David Benavidez will soon be light heavyweight champion of the world.
The Mexican-American fighter, now 28, has steadily climbed the ranks since his days as a two-time super middleweight titleholder. Benavidez made his mark in the light heavyweight division last June when he outpointed Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC Interim title. He followed that up with an impressive win over David Morrell in February, snagging the WBA Regular belt.
All eyes turned to a potential showdown between Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol, who held all four major titles in the division. The WBC ordered Bivol to face his mandatory challenger, Benavidez. But instead of accepting the fight, Bivol chose to vacate his WBC belt.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman explained the situation to Tha Boxing Voice:
"If Bivol decides to vacate the WBC Championship, then Benavidez becomes champion. He's interim champion right now, he would become world champion of the WBC."
On April 7, 2025, Bivol's decision became official. Sulaiman tweeted:
"I have just received a cold and impersonal notification from Dmitry Bivol lawyer, Patrick English, with arguments that are so ridiculous that I rather not discuss informing the WBC that Dmitry Bivol has decided to relinquish his WBC light heavyweight championship. We wish Bivol…"
With Bivol out of the picture, Benavidez will need to defend his newly acquired status in the coming months. Finding a suitable opponent might prove tricky. Top-ranked Artur Beterbiev will likely be unavailable, as he's expected to complete a trilogy with Bivol. A rematch with second-ranked David Morrell might not excite fans given Benavidez's convincing victory in their last meeting.
Bivol's decision to vacate comes after a rollercoaster journey in the division. He unified all four belts in a rematch victory against Beterbiev, having lost their first encounter. Now, with the WBC title changing hands, the light heavyweight landscape looks set for some fresh matchups in the near future.
