Bivol said no to $8 million to face Benavidez. That's a lot more than he's made before. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman explained:
"He was offered 8 million dollars, a very good offer. In the previous fight he earned 2.7 million against Beterbiev, and in the second less than 3"
With Bivol out of the picture, the WBC decided to give Benavidez the belt. They're planning on some big fights for him to defend it soon.
Benavidez, known as "Red Flag", now has to prove he deserves the title. The WBC thinks he'll have plenty of chances to do that.
The boxing world's eyes are on Benavidez now. He'll need to show he's worthy of being called champion, especially since he didn't win the belt in the ring.
Meanwhile, the cruiserweight division's heating up too. There's a lot of talent there, and promoters are making moves. Looks like we've got some exciting fights coming up across multiple weight classes.