Bivol's recent achievements have put him at the top of the light heavyweight division. He defeated Artur Beterbiev in a rematch this February, becoming the undisputed champion. He then vacated the WBC belt, potentially setting up a trilogy clash with Beterbiev.
Benavidez's claim comes with some backing. Peter Berg, the owner of Churchill Boxing Club, says he saw Benavidez drop Bivol with "the hardest jab he has ever seen" during a sparring session.
In an interview, Benavidez shared his thoughts on those sparring sessions:
"We sparred a lot. It was a good sparring session. With the top tier fighters, the thing about them is they're about to adapt to anything. I would figure some of his stuff out and he would adapt to that, and he would do some stuff to me and I would adapt to that. The best of both of us were seen in those sparring sessions."
Benavidez didn't shy away from expressing his belief in a potential victory:
"There's times where I got the best of him, that's how I'd know I'd beat him. We wouldn't go in there too confident though, we know we'd have to be extremely ready in the training camp and prepare accordingly. I definitely have confidence in myself that I'd definitely beat him."
For now, both fighters have other matters to attend to. Benavidez will make his first title defense against Anthony Yarde in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bivol, on the other hand, is focused on a potential trilogy bout with Beterbiev, who claims Bivol is delaying their next meeting.
The situation gets more complicated as Bivol might have to give up his IBF belt. This could throw a wrench in the plans for the trilogy, leaving room for other fighters like Benavidez to step into the picture.