David Benavidez will beat Dmitry Bivol. That's the view of Oscar De La Hoya, who's put his weight behind the reigning world champion.
Bivol just became the undisputed king at 175lbs. He beat Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh on February 22, avenging his first career loss from October. The Russian now holds all four major titles - WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO.
A trilogy fight with Beterbiev will likely happen before the end of 2025. The winner of that could be seen as the best light heavyweight of their time.
But De La Hoya thinks Benavidez has what it takes to topple Bivol. The former boxer and current promoter shared his thoughts with Fight Hub TV.
"I would go with Benavidez because he's more active and throws more punches and has better footwork than Beterbiev. He's smarter up there and knows how to think and how to adjust. I would favour Benavidez."
Benavidez, known as "The Monster," moved up to light heavyweight last year. He beat Oleksandr Gvozdyk by unanimous decision to win the WBC 'Interim' title at 175lbs.
The WBC recently named Benavidez their full champion after Bivol gave up the belt. Bivol made this choice to focus on his third fight with Beterbiev.
At 28, Benavidez is six years younger than Bivol. He's known for his high work rate and ring smarts, which De La Hoya believes give him an edge.
The light heavyweight division is heating up. With these top fighters in the mix, fans can look forward to some great matchups in the near future.
