berg took to social media to correct himself:
"I have to retract something that I said because I was wrong. I don't know why I remembered it wrong but I did, and I suspected actually when I was saying it that I was wrong, but it was Benavidez that dropped Bivol, straight up, with an incredible jab."
This mix-up shows how intense their sparring must have been. It also adds more excitement to their potential fight.
Canelo Alvarez has given his thoughts on who might win between Bivol and Benavidez, but we don't know what he said yet.
With both fighters ready to go and the WBC pushing for it, we might see Bivol vs Benavidez in the ring soon. It's shaping up to be a big fight for the light-heavyweight division.
