Bivol won all four belts from Artur Beterbiev in a rematch after losing a close first bout. But he didn't hold onto them for long. In early April 2024, he vacated the WBC title. His team had agreed to this move beforehand.
The reason? Bivol wants to fight Beterbiev for a third time. This decision opened the door for David Benavidez to become the new WBC light-heavyweight champion.
Benavidez, known as 'The Monster', has an impressive record of 30 wins and no losses since his debut in 2013. He's no stranger to the 175-pound division. He held the WBC 'Interim' strap and beat Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his light-heavyweight debut. He also won against David Morrell, adding the WBA Regular belt to his collection.
But Benavidez isn't happy with Bivol's decision. He claims Bivol turned down a big payday to fight him. In an interview on Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru and Henry, Benavidez said:
"You gotta look at this too, Bivol's not really a household name like that, Beterbiev's not a household name like that, they're f**king amazing fighters, they don't really sell that much, so I come back to this point all the time, if you can f**king beat me come shut me up and make a big f**king bag."
Benavidez claims Bivol rejected an $8 million offer to face him. That's a lot more than the $2.7 million Bivol reportedly earned for his last fight against Beterbiev.
Now, Benavidez is getting ready to announce his first WBC title defense. He might face Callum Smith or Anthony Yarde. Meanwhile, Bivol will focus on setting up his trilogy fight with Beterbiev.
The light-heavyweight division is heating up. Fans will keep a close eye on how these champions' paths unfold in the coming months.