Benavidez's journey in boxing started early. At just 15 years old, he became the main sparring partner for Gennady Golovkin, which helped him gain recognition in the sport.
The recent change in Benavidez's status came after Bivol decided to pursue a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev. This choice led Bivol to give up his WBC belt, losing his undisputed status in the process.
Benavidez has now revealed some interesting details about a sparring session he had with Bivol when he was 21. In a recent video, Benavidez shared:
"I almost dropped him, I'm not lying. A lot of people saw the sparring. The last 20 seconds I lit his ass up with about 15-20 shots. When the round ended they said they didn't want to spar anymore. People say that sparring is sparring, but the elite know that if you can touch someone in sparring, in the fight it's the exact same thing, you'll probably do it even worse. When I sparred Bivol I was 21, so imagine now I have more strength, more power. more experience, that's why I have so much more experience."
This revelation might explain why Bivol chose not to face Benavidez. The newly crowned champion now looks forward to his first world title defense at 175lbs. There's talk that he might face a former rival of Canelo Alvarez, but nothing's set in stone yet.
Benavidez's rise to the top of the light heavyweight division adds another layer of excitement to the boxing world. Fans will watch closely to see how he handles his new title and who he'll face in his first defense.