Dmitry Bivol, the undisputed light-heavyweight champion, must make a tough call about his next title defense. The WBC recently named David Benavidez as the mandatory challenger, putting Bivol in a tricky spot.
Bivol just won a rematch against Artur Beterbiev to become the undisputed champion. The two skilled fighters are now tied at 1-1 after 24 rounds of boxing. Many fans want to see a trilogy bout, but there are other top contenders waiting for their shot.
David Benavidez holds the WBC Interim Champion and WBA Regular belt titles. He's coming off an impressive win over David Morrell and wants his chance at the full title. Benavidez's promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, made it clear they're only interested in fighting Bivol for the full WBC title.
"This is the only fight that we like. There's no other fight. Now, everybody is talking about Callum Smith. It could happen, only for the WBC full title. Not for any other thing. There is no more interim championship for Benavidez. He never took a step aside. And you can send a message to everyone that it will never happen with the full WBC title."
Lewkowicz also mentioned that WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said they'd go straight to stripping Bivol of his title if he doesn't fight Benavidez.
So far, there haven't been any talks between the two camps. Riyadh Season offered Benavidez another interim title defense, but he turned it down. Lewkowicz explained:
"No, there was an offer from the other side [Riyadh Season] to fight somebody else. Good money-wise, but money does not buy loyalty. Loyalty, for us, is the WBC at this moment."
Right now, things are at a standstill. Turki Alalshikh from Riyadh Season doesn't want to put on a Bivol vs Benavidez fight. Everyone's waiting to see what the WBC will do next.
Bivol has a lot to think about. He could lose his undisputed status if he doesn't defend against Benavidez. But he might also want that trilogy fight with Beterbiev. There's also talk about Callum Smith as another possible opponent.
Boxing fans are eager to see what happens next in the light-heavyweight division. Will Bivol defend against Benavidez? Will we see a Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy? Or will someone else get a shot at the undisputed champion? The ball's in Bivol's court now, and his decision will shape the future of the division.
